Crafting the Sonic Personality of The Dark World-Karma with Composer Geng Li

Geng Li understands the importance of his role for The Dark World-Karma. He’s been living with it for almost five years now as a part of this immensely anticipated video game approaches its worldwide release later this year. Pollard Studio has made The Dark World-Karma its primary focus and has relied upon the genius of Geng in creating a deeply immersive audio experience for it. The sound design, musical compositions, and audio direction of this game rest in the brilliant hands, mind, and ears or Mr. Li. Gamers demand cutting edge technology as well as originality and creativity to spark their interest; Geng has certainly proven that he’s well versed in all of these factors with what he has brought to The Dark World-Karma. Hints as to what the game offers can be found on its Steam page and online discussions indicate that the community is eager to discover more. When you think of the most iconic films like Psycho, Jaws, Star Wars, and others, you remember the emotional ride but you also have the music embedded in your recollection of the experience. The Dark World-Karma offers the same to those who come along for the journey.

The Dark World-Karma disorients players from the beginning. This supports the story but just as importantly, it demands they suspend reality and place themselves in the hands of the creators of the game. The experience begins by awakening to finding yourself in a different body than you had and unaware of how you got to this point. As an investigative officer of ROAM, players must discover how this situation occurred and how it will serve their larger purpose. Various senses are essential to uncovering clues and sound is one of the most vital. As both composer and sound designer of The Dark World-Karma, Geng utilized Dolby Atmos to create a complex layered realm of sound. The surround sound technology of Dolby Atmos makes it possible to create a three dimensional sound scape that allows players to interpret and be subjective as they investigate. The story of the blind men feeling an elephant and discussing what they think it is might be most appropriate in understanding how Dolby Atmos provides information to players without stating outright what they are experiencing. The result is a far more compelling gaming experience. 

Different parts of the game are driven by the music and sounds that interact with players. When the transition into the game’s spiritual realm, the electronic elements and dissonant harmonies create an unsettling and otherworldly atmosphere. This contrasts starkly with the tangible, physical world depicted in the game for which Geng meticulously crafted sounds that resonate with the warmth and familiarity of acoustic instruments. The result here is a grounding effect that makes the spiritual world even more disconcerting. The use of solo violin and solo viola elements in the physical realm feel organic while the warbled tape-effect of a jazz trio in the spiritual world are subtle reminders that players are in a place that doesn’t quite make sense. Geng manifests full level panic with rapid tempos and heart-pounding rhythms in a labyrinthine scenario which challenges participants to maintain a cool head during chaos. 

The trailers and teasers released by Pollard Studio for The Dark World-Karma have the community seething with anticipation. A host of comments on these posts praise the music for hinting but not revealing too much information; a tactic that gamers have great affinity for. Composer and sound designer Geng Li is eager to see what the gaming public will feel after experiencing The Dark World-Karma. This project has already given him a great deal as he communicates, “The trust and creative freedom bestowed upon me by the game studio have been truly liberating. It allowed me to explore and experiment with music and sound in ways that deeply resonate with the game’s essence. This open canvas was vital in maximizing our capabilities, enabling me to contribute something truly special to Karma.” He’s a professional in the creative world of music but that’s really just a way of saying that Geng Li has established himself as a successful career composer; at heart, he’s an artist and all artists simply want to create. 

The Dark World-Karma is coming soon to major platforms including PC, PS5, Xbox Series X and others.