Kona (Early Access)

Kona manages to capture an environment and atmosphere that most games only dream of. It’s a good thing too; for the bulk of my play-through the environment was the most talkative character I came across. The ever-present, raging blizzard howls and moans, the bare floorboards of cabins and general stores creak and thump, and the labored chug of your old pickup and the high-pitched whine of a snowmobile is about as close as you’ll get to a conversation in these parts. Oh, and ghosts. And possibly a Wendigo.

Bienvenue au Canada

Set in the Canadian wilderness in the 1970s, you are a private detective named Carl Faubert, solving the exciting case of the vandalized property… at least at first. You find out early on that a rich and seemingly disliked man in town has had his property vandalized and wants to get to the bottom of it. You head into town just as an unexpected blizzard begins roaring through, the wind whipping the trees back and forth and dropping visibility to almost nothing. You arrive in the town to find it completely deserted, your rich employer nowhere to be found. The mystery quickly begins to spiral out from there as you try and figure out why the town appears to be  deserted; except for spectral spirits and ravenous wolves of course.

In my brief time with Kona, I was consistently surprised at how effortlessly the game draws you in. There is a pervasive sense of dread and almost-but-not-quite fear as you explore the deserted town’s many buildings and read the notes and ledgers of its missing citizens. There are creepy cabins with wood-burning stoves, the walls covered in pictures of a Wendigo, which you hope is purely from the artist’s imagination. Old-timey record players warble out decades-old tunes, flip-switch gas pumps, a relic by today’s standards, sit forlornly in the raging storm, waiting for customers who will never arrive, and savage wolves dig through trash cans, giving you challenging looks before reluctantly trotting back into the woods. The atmosphere is beautiful, isolating, and very effective.

Just Listen to the Man

Furthering the atmosphere and almost noir-style feel of the game is the narration. I couldn’t help but think about Bastion, the 2011 surprise hit indie title, as I played through Kona. The narration is dry, humorous and will on occasion slyly insult the player’s stupid decisions, while at the same time surreptitiously giving you more information on Carl Faubert. As I rattled down the road in my pickup, my vision almost completely obscured by the raging blizzard, I decided on the spur of the moment to stop the truck and get out. I was unable to open the door, but the narrator told me that due to Carl’s military training, he is unfailingly punctual, and besides, stepping out into a blizzard is kind of a stupid thing to do. It may seem like a simple thing, but it was a clever way to offer up some more background information instead of just disabling the exit button.

The narration also ratchets up the danger in subtle ways. The majority of the time, the voice is calm, even, and almost dryly sarcastic at some points. When there is danger or potentially creepy situations or revelations, the voice becomes less even, more hurried, and there is a definite tension in the narrator’s voice. The voice actor clearly got what the developers were going for, and the direction is spot on as well. The narration is rarely out of place and it adds a great amount of depth to the atmosphere and experience.

Health, Stress, and ... Wolves

Most of my time with the game was spent looking for clues, fixing things, and managing my stress. That’s right, the game has you manage health, stress, and basically your temperature, which impacts the former. Staying out in the elements, getting too cold, getting lost; all this impacts your temperature and your stress. You also have a limited amount of carrying capacity, so you need to be aware of what you are carrying and what you really need.

As far as actual enemies, you won’t find many human aggressors. The mystery and the elements are your main adversaries, as the cold takes its toll and your stress level rises. Also, there are wolves. And they are pissed. After spending so much time being a little creeped out but otherwise fine, I decided to chance the rapid rise in my stress levels and venture out into the woods to see if anything interesting was to be found. I walked for a while, observing empty campgrounds and small abandoned shacks when I heard the low growl of a wolf. It brought about a genuine sense of panicked vulnerability as I realized that I was out in the elements, stress levels rising fast, and the most deadly thing in my arsenal was a flashlight. I spun around in a circle, trying to find the source of the growling, quickly walking back the way I came. Almost immediately a chorus of growls joined the first one, and my heart was in my throat. I spun around again, peering desperately into the snow, now completely disoriented, trying to figure out which way to run. The wolves slowly materialized out of the snow, and promptly ripped me to pieces as I futilely tried to run away. It was an awesome moment, and it wasn’t really until then that I realized how completely the game had pulled me in.

 


Summary

I really enjoyed my time with Kona. Time will tell where the mystery goes and if it can keep gamers’ attention, but the atmosphere is spot-on, and the mechanics are familiar and satisfying. The sound is great, the graphics are awesome, and the game seems both familiar and fresh. I’m looking forward to checking out the full title when it releases.


Comments:
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2017-05-31 18:26:41... - Neluta

ttttt


2016-10-24 12:03:53... - Yaroslav

можно ключ


2016-09-03 13:11:05... - xsuperoctav96

il vreua


2016-08-15 20:06:43... - Paul

Please give me key for open game. The Best game!!
Email:


2016-08-08 22:30:18... - Osvaldo

If you need someone else to test it and stuff feel free to send me a key
Email:


2016-08-08 09:48:43... - AlbiyasYT

Could I get a key ? I want to play and review the game !


2016-07-24 05:49:16... - skyler

key please email:


2016-07-10 02:31:05... - Abaze

if you want to send me the key, this is my email:



thanx


2016-07-09 09:21:52... - Joaquin

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2016-07-07 20:38:57... - Thomas

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2016-07-01 14:16:56... - Rafa

Key please

THX


2016-06-29 22:43:27... - Victor

Key please: eMail:
Twitter: @4V1Ni


2016-05-30 13:16:24... - Витя

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2016-05-30 10:40:29... - Tanoshii

give me one key PLEASE


2016-05-24 21:19:34... - Lex-U

Can you give me a key on this email ?
If you want.


2016-05-24 14:49:00... - TheDeep

can i have a key :D?


2016-05-23 20:12:09... - Fergus

Key please :)


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2016-05-20 10:25:12... - daniel

can i have a key i will test it :)


2016-05-18 16:23:27... - xAlex09

I can test it !


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- key please :3


2016-05-15 16:58:06... - Ion



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2016-05-04 15:31:26... - Sergey

Would love to test this game.


2016-05-03 21:21:56... - Andrew


2016-05-03 09:46:31... - Kiss

^^


2016-05-02 23:10:39... - Bobylev

Would love to have a key for the early access! Looks awesome!.3


2016-05-01 14:44:39... - Emre

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2016-04-28 22:16:34... - Leonardo

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2016-04-28 21:21:55... - 542432

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Would love to test this game.


2016-04-27 19:39:35... - Dmitrii


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where the cd key :P :D


2016-04-26 20:01:58... - Daniel

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2016-04-26 17:29:43... - Alex

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2016-04-26 10:43:52... - ReLu

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2016-04-25 16:04:00... - ConnydelJuego

Would love to have a key for the early access! Looks awesome!


2016-04-25 16:02:33... - ConnydelJuego

Would love to have a key for the early access! Looks awesome!


2016-04-25 00:34:55... - Alin20124

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2016-04-24 21:19:41... - FIT

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2016-04-24 19:06:22... - Elizaveta

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2016-04-24 16:26:03... - Axel

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2016-04-24 11:04:05... - DjvanbeatYT

Any key for video review and analising?


2016-04-23 22:17:35... - Jonathan

Key for analising


2016-04-23 21:17:17... - ZaPaCiTuL

:D


2016-04-23 15:03:17... - ro

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2016-04-22 06:38:56... - Flash

Youtuber
Starting a gaming channel
Have no good game to record
EMail:


2016-04-20 22:45:14... - Erik

Key please:


2016-04-20 22:44:22... - Erik

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2016-04-20 01:58:20... - octavio


Im interested in making a video on this so please it'll be awesome if i get a key


2016-04-19 21:02:51... - sewe204

Please im poor!


2016-04-19 17:36:39... - 영재

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2016-04-19 17:36:15... - 영재


2016-04-19 17:35:55... - 영재

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bagus


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2016-04-12 16:15:13... - Oleg

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2016-04-12 15:45:22... - Tiago

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2016-04-12 15:43:54... - Tiago

i also would like a free key :p


2016-04-12 13:50:12... - cassidy


2016-04-12 13:46:38... - cassidy

Oh my god where did this come from! Beautiful look, great sounding story. Cant wait.


2016-04-12 13:36:05... - Davud

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2016-04-11 22:06:32... -

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?


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2016-04-11 11:58:21... - rami

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2016-04-09 23:50:29... - Harleen

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2016-04-09 22:20:24... - Peter

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2016-04-09 21:38:30... - Bakun

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2016-04-09 20:12:26... -

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THNX:)


2016-04-09 19:32:34... - Alex

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2016-04-09 18:44:46... - Marto

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2016-04-09 18:44:15... - Diego

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2016-04-09 18:44:02... - Diego

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2016-04-09 18:34:32... - Riley

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2016-04-09 16:19:19... - Crishtofer

KEY PLZ


2016-04-08 23:47:10... - Kokotino

Ahoj Luci maju deti trening uz zajtra kurva


Kôna

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