KarmaZoo from Devolver Digital and Pastagames is a fun co-op game with a huge focus on helping others. Check our KarmaZoo review!

KarmaZoo is about helping people, working together, and finding bliss in cooperation — especially when things go wrong. Make meaningful connections with completely random players online as they are all striving alongside you to earn the most precious resource of all: Karma.

KarmaZoo from Devolver Digital and Pastagames is a 2D platformer in which you’ll get help from other players in reaching the end of each level. This game’s main focus is working together to reach the end of the short levels, which makes for a fun co-op experience. Take note that playing KarrmaZoo in online co-op does require an active PlayStation Plus subscription.

As you begin your journey, you’ll be a simple blob, and your objective is to reach the end of each level with the other players. The game focuses on cooperation since any one player can’t be far away from other players for too long as he’ll die and instantly respawn closer to the other players. Of course, the other players have the same rule to follow, and you’ll often see someone rushing at you as his life halo quickly shrinks. Being a blob also means that you’re likely a new player, and from the sessions I played, I noticed that other players were particularly helping with those new players and waiting for them as they maybe were struggling to progress or generally confused.

Each level is about 4-5 minutes long, which means a full game of 5 levels takes around 20 minutes to complete. You’ll begin in a hub and will likely wait for other players since up to ten players can join any game. Between each level, you’ll be presented with five possible bonuses for the next level. I liked how the voting was anonymous, so you could definitively pick what you thought was best, and the majority would win the bonus awarded to each player for the next level. The game is also built for Cross-Play with other platforms, and from the times I played, most of the community was from the PC world, which is to be expected since the game is still very new.

I’ve played online games in the past, and I was quite surprised to realize how helpful everyone was in each run. As a blob in my first games, I was struggling with the levels, and every time, I saw people come back to either help me pass through an obstacle or to increase my halo as it was running out. Seeing a community for a new game come to life so soon after launch is always a pleasant experience.

After each game, you’ll earn Karma Kisses that are used to unlock new statues in the hub. Statues are, in fact, the different avatars that you can use for your run, so not only can your avatar change at any game, but each one has a special perk that could justify taking it with you for your next run.

There’s also an offline co-op mode called Totem in which you and the other players are competing to reach the top of the single-screen Totem. It is composed of mini-games that encourage cooperation and helping others, so it’s a great way to complement the main experience.

On the presentation side, KarmaZoo is a retro-looking side scroller with platforming elements. I liked the animations of the different avatars, and the game’s soundtrack was also fun to listen to. It’s a colorful and fun experience with plenty to offer on PlayStation.

As for the trophies, this is one of the rare 2023 releases without a Platinum trophy. The list is split into 10 Bronze trophies, 5 Silver trophies, and 7 Gold trophies for you to work on. The objectives to complete include finishing a loop level with every single fruit eaten by you or your teammates, jumping on a whale’s water platform while playing as a whale, saving a teammate’s halo from popping at the very last second, or visiting the telescope for the first time, to name some examples.

KarmaZoo is a fun online game that encourages players to cooperate to reach the objective together. You can also play offline with other players in a different game mode called Totem. There isn’t much to complain about this one, and for its asking price of only $9.99, you can’t go wrong. If you’re looking for an online game that will pair you with random players all wanting to help each other in a new adventure, then KarmaZoo will certainly scratch that itch.

Disclaimer
This KarmaZoo review is based on a PlayStation copy provided by Devolver Digital.