Kona

 PC
User Score
7.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 63 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 30 out of 63
  2. Mixed: 27 out of 63
  3. Negative: 6 out of 63

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  1. SuperkenGaming
    Mar 25, 2017
    8
    KONA
    A chilling Adventure
    Kona is a first person survival mystery... The game takes place in a village located in northern Canada in 1970 And this village has its secrets You play as detective Carl in this mini open world trying to solve the murders and disappearance of this villages residents The pacing of this game is near perfect, lasting about 5 to 6 hours, you’re here to explore    KONA
    A chilling Adventure
    Kona is a first person survival mystery...
    The game takes place in a village located in northern Canada in 1970
    And this village has its secrets
    You play as detective Carl in this mini open world trying to solve the murders and disappearance of this villages residents
    The pacing of this game is near perfect, lasting about 5 to 6 hours, you’re here to explore and discover…
    uncover clues, figure out ways to get into building and deal with the environment..
    There is really only one puzzle here, which is near the beginning of the game when you have to figure out how to get the generator running to get gas into your truck to drive around the world…
    The rest of the game is you exploring the homes and searching for the frozen bodies of the missing people… all while trying not to become frozen yourself…
    which is where the survival portion of the game kicks in…
    There are wolves you have to deal with in the world…
    And you can do so with guns you find in the world…
    But for the most part you’re dealing with the cold…
    You have to gather materials around cabins and homes to light fires to save the game and keep your warmth meter up…
    You also have to keep your health up and your stress levels down from med kits and alcohol for example
    Thankfully this system is never annoying..
    I had some close encounters during the final stretch of the game because materials were practically nonexistent during the stretch… but I still managed to make it through…
    I never died in the game from cold once…
    Explore, investigate, collect…
    This is the game...
    Theres a story to uncover in a beautiful frozen world…
    My only issue with this game is that it runs like a ps2 game…
    it constantly stops to load the next area…
    it’s a slight annoyance…
    But not annoying enough to skip this title for mystery fans…
    Because this game is so open and so free after the initial puzzle…you feel like a true detective as you try to uncover all this village has to hide…
    I give KONA
    An 8/10    … Expand
  2. AndersMorales
    Mar 16, 2016
    9
    I'm usually reticent to offer reviews for early access games. There's a lot that can change between now and whenever the developers decide to alter their material - and that isn't even getting to the point of addressing that most early access playing experiences deal with raw mechanic devoid of a story's body. Especially by way of direct genre comparison here, The Long Dark comes to mindI'm usually reticent to offer reviews for early access games. There's a lot that can change between now and whenever the developers decide to alter their material - and that isn't even getting to the point of addressing that most early access playing experiences deal with raw mechanic devoid of a story's body. Especially by way of direct genre comparison here, The Long Dark comes to mind as a Canadian blood relative. Still, the differences are important to recognize.

    I'll side-step for a second to applaud CMF's involvement with both of the mentioned titles here. Does the US have a similar kind of public-private funding structure for games? I haven't really ever thought to put the research in to see how competitively the NEA keeps up with that kind of stuff, if at all.

    I'm compelled to encourage the development of this title, and I'd be remiss in not starting by mentioning that I can't wait for more. Incredible art direction. Obviously touted and enveloping atmospherics. If you're buying into this game early, it's because someone recommended it for its fathomic aesthetic. It feels like the 1970's. It feels like The Great North. If you weren't Canadian before playing this game, you sure as hell are now.

    As an American who grew up in the New England area in the early '80's, I found myself continuously drawn by this game into my own childhood memories hearing and seeing about the massive blizzard of 1978, having myself grown up living through winters in the anecdotal shadow of a time not too long ago when North America was susceptible to the bottoming out of society's infrastructure in the face of extreme weather. In fact, I often tell my illustration students to "trust the negative space", and I think this game does that very well. Often, what I'm looking at through the windshield of Carl's pickup is nothing but fading plow scrape in the road ahead of me and some nebulous impression of grayed-out forest caught up in a gale. The wind is convincing enough to make me feel shielded by the auto glass, the driving (helped along by a clever, jerked handling that makes correcting difficult) is enough to make me feel as uncertain as I do in actual snow-driving situations. It's Parabole's remarkable triumph that I haven't felt more convinced of a vehicle's simultaneous risk and reliability in a video game. It's subtle and perfectly handled.

    I'm seeing lots of reviews hitting hard against the game's story and narration. I'm reserving judgement for the former and may just wait the development cycle out before exploring further with that. I like what Parabole has shown me thus far and trust that they're making tweaks to a story that someone has obviously loved for some time. I agree that the narration can be, at times, obvious and hokey (a common complaint), but I was never really personally taken to the illusion that the writers were going for something other than exactly that. In fact, the confusingly-charming initial tenor of games like this get me every time.

    You're given a constant tablespoon of 1970's Canadian razzle dazzle - the uniformity of the goofball music, the snazzball whir and click of '70's design and appliances (everything seems strangely intended for some kind of pasteurized breakfast use), the matter-o-fact go-on of the narrator. You're allowed full tastes of an aesthetic and have inescapable moments of alarm when you're ripped away from that, when the music starts to slow and distort, a tape or record or radio signal battered and lengthened by the cold, when the narrator comments on things in real time as opposed to looking back on your experiences cheerily, when the voice becomes terse, quick, and speaks in the immediate present tense. You get cozy with an idea of yourself and your safety in space, and the game toys with that definition perfectly and with perfect rhythm. This is the first game I've played in some time where the effect has caused me to feel unquestionably watched by something dark and knowing. Nearby, even.

    I could go on, but I'll leave it at this: Parabole has released early content of a game that does a great job leaving you feeling isolated and anticipatory in the face of what comes next. It has the disturbing thrum of The Long Dark's survival bend without beating you over the head with it, the unsettling pause-and-rattle of the Silent Hill franchise without jumpscaring you out the door (yet), all while rocking to the desolate rhythm of a Cyan Worlds joint. The aesthetic is thick and well-researched. The models are dynamic and shift convincingly. The sound design is a gaming experience entirely unto itself. If this game can deliver a thorough story that avoids patronizing the audience (an unfortunate hallmark of most Kickstarted/indie games, the "here, let me be really crowd-fundedly clear about the game you're playing" trope), it's a near-perfect 10.    … Expand
  3. TUmaDO
    Apr 9, 2017
    6
    i bought the game in its exact first day of early access, i knew it would be great,it looked amizing,the game play was exactly what i love in mistery games,but latter updates downgraded the game making some texture look like blobs and effects removed,i was like why?
    then i sent a message asking why did they downgraded the game...answer: because other people with weaker pc wouldn´t be able    i bought the game in its exact first day of early access, i knew it would be great,it looked amizing,the game play was exactly what i love in mistery games,but latter updates downgraded the game making some texture look like blobs and effects removed,i was like why?
    then i sent a message asking why did they downgraded the game...answer: because other people with weaker pc wouldn´t be able to run it and also the xbox one ,and thats not true i have a laptop with m860gtx and it ran on maximum just fine ,again we get a dumbed game because console can´t run it properly and we pay with downgrade
    Then in the end of the message they said it will be implemented back in future updates ,until then im not playing,because i want the amazing experience i got when it was in early acess.

    ATENTION!

    this review will change if they give it back,if you want to see that conversation find it on Imgur with the same user name TUmaDO.    … Expand
  4. pi972
    Jan 5, 2019
    1
    Kona is a detective game about searching empty homes and looking for clues in order to solve a mystery. And when it's doing that, it's perfectly... bland. Not boring, but you kinda keep going due to momentum, due to wanting to see how they're gonna wrap that story up - it certainly never hit me hard with any emotional moments, and Carl (the main character)'s discoveries never felt earned,Kona is a detective game about searching empty homes and looking for clues in order to solve a mystery. And when it's doing that, it's perfectly... bland. Not boring, but you kinda keep going due to momentum, due to wanting to see how they're gonna wrap that story up - it certainly never hit me hard with any emotional moments, and Carl (the main character)'s discoveries never felt earned, they just felt like I had clicked items in random houses until I had all the ingredients for the narrator to reveal what Carl had learned from this, and where to go next.

    It picks up torwards the end, with an intense journey that has you dying to figure out what happened, as well as a little bit of action, but... That's it. When the game reveals what had truly happened, you just go "Oh, so that's what happened". It doesn't hit you hard, it doesn't make you feel anger, sadness, terror, or joy... It just ends. You didn't feel attachment to any of the characters along the way, you didn't care about them.

    Kona also feels full of missed opportunities. 90% of the supplies you find are never used, most mechanics are pointless (stress and heat) and most of your expectations on what is coming next end up unfulfilled. It feels like the basis of an eventually good game, like the early access version of a great game yet to come. Only it never comes.

    For something better along the same lines, try The Long Dark - the similarities are striking, and The Long Dark delivers the "lost in the canadian wilderness" aspect much much better than Kona. Although, to be fair, the story in TLD isn't that great either, at least so far (only 2/5 of it has come out). Another option might be Firewatch - although I personally disliked the route the story took, I know many loved it, and I certainly think the game had lots of great moments and characters.    … Expand
  5. New_Neo_72
    Apr 11, 2017
    7
    Kona è un gioco che evidenzia la giovane età e l'inesperienza degli sviluppatori, con continui alti e bassi. Pregno di difetti sul comparto tecnico, principalmente dal punto di vista grafico e delle animazioni, per non parlare dei fastidiosi caricamenti e del finale deludente, riesce a compensare con una storia molto bella e con un'atmosfera che gode appieno di un'azzeccata ambientazioneKona è un gioco che evidenzia la giovane età e l'inesperienza degli sviluppatori, con continui alti e bassi. Pregno di difetti sul comparto tecnico, principalmente dal punto di vista grafico e delle animazioni, per non parlare dei fastidiosi caricamenti e del finale deludente, riesce a compensare con una storia molto bella e con un'atmosfera che gode appieno di un'azzeccata ambientazione di gioco e di una colonna sonora strepitosa. La pecca principale è quella di voler strafare sforando in componenti action anziché limitarsi a ciò che gli riesce meglio: l'avventura. Tirando le somme però chi ama questo tipo di ambientazioni e ha voglia di una bella narrazione dovrebbe dargli una possibilità, potrebbe rimanerne piacevolmente sorpreso.

    Recensione completa a questo indirizzo ---> http://www.gamesark.it/mostra_rece.asp?c=29320170341434799&p=34&a=0&f=1&s=1    … Expand
  6. UncleEd
    Nov 21, 2019
    9
    Kona takes you to a mysterious journey in Northern Canada of 1970s. It is an adventure game with survival elements, which were implemented to increase the immersion and are only supplemental. As a game with an interesting plot heavily influenced by local folk tales and the feeling of uneasiness in the freezing cold of Quebec, Kona is very atmospheric. It feels clunky at times, but KonaKona takes you to a mysterious journey in Northern Canada of 1970s. It is an adventure game with survival elements, which were implemented to increase the immersion and are only supplemental. As a game with an interesting plot heavily influenced by local folk tales and the feeling of uneasiness in the freezing cold of Quebec, Kona is very atmospheric. It feels clunky at times, but Kona manages to use that to its advantage in its 70s setting, e.g. when driving your old pickup truck. It features a great soundtrack and top-quality voice acting. Overall, Kona offers a short but unforgettable experience to all adventure and mystery-suspense fans.

    Enjoy Kona in winter, preferably with heavy snow outside and a warm cup of coffee with a drop of cognac.

    8.5/10    … Expand
  7. Spavvn
    Aug 25, 2019
    7
    It is a pity that the game did not have enough budget and it greatly affects the game-play, but the game has such a cool atmosphere (especially at night)! At times, the feeling that you were alone in the woods was very strong, real...
  8. El_Manco
    May 20, 2018
    7
    En casi todos los sentidos, podría decir que Kona es un juego fallido. Un juego que podría haber sido mejor, pero que acabas deseando que llegue el final.
  9. MAUstun
    Oct 20, 2020
    6
    KONA deneysel bir oyun olmuş. Yaptığı işleri kötü yapmıyor lakin mükemmel de değiller ve bunun üzerine finalde o kadar saçma bir yere bağlanıyor ki ben bunu cidden neden oynadım acaba dedirttiriyor.
    Yaklaşık 5 saatte biten bir oyunda en önemli unsur damakta bıraktığı o tattır. İtiraf etmeliyim ilk 4 saat ağızda güzel bir tat bırakıyor lakin KONA son yarım saatte o kadar yanlış tercihler    KONA deneysel bir oyun olmuş. Yaptığı işleri kötü yapmıyor lakin mükemmel de değiller ve bunun üzerine finalde o kadar saçma bir yere bağlanıyor ki ben bunu cidden neden oynadım acaba dedirttiriyor.
    Yaklaşık 5 saatte biten bir oyunda en önemli unsur damakta bıraktığı o tattır. İtiraf etmeliyim ilk 4 saat ağızda güzel bir tat bırakıyor lakin KONA son yarım saatte o kadar yanlış tercihler yapmış ki o leziz tat ekşimeye başlıyor ve creditsten sonraki sahnede ise hiçbir şeye cevap bulamıyorsunuz.
    Yapımcı firma belki de devam oyunu yapmak istediği için olabilir, orasını bilemiyorum.
    KONA benim açımdan gerçekten yazık olmuş denebilecek bir oyun
    PUAN:6.3    … Expand
  10. gameking
    Feb 9, 2022
    6
    This game very interesting in 3/4 of he game time but other 1/4 part is very disappointing and boring. The story ending is not satisfactory.
  11. hunk4survivor
    Jan 30, 2019
    9
    El juego es muy bueno..y te engancha en la trama, todo se va desarrollando como debe de ser un juego a la altura..me parece muy exelente juego para ser un juego de una compañia sin experiencia..no le doy la calificación perfecta solo por que el final dejo con ganas de algo mejor..
  12. Alexb1096
    Jul 24, 2020
    7
    ITALIAN:
    Il gioco, esplorativo/investigativo in prima persona, ambientato in una località "persa" nei boschi e con un mistero da svelare, mi ricorda moltissimo Firewatch. A differenza di quest'ultimo però la trama parte subito a mille ed è bellissimo scoprire le cose lentamente e in autonomia (in questo mi ricorda Gone Home).
    Cercherò ora di analizzare il gioco per punti. AUDIO E    ITALIAN:
    Il gioco, esplorativo/investigativo in prima persona, ambientato in una località "persa" nei boschi e con un mistero da svelare, mi ricorda moltissimo Firewatch. A differenza di quest'ultimo però la trama parte subito a mille ed è bellissimo scoprire le cose lentamente e in autonomia (in questo mi ricorda Gone Home).
    Cercherò ora di analizzare il gioco per punti.

    AUDIO E GRAFICA:
    Colonna sonora perfettamente adatta all'ambientazione fredda e boschiva del gioco, forse un pochino limitata nel numero delle tracce (alla radio ci sono sempre le solite 2/3 canzoni). Altri suoni non eccezionali ma comunque accettabili.
    Il gioco è estremamente minimal, lo si nota nei menu ma anche nel HUD che è ridotto all'osso.
    Stile grafico che mi piace molto, ricco di dettagli ma low-poly, il tutto con colori desaturati e paesaggi tendenti al bianco e nero (con spiccate note azzurre dei ghiacci).
    Unica pecca in questo aspetto è che si nota un po' la ripetitività degli oggetti e a volte anche delle case, pur con qualche piccola variante.

    GAMEPLAY:
    Il gioco, come già accennato, è in prima persona, principalmente esplorativo ed investigativo ma con spruzzate di survival ed action.
    Molto bello che non si sia guidati da niente, non si hanno obiettivi definiti e bisogna quindi cavarsela autonomamente.
    La mappa è considerabile open world, anche se con diverse limitazioni e con (forse unica cosa brutta) fastidiosi caricamenti in determinate zone. Evidentemente il gioco è composto da più livelli affiancati, però il passaggio da uno all'altro è un po' troppo brusco (anche il nome della zona in cui ci si trova cambia rapidamente quando si cammina vicini al confine).
    È presente una buona fisica degli oggetti, non importante nel gameplay ma che permette di rendere il tutto più realistico.
    Buona resa anche per quanto riguarda i veicoli e lo shooting, anche se per ovvi motivi non è ai livelli dei giochi basati su queste caratteristiche.
    Interessante il sistema di crafting che però è sempre incentrato nell'aggiustare cose o combinare oggetti con elementi dell'ambiente (per me molto meglio di poter combinare oggetti liberamente per crearne di nuovi autonomamente).

    STORIA (no spoiler):
    Nel gioco impersoniamo un detective privato ingaggiato da un ricco signore di un paese, che grazie ai suoi soldi possiede quasi ogni attività della zona, per investigare sui suoi concittadini, ai quale è ostile per il suo potere.
    Ben presto la trama si infittisce e finiremo per esplorare, investigare, raccogliere oggetti e anche sopravvivere in un ambiente completamente ostile per natura e per l'atteggiamento degli abitanti.
    Se come gameplay il gioco è simile ad altri titoli, come Firewatch (per l'esplorazione e l'ambientazione) e Gone Home (per l'interazione libera con oggetti di un ambiente a noi ignoto per ricostruire una storia e scoprire dei misteri), la reale differenza da questi sta proprio nella storia, sempre al limite tra il reale e il paranormale e creando molta curiosità unita ad uno stato di inquietudine.
    Una pecca sta nella brevità della storia, il cui finale sembra affrettato e mi ha lasciato un po' con l'amaro in bocca.

    Il gioco quindi non è molto lungo ma dipende molto da come lo si gioca (personalmente esploro in maniere molto meticolosa gli ambienti). In ogni caso se piace il genere lo consiglio molto.

    Voto: 7.5/10    … Expand
  13. bancandrei
    May 14, 2020
    5
    Don't know exactly what I was expecting, but this game is barren. I did play in early access version, but mostly it didn't change. Esthetics and atmosphere are quite nice but then it could have used something to actually carry the game. With you playing a detective I would have expected more of a mystery, and not this statue flashbacky Ethan Carter thing, which did it much better.
  14. tufekciero
    Mar 12, 2021
    5
    KIRIK zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  15. kndr
    May 23, 2021
    2
    I got bored most of the time. Puzzles are weak and overall gameplay is not good enough.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
73

Mixed or average reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. CD-Action
    Jun 7, 2017
    75
    Despite some flaws the incident at Atamipek Lake is definitely worth experiencing, as long as you rank atmosphere and discovering a gloomy mystery above shootouts and car chases. [06/2017, p.53]
  2. GameStar
    May 25, 2017
    77
    Kona is a well-done mix of survival, mystery and crime which makes you interested in the next parts of the series.
    Read full review
  3. Games.cz
    Apr 27, 2017
    60
    Detective adventure game with lots of –on a first sight– interesting game elements that are not finished or meaningfully used. The result is a solid game with an interesting atmosphere that would need the devs spent more time with it. Perhaps the impression will improve with the upcoming sequels/parts.
    Read full review
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