Kona

 PlayStation 4
User Score
7.0

Mixed or average reviews- based on 54 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 22 out of 54
  3. Negative: 7 out of 54

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  1. fubenalvo
    Jun 6, 2017
    7
    The whole game has a thrilling atmosphere. For an indie company this is rly good game. The ending wasnt that good as I expected, but it's Ok. Something was missed at the end, this was too simple.
  2. tomason
    Apr 17, 2023
    7
    Interesting story, setting and characters. Also I liked the light survival elements in a narrative game like this, although they could have been more deep. In PS5 it runs better than PS4 since there's no loading screens. The fighting/gun control isn't very good and feels wonky but it doesn't ruin an overall good experience.
  3. VincentBlackk
    Feb 21, 2018
    7
    I actually grew to really like this game. After initially being thrown off by the slightly shonky anti-aliasing.

    The narrator's voice acting is a nice touch. I enjoyed the use of vehicles in a title of this genre. At first, it felt like a chore but it actually made the game feel more real. The only real survival element is the need to stay warm. It’s much more of an exploration and    I actually grew to really like this game. After initially being thrown off by the slightly shonky anti-aliasing.

    The narrator's voice acting is a nice touch. I enjoyed the use of vehicles in a title of this genre. At first, it felt like a chore but it actually made the game feel more real.

    The only real survival element is the need to stay warm. It’s much more of an exploration and investigation game. More akin to SOMA than the Long dark. There are puzzles but they mostly involve finding stuff scattered around the map. Which is one of my main gripes with the game. This kind of item scattering works in smaller environments but in a larger one like this, it means that if you miss an item earlier and then need it later, it can literally be anywhere from right next to you to a 10-minute drive away. I’m ashamed to admit it lead to me using a walkthrough for one or two items.

    The story is my other gripe, the overall premise I found interesting. I just felt it could have been executed much better. The story feels disjointed, it starts narratives it never finishes and the conclusion felt rushed. As though the developers were being pressured to wrap it up.

    Graphics are pretty good considering it was done by an indie.
    In conclusion, if you like games like SOMA and the vanishing of Ethan Carter. I would give this one a chance you may enjoy it like me....just maybe wait for a sale    … Expand
  4. tolkkipelto
    Mar 21, 2020
    7
    .entertaining but graphic PS3. good narrative and story. lonely map but good atmosphere.
  5. Stratos2000
    Feb 8, 2021
    5
    I liked the snowy atmosphere. Too bad the controls were so clumsy and the general feeling while playing was confusion: "what I should be doing?" "where do I need to go?"
    Worst part was the end where environment was dark and you wander in forest with a flashlight.
  6. Fyxhcl
    Mar 20, 2023
    6
    Kona is an indie adventure game set up in northen Canada.

    You're a private investigator and are called in a little settlement in order to investigate vandalism towards the general store. Except that when you arrive, the city is empty, the general store manager has been killed and a snow storm is happening. In a first person view, you'll need to drive your car and explore all the town    Kona is an indie adventure game set up in northen Canada.

    You're a private investigator and are called in a little settlement in order to investigate vandalism towards the general store. Except that when you arrive, the city is empty, the general store manager has been killed and a snow storm is happening.

    In a first person view, you'll need to drive your car and explore all the town places (mostly houses), read documents and observe the environments, in order to understand what happened in the community. While doing this, you're also required to manage three indicators (heat, stress and health) in order to not die; luckily, this survival aspect is never annoying and just requires you to start a fire every time you arrive at a new place, and collect all the objects in order to have enough medikits in the rare cases your health is bad. You'll also encounter a few puzzle during the exploration, but they're pretty easy and sporadic.

    Exploring the city is interesting, and the atmosphere that is created by driving the car in the middle of the storm, listening to evocative music from the car radio, is truly great. The mystery will fascinate you but due to the shortness of the game, you'll quickly realize what happened, and in my opinion the ending feels a bit rushed and disappointing.

    In conclusion, Kona is a little adventure that has a truly great atmosphere and an amazing exploration, but is pretty short, very easy and ends a bit too abruptly, so I can't suggest it with ease, but if you like exploration/mystery games, can be okay for the time it lasts.    … Expand
  7. DangerDave1409
    Dec 11, 2022
    6
    I started it, as it was free for PS Plus Extra. After 30 minutes I quit. Not appealing but rather strange for me personally. But others may like it.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
71

Mixed or average reviews - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 15 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. GameCritics
    May 15, 2017
    85
    Kona certainly doesn’t rewrite the book on them, but it fills that nosy friend niche nicely. Looking through every cupboard in strangers’ houses scratched a strange itch I didn’t know I had… But wait, does that make me the creepy friend now?
    Read full review
  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Apr 18, 2017
    70
    That ending notwithstanding, Kona is a trip worth taking. It’s a beautiful, moody showcase of the snowy wilds of northern Canada, and a slow-burning mystery steeped in atmosphere. Play it for the journey, not the destination.
    Read full review
  3. GameGrin
    Apr 13, 2017
    100
    Kona is a story based game worth telling, combining aspects such as narrative world-building and free-flowing gameplay. This title cannot be overlooked.
    Read full review
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