Kona is an open-world first person adventure game set in rural Canada during the early 1970's. Players impersonate Carl Faubert, an expert private detective, commissioned to investigate a series of accidents in the town of Atampiek by a rich industry tycoon. Soon enough, what started as a relatively ordinary case transforms into a surreal, if not downright supernatural mystery. Dangerous forces come into play while the detective digs deeper about what transpired in the secluded town.

🔵 Pros

• Excellent graphics, art direction and detail level, delivering a very immersive experience consistently.
  
• Very good writing combined with masterful narration, create a compelling story that entertains from start to end.
  
• Fully explorable world without barriers, rich with secondary locations, secrets and hidden supplies.
  
• Mechanics not usually seen in a "walking simulator" such as inventory management, survival gauges, and FPS-style combat, make the experience more varied and interesting.
  
• Original setting and story archetype that do not fall into "already seen" cliches.
  
• Many difficult achievements for completionists.

🔴 Cons

• Certain parts of the main quest are explained in a misleading way, which can be frustrating.

Click here for the complete Rating Chart

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This game definitely has something special going on, and it shows from the many positive sides. First of all, the graphics and detail level of each individual location, be it primary or secondary, is excellent as everything has been hand-crafted with precision, not a usual sight for an open-world game, while the visual fidelity is excellent detailed models, textures and effects. Excellent narration and writing quality complete the circle, and deliver an extremely involving, immersive adventure that will hook most players and not let go until the end.

The fact several mechanics of other genres, including combat, survival and management, were added to a "walking simulator" expand the scope of its gameplay tremendously, while the fully open world littered with secret lore, optional locations and puzzles, gives a true feeling of freedom often missing from this mostly linear genre. The story and setting are original and do not at all feel like something already seen, while completionists and hunters will find joy in the many game-changing achievements included.

On the negative side, the only flaw I can think of is about certain parts of the main quest, which are misleading. For example at some point I needed two elements to create a critical item, and while I had the first, the second one was nowhere to be found - only to then realize I never needed the second one, because it was already "included" in the crafting machine I had to use! Things like this are uncommon but can set players on fool's errands.

Overall, Kona is one of the best games of this genre I played in a long time, and manages to merge several unusual mechanics masterfully, while also delivering top quality regarding what is to be expected from a game of this kind. It took me around 6 hours to complete the game, and being thorough in searching all secondary locations (some secrets remained, however). For a price of 15€, delivering excellent quality and an immersive story, varied gameplay, I can definitely recommend getting this game for full price.

Liked this review, and want to see more of the same quality? Check out Tamaster's Review Archive to see all my Reviews in a single, convenient location.

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🎮 Gameplay Analysis
The gameplay of Kona is divided into Exploration, Character Management, Puzzles and Combat.

Exploration
Is the primary activity, and is fully open and up to the player. The very little hand-holding means you'll have to figure out most on your own, even if there is a journal where Carl will note the progress on the investigation, divided in sections, but give you no clues on what to do next. Searching environment thoroughly is important not only to know more about characters, events and lore, but also to find consumables, supplies, munitions, tools used in the survival process, or access main and secondary quest areas.

A handy map shows the general area and is auto-updated with locations deducted from investigating. While exploring, cold is your worst enemy, so finding fireplaces and light them with the proper tools is vital, as they also are the only save-points. Enemies such as wolves can be found, and there are various ways to deal with them, while some areas need specific tools or components to be accessed.

Character Management
Is done via a radial menu containing all items carried on yourself, the space is quite generous so carrying multiple tools, weapons and many consumables is definitely possible. If you need more storage, your truck has unlimited space and is very useful to store heavier things such as firewood logs or gasoline tanks. Inventory is shared between all vehicles you may find, as well. Selecting and equipping an item stops time, but using it or loading a weapon still requires time during which you may be vulnerable.

Puzzles
Are not too many but well done at that. Usually puzzles involve finding all the needed materials first, then using them in the correct way on various machinery pieces in a location. Some other times, puzzles involve logic-based solutions, one in particular is especially hard. They are varied and engaging.

Combat
Is either melee or ranged, against various enemies. Using a ranged weapon is the best choice of course but if needed hammers or other tools serve just fine, but are more risky. In case of injury, medical items are the solution, while if you die you'll respawn at your last saved position. Ammo for guns is very limited, and usage of distractions or other means is possible to evade enemies rather than fight.

https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1996636695

🔩 Technical
PC Specs: RTX2080Ti, Ryzen 3900X, 32GB RAM DDR4
There are no stability, optimization or technical problems to report. The game runs perfectly in 1440p, 144hz and supports downscaling without issues. Given the very good graphics of this game, plus the fact it uses Unity which is not the best in general optimization, I recommend having at least a mid-level machine by modern standards to run this comfortably. Low end or older machines may have problems.

Kona is an excellent adventure game that successfully manages to be different from most "walking simulators" by adding several gameplay mechanics from other genres, and a fully open world to explore rich with secrets. Recommended to all players into mystery, investigations and greatly immersive experiences.

[h1]Overview[/h1] [b]Kona[/b] is an open-world first person adventure game set in rural Canada during the early 1970's. Players impersonate Carl Faubert, an expert private detective, commissioned to investigate a series of accidents in the town of Atampiek by a rich industry tycoon. Soon enough, what started as a relatively ordinary case transforms into a surreal, if not downright supernatural mystery. Dangerous forces come into play while the detective digs deeper about what transpired in the secluded town. 🔵 [b]Pros[/b] [list] [*]Excellent graphics, art direction and detail level, delivering a very immersive experience consistently. [*]Very good writing combined with masterful narration, create a compelling story that entertains from start to end. [*]Fully explorable world without barriers, rich with secondary locations, secrets and hidden supplies. [*]Mechanics not usually seen in a "walking simulator" such as inventory management, survival gauges, and FPS-style combat, make the experience more varied and interesting. [*]Original setting and story archetype that do not fall into "already seen" cliches. [*]Many difficult achievements for completionists. [/list] 🔴 [b]Cons[/b] [list] [*]Certain parts of the main quest are explained in a misleading way, which can be frustrating. [/list] [h3]Rating: Excellent[/h3] [url=https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2548409603]Click here for the complete Rating Chart[/url] https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1996634779 This game definitely has something special going on, and it shows from the many positive sides. First of all, the graphics and detail level of each individual location, be it primary or secondary, is excellent as everything has been hand-crafted with precision, not a usual sight for an open-world game, while the visual fidelity is excellent detailed models, textures and effects. Excellent narration and writing quality complete the circle, and deliver an extremely involving, immersive adventure that will hook most players and not let go until the end. The fact several mechanics of other genres, including combat, survival and management, were added to a "walking simulator" expand the scope of its gameplay tremendously, while the fully open world littered with secret lore, optional locations and puzzles, gives a true feeling of freedom often missing from this mostly linear genre. The story and setting are original and do not at all feel like something already seen, while completionists and hunters will find joy in the many game-changing achievements included. On the negative side, the only flaw I can think of is about certain parts of the main quest, which are misleading. For example at some point I needed two elements to create a critical item, and while I had the first, the second one was nowhere to be found - only to then realize I never needed the second one, because it was already "included" in the crafting machine I had to use! Things like this are uncommon but can set players on fool's errands. [b]Overall, Kona is one of the best games of this genre I played in a long time, and manages to merge several unusual mechanics masterfully, while also delivering top quality regarding what is to be expected from a game of this kind. It took me around 6 hours to complete the game, and being thorough in searching all secondary locations (some secrets remained, however). For a price of 15€, delivering excellent quality and an immersive story, varied gameplay, I can definitely recommend getting this game for full price.[/b] [quote]Liked this review, and want to see more of the same quality? Check out [url=https://steamproxy.net/steamstore/curator/39323490]Tamaster's Review Archive[/url] to see all my Reviews in a single, convenient location.[/quote] https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1996636604 [h1]In-Depth Breakdown[/h1] 🎮 [b]Gameplay Analysis[/b] The gameplay of Kona is divided into Exploration, Character Management, Puzzles and Combat. [b]Exploration[/b] Is the primary activity, and is fully open and up to the player. The very little hand-holding means you'll have to figure out most on your own, even if there is a journal where Carl will note the progress on the investigation, divided in sections, but give you no clues on what to do next. Searching environment thoroughly is important not only to know more about characters, events and lore, but also to find consumables, supplies, munitions, tools used in the survival process, or access main and secondary quest areas. A handy map shows the general area and is auto-updated with locations deducted from investigating. While exploring, cold is your worst enemy, so finding fireplaces and light them with the proper tools is vital, as they also are the only save-points. Enemies such as wolves can be found, and there are various ways to deal with them, while some areas need specific tools or components to be accessed. [b]Character Management[/b] Is done via a radial menu containing all items carried on yourself, the space is quite generous so carrying multiple tools, weapons and many consumables is definitely possible. If you need more storage, your truck has unlimited space and is very useful to store heavier things such as firewood logs or gasoline tanks. Inventory is shared between all vehicles you may find, as well. Selecting and equipping an item stops time, but using it or loading a weapon still requires time during which you may be vulnerable. [b]Puzzles[/b] Are not too many but well done at that. Usually puzzles involve finding all the needed materials first, then using them in the correct way on various machinery pieces in a location. Some other times, puzzles involve logic-based solutions, one in particular is especially hard. They are varied and engaging. [b]Combat[/b] Is either melee or ranged, against various enemies. Using a ranged weapon is the best choice of course but if needed hammers or other tools serve just fine, but are more risky. In case of injury, medical items are the solution, while if you die you'll respawn at your last saved position. Ammo for guns is very limited, and usage of distractions or other means is possible to evade enemies rather than fight. https://steamproxy.net/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1996636695 🔩 [b]Technical[/b] [u]PC Specs: RTX2080Ti, Ryzen 3900X, 32GB RAM DDR4[/u] There are no stability, optimization or technical problems to report. The game runs perfectly in 1440p, 144hz and supports downscaling without issues. Given the very good graphics of this game, plus the fact it uses Unity which is not the best in general optimization, I recommend having at least a mid-level machine by modern standards to run this comfortably. Low end or older machines may have problems. [h1]Final Thoughts[/h1] Kona is an excellent adventure game that successfully manages to be different from most "walking simulators" by adding several gameplay mechanics from other genres, and a fully open world to explore rich with secrets. Recommended to all players into mystery, investigations and greatly immersive experiences.