KarmaZoo is all about working together. Using a variety of different creatures, you and nine others work through various levels designed around the host creatures’ bodies and collect Karma for doing the right thing.

KarmaZoo is a relaxing journey with a bunch of fellow people from around the globe. I was unable to play with others on my friend’s list, but this didn’t matter as within a short amount of time, I was working together with many others. The idea is simple and well executed: work together with others to get everyone to the portal at the end of the level. A second objective is to find all the hidden fruit to unlock a greater reward selection at the end of the level that will assist with the next one. These two main goals are made harder by requiring players to remain in each other’s karma bubbles; keeping close and watching a buddy ensures that their bubble doesn’t collapse and makes them become a spirit.

There are many ways to assist others, like dropping onto a spike, making a tombstone that others can use for traversal, singing at an audio switch to keep a door open, and holding a door with a switch to allow others to pass. Each time you assist another person, your actions are rewarded, and those rewards are tallied up at the end of the final stage, growing a karma tree and rewarding all participants with the hearts required to unlock additional characters, books and other skills or items. Rinse and repeat until you unlock the massive variety of characters. Each character also has tasks to complete during a run, and it can be collecting fruit, assisting others, or even gliding a certain distance. These tasks unlock additional karma rewards, accelerating your access to other unlockable characters, skills, and rewards.

My experience with this game has been great, although I did have some crashes, and sometimes loading in my controller didn’t work, and rebooting was required to get it to function. Other than these issues, I have found the community was more than willing to assist a stranger throughout the game in many ways. I often hung back from the group and showed the way for others in the team, demonstrating how to get over obstacles and across gaps. I also found others going out of their way to ensure that I was also assisted when it was needed.

The level design has a massive variety, and it is based around the host creature. If I were a Lantern, the levels would be based around hidden areas requiring the beam to light them up. If I were an Elephant, the levels had glass walls to break by charging through them, while being an Owl revolved around gliding distances. The levels were never impossible for others in the group but favoured the design of the creature the host was inhabiting.

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The game has a massive array of creatures for your blob to inhabit, from koalas to lanterns, fruits, and trees, each having a uniqueness that differentiates them from the last. Some could fly, others hover, and some can make a platform for others to use to get to higher areas. The result is chaos at the start of a level as everyone figures out their place and roles. There is a battle pass; however, it is free, and the rewards are unlocked by the community achieving Karma. The more Karma is earned, the more creatures are unlocked for the community to use.

The two modes in this game are set up as the online mode, known as the Loop, and couch co-op mini-games, referred to as Totem. While I played mainly online, I did have a chance to play the couch co-op stuff, and it was reasonably enjoyable. It would be great fun for kids and families to enjoy. A competitive spirit goes along with trying to win races when on the couch. The online is also cross-play, so you will see players from all over the world on many different devices working in harmony.

The game is simple and a fun return to the older multiplayer style. Working with a group of strangers to meet a common goal made me feel good inside. While there was no voice chat in the game, I felt a part of the community while working my way through the levels. I found assistance when stuck and worked to assist others when I saw them struggling. The couch co-op stuff is an excellent addition for families or friends.

(KarmaZoo code provided for review)