Review Fix Exclusive: Ali Al-Shami Talks ‘Karma’ And More

Review Fix chats with “Karma” developer Ali Al-Shami, who discusses the creative process behind the game and his goals for it moving forward.

For more on the game, click here.

Review Fix: How was this game born?

Ali Al-Shami: I love watching superhero movies and series. One day this idea came to my mind and I knew I had to do something about it.

Review Fix: How did you get involved in the industry?

Al-Shami: I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, but I worked in  business development and sales. Then, I started my own business which at the beginning only provided IT services. At the same time, I was playing a lot of video games. One day I was like “Hmmmm, I love creating new things and I love video games. Why not start learning game development?”, and that’s what I did!

Review Fix: What has development been like?

Al-Shami: It has been VERY exciting! You learn something new everyday and you can translate your ideas and imagination into something that people can actually see and experience.

Review Fix: What makes this game special?

Al-Shami: This game was built with passion! It has a lot of action and fighting at the same time there are unique puzzles that need to be solved.

Review Fix: What games influenced this one the most?

Al-Shami: A lot of games, but if I had to choose a few I’d say, The Devil May Cry series and God of War.

Review Fix: Any fun stories or wild moments during development?

Al-Shami: YES! Two months into the game I was like “Man! What have you done?! Why have you started a big project like this?! You’ll never finish it on your own!”, and I thought about leaving the project for a while. But, then I divided all the tasks that needed to be done and I worked on them one task at a time.

Review Fix: What were the major lessons learned?

Al-Shami: When you’re developing a game you learn something new everyday. If I had to choose a few major lessons from the journey of developing this game I’d say that dividing tasks into smaller ones is really important. If you try to take on everything at the same time you’ll most probably feel overwhelmed. Also, taking small steps is better than taking no steps at all. So, even if things seem hard or impossible, doing a small step everyday will eventually get you somewhere!

Review Fix: Do you think preserving older gameplay mechanics in new games is important?

Al-Shami: Older gameplay mechanics are important, but sometimes I think it would be cool to try something new.

Review Fix: What’s your favorite memory as a gamer?

Al-Shami: My best memories as a gamer are when I used to stay all night with my cousins trying to finish a game.

Review Fix: How do you want this game to ultimately be remembered?

Al-Shami: I want it to be remembered as a fun game to play!

Review Fix: What’s next?

Al-Shami: I’m planning on starting to develop the next chapter of this game.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Al-Shami: Whatever you’re doing or trying to achieve, it’s ok to feel tired or overwhelmed. And it’s ok to take a break or to change plans. Whatever happens, just don’t give up!