'KONA' is a Superb, Snowy Adventure

There are few things I hate more than winter (I mean, the likes of racism and homophobia are at the very top, but winter is way up there). It's depressing, people are mean, and cold air really hurts your face, no matter how many layers you're wearing.

But, for some reason, I really like games that are set in beautiful, snowy landscapes. Maybe it's a "hey, that's beautiful when I don't have to shovel it!" sort of thing. I also have a huge soft spot for dimestore-level detective fiction, so, imagine my delight when I heard about KONA.

KONA is a wonderfully campy supernatural adventure game set in a frozen, wintry Quebec in the 1970s, and, from what I've played so far of it, it's fantastic at spinning a unique space and place for a pulpy detective story.

You play as Carl, a private eye who likes to talk to himself (in third person, with a wonderfully campy affectation) who travels to a tiny town in Northern Quebec at the request of a rich weirdo. Of course, not all is as it seems in said town, and you're soon solving a murder and unwrapping the secrets of the village.

There is driving (!), some light survival mechanics, and plenty of puzzles to support the story—and, importantly, they all feel organic and well-integrated into the world. It makes sense that you need to stay warm to effectively perform actions, and the puzzles I've encountered so far feel like, yeah, that's something I might actually have to do in this setting, like powering up a garage attached to a nearby gas station to use the car lift.

You can check out my first hour and change with the game right here, or, watch the video region-free on YouTube.