It’s time to unleash some entitled mayhem
As an annoying white lady, I find there are too few hours in the day for me to complain to managers, cut in line, and blather ceaselessly to store staff while other customers are waiting. Finally, there’s a video game for that! Karen is an upcoming third-person action game from indie developer Sauce Studios where you run around a luxury shopping center and start trouble with every person you see. In this rage simulator, your goal is to cause chaos in every way possible, whether that’s destroying glass displays or overpowering those around you with the nauseating scent of pumpkin spice.
With her Kate Gosselin-inspired piecey hairdo, sassy cat-eye frames, and comfy-yet-practical athleisure outfit, Karen’s mission is making life a living hell for the employees and patrons of The Shoppes at Serenity Ridge. The trailer shows Karen ground-pounding in boutiques like Donkey Kong, thrashing in a destructive tornado through mobile phone shops, fast-casual eateries, and a wonderfully named clothing shop called The Beige Cage.
Karen takes place over the course of a week, and each day you’ll have a to-do list of annoying tasks like “demand refund,” “eat sample,” and “citizen’s arrest.” At the end of each day, you’ll have a boss fight against a member of mall management, like a Segway-riding security guy or a smug electronics store nerd. As the mall’s employees catch on to your shenanigans, they’ll fight back. In true Karen fashion, your first and only choice is to escalate things further, with bigger tantrums and more explosive breakdowns.
I’ll be the first to say it: There aren’t enough games that utilize the concept of citizen’s arrest. It’s a potential goldmine of stupid storytelling potential! Karen doesn’t yet have a release date beyond “coming soon,” but you can wishlist it on Steam now.