(Student Group Submission)
Theme: Home
This is just the trailer! Check out the game over at callofkaren.com
The Team:
Kate Olguin ‘20 – West Hartford, CT
Tom Tawadros ‘20 – Pelham, NH
Diana Kumykova ‘21 – Littleton, MA
Mikel Matticoli ‘21 – South Brunswick, NJ
Artist Statement:
The Call of Karen is a PC simulation comedy game about a 1950’s suburban housewife whose home is invaded by Cthulhu. The player controls said housewife, Karen, who is trapped in an unhappy marriage taking care of an ungrateful child, and must keep up appearances in the face of a home gone mad.
The gameplay and narrative explore the timely feelings of isolation and frustration in the midst of a world slowly descending into chaos. Karen spends her days at home in relative isolation, striving to maintain a sense of normalcy while fighting off these inner demons, and also literal eldritch demons. The tongue-in-cheek humor helps the game to maintain a lighthearted tone, while also breaking down the stereotypes of a typical suburban mom.
Our team began developing the game in mid-2019 as part of a WPI MQP, and continued into the COVID-19 shutdown until the game’s eventual release on July 16th, 2020. Karen’s story has resonated with nearly 30,000 players in its first two weeks. The game is available for free, and draws many uncanny parallels to our new reality, including glimpses of disaster in the outside world on news, and a widespread affirmation that everything is completely fine.