Koi

With its soothing overall look and feel, Koi isn’t likely to appeal to those who prefer their games gritty, dark, or driven by intense stories. For fans of a more casual sort or those who just want a break, though, it fills its niche very well.

If you’re an angry gamer, human, or just someone needing a break, Koi is worth a try.

Koi is cute, it’s simple, but worth a swim if you’re in the mood for a low-rent Journey.

Koi comes close to being a remarkable indie title. The audiovisual design work is incredibly cohesive, and despite the gameplay simplicity, it does enough to keep your attention for its short play time. Koi’s issues lie with the weak delivery of its environmental message that unfortunately highlights the shortcomings found in such a simple game.

Overall Koi is an okay game with some nice ideas and pleasant visuals. The game is on the short side and the gameplay doesn’t really offer enough to keep you absorbed and there isn’t any real sense of urgency or challenge. The game may have been better if the ideas had been pushed further, maybe with some sort of story or gameplay variation that felt more impactful or interesting.

Koi is a beautiful, soft and serene game that doesn't quite manage to fulfil the ideas and message it is clearly trying to convey.

My issue with the game is that the journey, beautiful as it can be, winds up coming off as philosophically pat.

Koi’s simplistic approach is ultimately its downfall. The game offers little to no challenge, is fairly shallow and is way too short even by today’s standards. It feels like so much more could have been done with this game.

Pretty as it is, Koi isn't polished enough to make any waves. [July 2016, p.80]

Sweet, small, but imperfectly formed. [July 2016, p.90]

Sweet, small, but imperfectly formed. It’s the game that teaches you to be angry at leaves – but it’s this fish that needs to go back to school. [August 2016, p78]

Koi looks nice enough, but the only other thing going for it is that it can be finished within a couple of hours. Yes, in this case that's a good thing.

It's a shame since there's a lot of potential here, but Koi doesn't manage to realize it.

Despite the feeling of catharsis I achieve when playing Koi, it still lacks many of the fundamentals that make a video game compelling. Add in the fact that the experience only lasts around two hours, and the result is a game that feels incomplete.

KOI relies more on its look and sound than its gameplay, and the overall lack of difficulty and the shortness of the game really makes it hard to justify buying for most PS4 owners.

If you’re the type of gamer who is actively seeking a more calming experience in a landscape scattered with non-stop action and intensity, then perhaps KOI will provide you with the type of entertainment that you’re looking for. If, however, you are looking for KOI to be anything more than it is, namely a collection of ideas in a pretty package that don’t mesh well together, then you’re going to find yourself sorely disappointed.

KOI is a game that knows how to push your buttons. It draws you in with its beautiful soundscape and enchanting premise, but then takes you through an often shallow experience with some frustrating moments that discord with its otherwise serene exterior. It's a game which seems far more suited to mobile play than console, where longer play sessions highlight its lack of depth. It has moments of beauty, and comments on larger, prominent ecological issues – but ultimately feels like a missed opportunity.

Koi may be a beautiful game, but its gameplay is about as deep as a puddle.

Koi isn’t a bad game. It just lacks content and a level of polish found in even the smallest of indie games these days. It’s a game that you can load up and just explore, without too much threat involved. But in the same breath, don’t expect too much back in return.

KOI is a game that almost went somewhere. While it has a pleasing aesthetic, and peaceful ambiance, what’s on offer is woefully short. So the score earned here, for the first game developed in China and released for Western audiences on the PlayStation 4, should serve as a sign for any other developers in China to strive for something more.

Sadly, Koi is so easily forgettable and dull that I struggled with finding things to even say about it.

KOI is a pretty face with not much to offer beyond that. The gameplay has little substance to it, and it feels repetitive, even though the whole thing lasts less than two hours. It's a nice idea, but one that shows China's indie scene still needs time to develop.

If there’s a bright side to all this it’s that playing a clumsy attempt at interactive art can’t help but engender a greater appreciation of games that manage to avoid tragic missteps and create a moving, memorable experience that makes us think about our world and ourselves in new ways...Perhaps Dotoyou’s next effort will be such an experience. I hope it is. Koi, assuredly, is not.

Koi has an alluring exterior, but is ultimately a shallow puzzle game lacking in both focus and direction. As someone with an interest in Chinese culture, who has been following the reintroduction of foreign consoles into that market with great interest, this is a disappointment.