Koi

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.