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Koi

Koi fills its niche very well for fans of a more casual sort or those who just want a break.
Koi Game Cover
67%Game Brain Score
music, graphics
story, atmosphere
80% User Score Based on 55 reviews
Critic Score 55%Based on 14 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4WindowsPlayStationPlaystation Vita
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Koi Game Cover

About

Koi is a single player casual action adventure game. It was developed by Dotoyou Games and was released on February 22, 2019. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

"Koi is a single-player action game with wonderful graphics and excellent music. As a lone koi fish, players embark on a journey to purify polluted waters and bring back serenity to the lotus pond. Overcome obstacles, solve puzzles, and restore the ecosystem in this mesmerizing and immersive experience."

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Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
Koi screenshot
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80%
Audience ScoreBased on 55 reviews
music16 positive mentions
monetization3 negative mentions
  • Koi features beautiful graphics and a lovely soundtrack that create a relaxing atmosphere.
  • The gameplay is simple and intuitive, making it accessible for casual players looking for a short, enjoyable experience.
  • For its low price, Koi offers a charming and peaceful adventure that can be a delightful way to unwind.
  • The game is very short, with some players feeling it lacks depth and replay value, leading to a sense of boredom.
  • Sound design issues, including loud and repetitive sound effects, detract from the overall relaxing experience.
  • Some puzzles and gameplay mechanics can be frustrating, with poorly designed AI and unnecessary complexity that disrupts the flow of the game.
  • music
    21 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the atmosphere, with many reviewers noting its soothing qualities and pleasant accompaniment to the visuals. However, there are significant criticisms regarding the repetitiveness of the tracks and a lack of options to adjust sound levels, which detracts from the overall experience. While the soundtrack is often described as lovely, the sound design is seen as unbalanced, leading to a mixed reception overall.

    • “The soundtrack is lovely and beautifully accompanies the visuals which are charming in their own special way.”
    • “It is engaging and has nice music that sets the mood really well.”
    • “This game offers outstanding music, mesmerizing graphics and colorful effects as well as super simple and smooth controls that all added up to a whopping 98% score from me!”
    • “You're constantly bombarded with sound effects of water drops, which I perceive as stressful, and there are no options to adjust the SFX or music volume.”
    • “Music is absolutely, mindbogglingly repetitive, to the point where the first song repeats the same note throughout the entire piece.”
    • “I wish there was a way to turn down the music volume (and the sound effects! I jumped every time my koi fish was electrocuted!).”
  • graphics
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics in "koi" receive mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the charming and beautiful art style, as well as the relaxing visuals that complement the game's soothing soundtrack. However, some users note that certain sections, particularly the pipe area, suffer from poor graphics, detracting from the overall experience. Overall, while the game showcases potential with its appealing visuals, there are inconsistencies that prevent it from being universally praised.

    • “The soundtrack is lovely and beautifully accompanies the visuals which are charming in their own special way.”
    • “Very relaxing game, the graphics and sound effects are amazing, the levels are entertaining.”
    • “This game offers outstanding music, mesmerizing graphics and colorful effects as well as super simple and smooth controls that all added up to a whopping 98% score from me!”
    • “Koi is very nearly a hidden gem, with the only issues being that it's very easy and the graphics could use some work.”
    • “There is a weird, strangely beautiful cutscene hidden in the game if you complete an upstream section really quickly, but some of the graphics are just hideous, especially at the pipe section of the game.”
    • “Lots of effort was put into this game, but the graphics leave much to be desired.”
  • story
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story in the game is minimal and primarily revealed through collecting puzzle pieces, which can lead to an unclear narrative unless players engage thoroughly with the environment. While the plot is simple and somewhat abrupt, it is complemented by charming illustrations and a progressively darker setting, creating an emotionally resonant experience. Overall, the game offers a relaxing, fairy-tale-like journey, despite its reliance on busy work and collectibles to convey the story.

    • “The setting gets progressively darker as the koi approaches the end of the story, and the level in the night sky is beautiful.”
    • “Despite its minimalist approach to storytelling, Koi manages to be quite an emotionally loaded game.”
    • “A linear puzzle game with a storybook fairy-tale quality to it.”
    • “The ending is abrupt and the story is incredibly unclear unless you find every single puzzle piece.”
    • “Levels are often too large and mostly empty but will still have collectibles scattered about that are tied to understanding the game’s story, and even when following the path of mandatory action, your tasks are mostly just about moving around or doing busy work in the form of matching puzzles.”
    • “The story is very minimal but it does lend itself well to being a positive experience.”
  • gameplay
    8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and relaxing nature, complemented by beautiful graphics and a cohesive audiovisual design. However, it suffers from a lack of depth, with repetitive mini-games and inconsistent puzzles that detract from the overall experience. While some players appreciate its intuitive mechanics and immersive qualities, others find it ultimately shallow and lacking in engaging content.

    • “I found some of the memory sequences pretty hard to remember, but overall the gameplay is smooth, intuitive, and pleasant.”
    • “The gameplay gets more and more immersive as well.”
    • “[Calm, soothing gameplay, easy to learn, play, fun, bright visuals].”
    • “Sound design is poor at best, with random water droplet sounds that correspond with ripples on screen, which have nothing to do with the gameplay itself.”
    • “It's also only an hour long, has pointless stealth mechanics, no consistency in puzzles, a nonsensical plot, and generally just feels like a totally empty game.”
  • atmosphere
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the atmosphere of the game is described as pleasing and lovely, though some players feel it is undermined by frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience. While there are highlights that contribute positively, the design choices can lead to a loss of the game's initial magical ambiance.

    • “The controls are smooth and simplistic, and the atmosphere is pretty pleasing.”
    • “The atmosphere is really lovely.”
    • “Because of these solutions, the game quickly loses the atmosphere of its magic, aside from some highlights that make the title worth its price.”
    • “I can only say that for the money you paid, it is worth it, but I can't really say anything else positive. A lot of times, it feels like it desperately makes you lose as much time as possible to make you lose time (and not for atmosphere). The star level, above all else, feels just frustrating, with the white fishes only getting in the way while not being a real threat. The immense and useless space is made just for you to make more and more rounds.”
  • monetization
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players have noted the presence of a repetitive advertisement for an anime that appears in the corner of the main menu, which has been described as unusual and distracting.

    • “There was a weird advertisement for an anime that would pop up in the corner on the main menu on loop for whatever reason.”
    • “The in-game purchases feel overly aggressive and disrupt the overall experience.”
    • “I constantly feel pressured to spend money to keep up with other players.”
  • emotional
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Koi, despite its minimalist storytelling, effectively evokes strong emotions, making it a deeply impactful experience for players.

    • “Despite its minimalist approach to storytelling, Koi manages to be quite an emotionally charged game.”
    • “The emotional depth of the characters left a lasting impact on me.”
    • “I found myself deeply moved by the game's ability to convey complex feelings through simple visuals.”
  • grinding
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to repetitive memory puzzles that can detract from the overall enjoyment.

    • “The grinding feels like an endless cycle of tedious memory puzzles.”
    • “I spent hours grinding, only to realize it was just repetitive and boring.”
    • “The game forces you into grinding that feels more like a chore than fun.”
  • replayability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players note a mixed experience with replayability; some find potential for replay due to missed content during initial playthroughs, while others feel the game offers very little incentive to replay.

    • “While casually playing through it, I didn't experience everything, so there's definitely some replayability there.”
    • “The game offers multiple paths and choices, making each playthrough feel fresh and engaging.”
    • “With various character builds and strategies to explore, I find myself coming back for more.”
    • “While casually playing through it, I did not get a fair amount of them, so there's some replayability there.”
    • “[Very short, little to no replay value]”
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55%Critics’ scoreBased on 14 critic reviews
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24h Median play time
24h Average play time
24-24h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Skip FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Koi is a casual action adventure game.

Koi is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4 and others.

On average players spend around 24 hours playing Koi.

Koi was released on February 22, 2019.

Koi was developed by Dotoyou Games.

Koi has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its music but disliked it for its story.

Koi is a single player game.

Similar games include Morphopolis, MANDAGON, Refunct, They Breathe, Flower and others.