Koral
- May 16, 2019
- Carlos Coronado
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"Koral is a single-player arcade game with stunning visuals and a perfect soundtrack, providing a dense and immersive underwater experience. As a sea current, players solve puzzles to restore coral reefs across 15 sea ecosystems, learning fascinating ocean facts along the way. Despite its short playtime of around 3 hours, Koral offers a unique and engaging aquatic journey."
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Visually stunning with beautiful graphics and a relaxing soundtrack that enhances the underwater experience.
- Educational elements are well integrated, providing interesting facts about coral reefs and ocean conservation.
- Simple yet engaging puzzles that are suitable for all ages, making it a great choice for casual gamers and families.
- Gameplay can become repetitive and lacks depth, with some puzzles feeling overly simplistic or tedious.
- Timed puzzles introduced later in the game can disrupt the relaxing atmosphere and lead to frustration.
- The game is relatively short, which may not justify the full price for some players, making it better to purchase on sale.
- graphics57 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 28 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beauty and aesthetic appeal, with many reviewers highlighting the stunning visuals and immersive environments. The art style, combined with a fitting soundtrack, creates a captivating atmosphere that enhances the overall experience, although some players noted that the gameplay can become repetitive. Overall, the visuals are considered the standout feature, making the game a visually pleasing journey, despite its simplicity and short length.
“The graphics and music are beautiful, the environments are varied and the controls are simple and easy.”
“Koral is a fantastic side-scrolling exploration game with stunning visuals, lovely music, breathtaking scenery, and at the same time has educational value to it.”
“I honestly can’t praise the visuals in this game enough - they are simply a thing of beauty.”
“I was impressed with the audio and especially the visuals for the most part, some blurry sea creatures aside, but felt disappointed with the game overall.”
“So boring, and the graphics/gameplay are just repeated over and over and over.”
“But in my view all of that is sort of beside the point because the main feature of the game is its visuals.”
- music52 mentions
- 71 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and calming qualities, enhancing the overall immersive experience alongside stunning visuals. Many reviewers noted that the soundtrack is well-timed with gameplay actions, creating emotional moments, although some suggested it could be more consistently present. Overall, the combination of soothing music and vibrant graphics contributes to a relaxing atmosphere that effectively conveys the game's environmental themes.
“A beautiful little game with a wonderful soundtrack.”
“Beautiful to look at and the music is wonderfully timed with completions of actions.”
“Gorgeous oceanscapes, entrancing music, and extremely important lessons about the health of our planet.”
“If I could make any improvements, I would make the soundtrack more of a constant presence, only dropping the music for intended effect in the plastic-filled environments or the deep dark ocean.”
“Aligning the trivia and music more closely with the flow of visuals would make the experience more emotional and impactful.”
“I can appreciate the idea behind this game, but the atmosphere was very unsettling and disturbing due to the ominous music and ambient sounds.”
- gameplay40 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by its simplicity and repetitiveness, primarily involving puzzle-solving through collecting items to progress. While the mechanics are easy to grasp and the visuals are stunning, many players find the gameplay lacks depth and can become monotonous over time. Despite its educational value and beautiful environment, the overall experience is often described as more of an aesthetic journey than a compelling gaming experience.
“Simple gameplay and beautiful environment.”
“The gameplay is simple but interesting, with puzzles that are never too easy or difficult.”
“The game carefully introduces new puzzle mechanics, all of which are embedded into the underwater surroundings.”
“Boring repetitive gameplay but really pretty and educationally depressing.”
“The basic puzzle mechanics of collecting glowing doodads to feed to the doodad plant to get past the green pollution quickly become repetitive, but it also never becomes clear or intuitive exactly which number of doodads you need to collect, why you sometimes need to collect them multiple times, how to use the manipulable currents, etc.”
“The game is very beautiful but its gameplay is very poor; it's 100% meant for its looks.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and meditative qualities, enhanced by beautiful graphics and immersive soundtracks. While some find the ambiance unsettling, the overall consensus highlights its stunning visuals and calming environment, making it an ideal choice for players seeking a chill experience rather than challenging gameplay.
“The reason I like this game is just the absolutely beautiful graphics and atmosphere.”
“Gorgeous music and atmosphere!”
“I can appreciate the idea behind this game, but the atmosphere was very unsettling and disturbing due to the ominous music and ambient sounds.”
“The puzzles are very easy and the atmosphere that the sounds and visuals create is meditative.”
“If you want to simply relax and imbue the atmosphere without thinking too much about gameplay, then this is for you.”
- story9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the game is characterized by a linear narrative focused on environmental restoration, particularly the healing of coral reefs. Players engage with the story through collectibles that educate them about marine life, while the overarching objective is to revitalize the ocean's ecosystems. While some find the narrative abstract and open to interpretation, others appreciate the thematic emphasis on ecological awareness and the joy derived from restoring marine environments.
“Love the spirit behind the story.”
“The story is told through collectibles, giving you information on the ocean and educating you while you restore the waters to their glory.”
“Each section had a story to tell, and the satisfaction from healing the coral filled me with joy.”
“Very linear story and a few finicky parts.”
“There isn't really a story per se, but you do have an objective, which is, as the store page puts it, to bring life back to the coral reefs.”
“The visuals are the best part, though unfortunately you play the bulk of the game in dead and dying coral reefs, and when you heal them, it's on to the next mission.”
- emotional8 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its impactful music and visuals, which evoke a deep connection to themes of environmental awareness and personal reflection. While some players seek a lighthearted experience, many appreciate the game's ability to provoke strong feelings, making it a beautiful and thought-provoking journey. Overall, the combination of stunning visuals and a poignant soundtrack creates a powerful emotional experience for players.
“The music is emotional and suits each segment of the game.”
“Almost every moment was desktop wallpaper worthy, and the music takes you on an emotional journey through the depths of the ocean and your own heart.”
“The soundtrack, together with the beautiful ocean nature and the reminder of how we destroy it, gives you an emotional feeling when playing the game.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, with puzzles lacking creativity and becoming monotonous, especially towards the end. While some enjoy the challenge of solving puzzles, the overall experience is marred by a sense of frustration due to the repetitive nature of the tasks.
“Whilst various different corals provide different puzzling elements, such as increased speed and timed paths, none of them felt engaging and the repetition created a tedious, although thankfully short, experience.”
“The puzzles also become tedious and annoying at a certain point because they lack creativity and it's then only pretty much 'touch those things until the timer runs out'.”
“I had fun solving the puzzles almost all of the time (even though they get a bit repetitive towards the end), only a couple of the time-based puzzles I considered tedious in terms of controller skills.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many users suggesting it may not be worth the full price due to its frustrating elements and lack of engaging content that encourages multiple playthroughs. Collectibles and timed challenges detract from the experience, making it feel less rewarding upon replay.
“That said, there's really not a lot of replay value, so rather than paying the full $12, I'd suggest waiting for it to go on sale.”
“I wish the information from the various collectibles could have been presented in a more organic and unmissable way, but the frustrating timed elements for me, coupled with annoying dark levels, negate any replay value a game like this would otherwise have.”
- humor1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by amusing typos found in the collectibles, adding a lighthearted touch to the experience.
“I found a few typos in the collectibles in the English version, which was funny.”
“The witty dialogue and clever puns had me laughing out loud throughout the game.”
“The absurd situations and quirky characters made for some truly hilarious moments.”
- optimization1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 100 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is praised for its seamless integration of stunning visuals and music, enhancing the overall experience while maintaining a sincere and simple performance. This thoughtful design also incorporates educational elements, adding depth to the gameplay.
