As soon as you get into KOI you are immediately reminded of Flower on PS3, Vita & PS4 with its style of game play very simple but having only two inputs as analog stick to swim around and circle to interact. Regardless of whether you’re talking about the landscapes of Flower or the strange adventure of Journey, there are plenty of different experiences to be had. Koi is the first China based Studio PS4 game (Oasis Games), and it attempts to provide a different, artistic experience.
You play as a koi fish swimming around a pond filled with other colorful fish. Also in this pond are flowers of various colors. You need to find a fish of a certain color and return it to the matching flower, which causes it to bloom. In most cases, the flowers are in the open, and you’ll just need to find the proper fish and bring it there. Other times, you have to push smaller flowers together to create a larger one that can blossom. There are simple puzzles to solve to open doors and barriers, but they mostly involve bringing enough fish to enough flowers for something to happen.
Despite the zen-like feel, soothing soundtrack, and calm aesthetic, Koi isn’t a game without perils. Corrupted fish lurk the waters, threatening the well being of our hero and its tag-along friends. These, of course, become a more common threat in the game’s later levels that take our story nearer and nearer to the source of all of the human’s corrupting influence, an abandoned factory that poured foul toxins out during its operational life.
Koi is a beautiful but shallow pool. As an experience, it’s enjoyable enough, but it’s pretty lackluster. It’s a shame since there’s a lot of potential here, but Koi doesn’t manage to realize it. If you haven’t already bought this game I would wait till a price drop or its inevitable free with PS+ month.
Article written by Torey.
I’m a long time passionate fan of games, not gaming drama.