PlayStation 4 Critic Reviews

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.

It’s a smart, genuine little game, with soul and a story to tell, and wraps it within one of the best examples we’ve seen to date of serenity as a play concept.

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.

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

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.

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’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]