Wednesday App Review: Zen Koi

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In Chinese culture, there is a myth about a koi fish who, despite all odds, leapt to the top of a waterfall and was turned into a dragon by the gods, who admired its persistence. This myth is the basis of the collector game Zen Koi. While normally I’m not really that into collector games—I simply don’t have the patience, generally speaking—this game surprised me. ZenKoi-01At its core, Zen Koi is a simple game; you get a koi and swim around, eating little critters, until you grow enough to ascend to a dragon. Each koi has different colors and patterns, and once they grow a bit you can breed them to gain new colors in your collection. There are around 300 different combinations, all in all, although some of them must be purchased. The gameplay of Zen Koi, although simple, is surprisingly relaxing and borderline mindless but in the best way. The graphics are gorgeous and smooth as the koi swims around the gorgeous backdrop. The jewel-bright colors are really pretty, and the music helps with the sort of zen atmosphere the developers were aiming for. Zen Koi is available for free on Android and iPhones, although it does have in-app purchases in order to expand the number of egg slots and koi slots. However, it is totally possible to play the game without spending any money—you’ll just have to be patient enough to ascend your koi before hatching another. The game does grant pearls (the currency in the game) but it is achingly slow, and the prices are pretty expensive—almost not worth it, in my opinion.]]>

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