Games in the sea are always welcome with us (see the joys of water levels). This is one is by solo indie dev Carlos Coronado in Catalonia, it launched in May 2019.
Koral plays out as a tribute to the oceans and their vibrant coral life. It’s a puzzle game, too, but a chilled out one where the main goal is to ride the ride and take in some amazing views.
The Beauty and Relaxation Within Koral
This is a short game—about two hours in all. Players dive into the underwater realm and become a sea current.
It’s very much a pick-up-and-play game. It instantly reminded us of the chillout sound-surfing romp ONDE (2022), but Koral is the more accessible time of it.
You launch yourself in, you guide the current, and (most importantly) you take in the sights. There’s a lot of vivid blue in this game and the feeling of being the ocean is rather relaxing indeed.
It’s a very visually driven game, then, by which we mean the gameplay elements aren’t hugely involving. It’s more a game of guidance and casual puzzle solving, interspersed with some genuinely lovely graphical flourishes.
The ocean does look magnificent.
You’ll be swimming along used to all the blues and then, whoosh, suddenly there’s an orange belt of coral. These moments are complemented by the cinematic score—the game is very much and earphones/headphones on immersive experience and one to be savoured.
But everything about the game is designed to be peaceful. Behold the magnificence!
It’s more of a dopamine hit of a interactive cinematic experience than traditional game, meaning it may not be for everyone. When not in a sale, the game is also quite pricy for its short length (£12), but for the £2.27 on a Steam sale and it’s an absolute steal of a gem.
Carlos Coronado went proper method game development with his project, developing the game on a sail ship in Cap De Creus, North Catalonia. This also happened with the environmental game Spilled (2025) we covered recently, whose developer created the whole thing on her boat.
Koral certainly doesn’t fall short of its ambient, chillout promise. Well worth your time if you want to escape the world for two hours.
