Man's best friend.
Koira, developed by Studio Tolima, and published by Don't Nod, slowly became something of a personal journey for me. A few months ago, I adopted a puppy, an adorable little Corgi I named Banter. And, there are times where my patience was lost, fits of anger that I would become ashamed of as we built our relationship. Koira plays to this quite well, showing me how my own personal anger can truly harm the bond we share.
Shortly into Koira, the protagonist who the game is titled around, meets a dog, helping them out of a trap. The dog then follows them, aiding in solving a series of music puzzles, or being able to dig through piles of snow. They work together to get back to Koira’s home, a beacon of hope far away in the distance. While the journey home is one they'll see through, more lurks around them as hunters plague the countryside, desperate to track down your newly acquainted canine.
First and foremost, Koira is beautiful, reminding me of the artistic approach of something like Gris and Neva; games that put art front and center in their game design. While a few exits can be hard to parse, such as a moment where you need to escape the hunters camp, the game is nonetheless gorgeous, allowing its silhouette cast to emote through their animations and their bright white eyes. Given Don't Nod’s penchant for strong storytelling, I can see why they claimed it fit well in their portfolio to publish the game.
Koira's storytelling isn't through dialogue or text, but through emotions, pictures, and the ability to read between the lines on a scene. From helping a family of boars or building a snowman, Koira is more about moments than an overarching narrative.
While Koira will have moments of stealth, which to be honest isn't terribly strong, there are encounters where Koira’s emotions get the better of them, resulting in some light combat. Otherwise, you'll throw sticks or snowballs to distract enemies and hide in the bushes. The game does a good job at conveying this due to playing fetch or hide and seek with your dog.
If Koira has any significant flaw, it is in the repetition of just a few mechanics. You are either solving very similar puzzles, stealthing the same kinds of scenarios, or picking up items and throwing them. While you'll have a few moments of sliding down a hill, these are more built around a scene transition than any sort of gameplay experiences. This repetition is greatly felt, despite the short length of the game, coming in at around 4-5 hours. While the conclusion is well earned, I do think a good hour could have been cut to trim some of the repetitional filler.
I've touched upon the visuals a bit, but Koira is a very pretty game, coming across as a storybook come to life. The expressions and animations do a lot to convey the emotion of the scene and the personalities of both Koira and their pooch. As a debut game from the studio, it's an impressive start that makes them a studio to watch out for.
Koira has an emotional journey at its core that has made me better appreciate the bond I share with my own dog, and that despite obstacles being in our way, that bond will see us through. The short adventure can see a few mechanics used a bit too often, but the few moments that stand out do shine a light on the darkness plaguing Koira’s surroundings.
Developer - Studio Tolima.
Publisher - Don’t Nod. Released - April 1st, 2025. Available On - PS5, Steam. Rated - (E 10) - Fantasy Violence. Platform Reviewed - PlayStation 5. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.