Gameplay

*See also: FAQ page for the official Zen Koi 2 FAQ*

*Zen Koi 2* is a game designed to be a relaxing way to pass time. The basic premise is to ascend a koi fish from an egg into a dragon.

## Basics

To ascend a koi into the dragon the player needs to feed their fish, craft gems and expand the pond.

The type and quantity of gems and prey required to progress with each expansion are shown on the Gems screen. The gems can be crafted there after the player's koi eats enough prey. The type and number of prey required for the first two expansions are the same for every koi, and are chosen randomly for every pond level afterwards. The color of a gem depends on the type of prey required to craft it.

Once the fish eats enough prey and the player crafts enough gems, they can tap *Activate* button on the Gems screen. The gems will glow and follow the fish around, and it will automatically swim towards the expansion symbol. Once the fish reaches the symbol, the pond will expand. *If the player taps elsewhere on the screen, the koi will stop swimming towards the symbol. If they want it to resume swimming, they can tap on "Expand pond" notice in the lower-left corner of the screen.*

The pond can expand eight times, except when the player is swimming with their first Inazuma koi that needs to expand the pond two times to ascend. After the player completes the last expansion, a cutscene will play and the active koi will transform into a dragon. After that, the player can awaken the dragon to go into the Dragon Realm to collect  Essence if they want.

### Controls

The majority of the time in the game is spent on the main screen. The game is played by tapping the screen.

To move the Koi, the player needs to tap where they want it to go. A small circle will appear as a target, and the fish will move to that spot. The player can also tap on a prey, and the target will move along with it, causing the Koi to chase it.

### Breeding

*Main article: Breeding*
Breeding is a method to obtain new colors of the existing patterns and, in case of the progressive koi, new patterns in the game. Breeding happens on the main screen.

### Prey

*Main article: Prey*
Prey are the small creatures inhabiting the pond. The koi needs to eat prey to gain experience and level up. A certain number of prey is also needed to craft the gems and progress through the game.

There are 23 types of prey in the game. Each type is unique, and has different abilities than the rest.

Prey available on pond levels 1-2 are the same for every fish. Prey numbers and types for higher pond levels are chosen randomly.

### Plants

There are several types of plants in the main pond: green hiding plants, red thorny plants, and white flower buds.

Green hiding plants are useful for getting rid of green stickies and snowflakes: they fall off when the fish swims through the plant.

Red thorny plants slow the fish down on contact. It is best to avoid them.

White flower buds are also found in the main pond. If the player's koi swims close enough, the flower will open. Sometimes it will contain a treasure: a gem needed for the current expansion, 30 second Speed or Agility boost (activated immediately after picking), or one  Pearl. The fish will pick the treasure up if the player taps on it.

The white flowers the player opens will close if the koi swims far enough from them, allowing the player to open them again for a chance to get a treasure.

## Interface

There are a few buttons on the main screen that can be activated by tapping on them.

### Main menu

The button in the upper left corner leads to the main menu. From there the player can manage their active koi list and egg list, access the koi collections and dragon collections, shop for , , or koi, and visit their own pond.

There are also several small buttons at the bottom of the main menu screen. They lead to Settings and Help menus, allow the player to see their Inbox and Awards, view and manage their friend list, and also browse credits and in-game news and announcements.

### Current level

The small number in a circle at the top of the screen represents the level of the koi the player is currently playing with. As the koi eats more prey and gains experience, the circle around the number grows. Once it is complete, the fish will gain a level and earn an attribute point. The player can access the Koi Details screen by tapping on the number.

### Prey requirements

The area immediately to the right of the current level number shows the number and type of prey the player's fish needs to eat for crafting next gem. It will change as the player is playing the game. If the gems are ready to craft or all gems are ready to activate the pond expansion the game's name is displayed in this area.

### Dragon Points and Pearls

*Main article: In-game currency*
The amount of  and  the player currently has is displayed here. The player can access the Pearl Shop by tapping on the Pearls amount.

### Gems

The gems screen can be accessed by tapping the button in the lower right corner. There the player can see the type and number of prey the fish needs to eat in order to craft the gems and proceed with the pond expansion. Once the player has enough prey they can craft the gems here and activate the pond expansion.

Six colors of gems are available in the game: blue, red, white, yellow, purple, and orange. The color of a given gem is determined by the color of the first prey it is crafted with. Gems on the first pond level are always white, gems on the second pond level are always blue and yellow. Gem colors for higher levels are assigned randomly.

BlueRedWhiteYellowPurpleOrange
Daily Quests are also shown on the Gems screen.

### Notices

Anytime something happens that the game feels needs the player's attention, it will send them a notice. The notice appears in the lower left corner of the screen.

There are several possible notices the game can send:

 Collection started
 Earn pearls
 Egg hatched
 Egg slots full
 Expand pond
 Level up
 New achievement
 New gift

## Known bugs

* A gem, a pearl, or a boost found in a flower will disappear if the player activates the pond expansion without picking them up.
	+ However, the missed gem will reappear in the next flower the player opens after the pond expansion and will be applied towards that next expansion when picked up. This can be used to the player's advantage.
* If a plant is on the edge of the pond, it may disappear and will not reappear until the player expands the pond to the next level.
* If a flower spawns on the starting screen close to the player's koi, it might not open when the player's fish approaches it.
* If the player taps the Menu button right before the ascending animation starts, the game will glitch, making the player's koi invisible or registering another koi as being ascended if the player switches to it.