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Aquaria PC
  • Publisher: Bit Blot
  • Release Date: Dec 7, 2007
Metascore
82 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 7 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 7
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 7
  3. Negative: 0 out of 7
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  1. Pelit (Finland)
    92
    An enchanting exploration of a beautiful and imaginative world. A lot of variety and surprises to discover with some 2D shooter action. Some interface issues, otherwise top notch. [Mar 2008]
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  2. The A.V. Club
    91
    Amazing mash-up of a classic NES adventure and that fish-tank screensaver you had in the '90s.
  3. GameCritics
    90
    Its charm and style engrossed me from the opening level and never let go, and I received an experience with lots of substance, challenge, and a little heart thrown in for good measure.
  4. PC Zone UK
    85
    Aquaria just oozes quality. [Mar 2008, p.86]
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  5. PC Gamer UK
    81
    Atmospheric and gorgeous, an excellent indie calling card. [Feb 2008, p.83]
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  6. PC PowerPlay
    80
    If you ever find yourself staring at your computer monitor longing for a well made, easily accessible and thoroughly enjoyable action game then Aquaria is for you. [Mar 2008, p.63]
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  7. Eurogamer
    70
    Aquaria's certainly prone to leaving you disorientated, some of its puzzles are quite oblique and it's in no hurry to tell you what to do, and its mechanics lack the inventiveness of a game like Zelda, but then the fact it's two friends coding together over the Internet shouldn't be overlooked when taking note of the fact that they come surprisingly close.
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User Reviews

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User Score
8.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. steventrouble
    1
    Sorry, but this is truly the most boring game I have ever played in my lifetime. Nonimmersive gameplay that is just too slow, and takes way too long to get anywhere. And the narrator's voice is kindof annoying.… Full Review »
  2. kotep
    10
    If you think the game looks like 'pretty mermaid princess' you couldn't be farther from the truth. Exploration, loneliness, empty ruins, lost civilizations, cannibalism--this game is one hell of a package, with a beautiful soundtrack, gorgeous graphics, amazing VA, and one hell of an atmosphere in an underwater Metroidvania. Simple enough to pick up, but complex enough to keep you going.… Full Review »
  3. tech-noir
    7
    In the first two hours, Aquaria is extremely uneventful and uninteresting. You will feel as though the music is bland and repetitive, the art is adequate but not unique in any way, and the game play is tedious. There is really not much going on in the game world or around you in the beginning. All you are doing is maneuvering the main character around the screen with very simple controls. Because the game play is so dull in the initial couple hours, this may deter many gamers from continuing. After you earn a couple special powers, Aquaria becomes something almost entirely different than the initial experience. It is a mixture of Ecco the Dolphin, Metroid, and Castlevania. The singing mechanic is elaborate and well thought out even if it takes a little getting used to. The cooking system is also fresh and unique, giving the player access to various combinations for producing food items and power-ups with special temporary effects. Combat is interesting and the controls are decent. At times it is a bit confusing since there are often sections of the map that you do not have access to as you go past them at first, which gives the player a feeling of having missed something. In addition to this, you will reach areas of the game world that attempt to give you direction, but end up being ambiguous and cryptic, making your progression unclear. This problem means that several aspects of the game will force the player to seek help through FAQs and guide maps. The save system requires the player to go to certain specific areas that are not widely available in order to save your progress. This means that if you die and haven't saved in a while, everything accomplished and explored since your last save must be done again, as if it never happened before. These save areas are often very far from each other, which adds severely to the problem. Once you adapt to this save system shortcoming, you will be prepared to backtrack just to save your game. The world map gets extremely convoluted and disorganized because some sections often overlap others. This can cause confusion and disorientation as you travel around the world. The enemies design is often interesting, albeit predictable, as you can imagine many of the creatures you encounter are from the sea. The different forms and abilities you will learn during the game are creative and fun to use, making them the highlight of Aquaria. Some instances during the game seem too cryptic and if you accidentally pass these areas by without noticing, it is possible that you may go through the rest of the game without certain items and abilities because of this design flaw. Some things happen in the game without any explanation whatsoever, which leaves the player, once again, disoriented. In addition to the forms and abilities you will learn, the other interesting and fun aspect of Aquaria is in the exploration of this large game world. The bosses are challenging, well designed, and fun to fight against. The mechanics required to defeat them make sense and puts all your skills and abilities to the test. Accomplishing some of the needed tasks in this game is so unintuitive, obscure, unclear, and unobvious that there is simply no way to figure them out on your own without seeking help with a FAQ. There are some parts of Aquaria that requires you to be out of the water. This brings some of the worst platform jumping controls I have played in any game, but all is forgiven as these instances are rare. Forgiving the save system and the occasionally extremely unclear and ambiguous progression, Aquaria can be enjoyed thoroughly. It took me about 29 hours to complete.… Full Review »
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