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Aquaria PC
  • Publisher: Bit Blot
  • Release Date: Dec 7, 2007
User Score
8.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 49
  3. Negative: 3 out of 49

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  1. kotep
    Jun 11, 2011
    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.
  2. steventrouble
    Dec 2, 2011
    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.
  3. Kayleen
    Jul 10, 2009
    10
    The right level of challenge to slow me down but keep me moving forward, the world itself looks amazing and the abyss still manages to scare me as i pass past a huge fish I just know wants to eat me. I would give it a 9, but just couldn't bare to have it sitting under a 10/10. Best put together game I have ever played.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. JimD.
    Jan 3, 2009
    8
    Excellent work for an indie developer. Some puzzles are obtuse and the lack of direction can be frustrating at times, but the environment, sound and gameplay are top notch, and the variety in the game is extensive. Challenge is right where it needs to be as well. Highly recommended.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. Mike
    Dec 30, 2008
    9
    This game for its size is amazing that two people created it. It has a feel of the old Super Metroid game, a feeling I've been missing for a long time now. Its kinda like Metroid meets Zelda meets Echo the Dolphin. All 15 hours spent playing it were enjoyable, from the insane puzzles to the in ability to figure out what to do next. The fact that most bosses were puzzles that were hard to figure out is great!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. C.C
    Feb 20, 2009
    10
    Breath-taking, imaginative, spectacular. The game gives a feeling of open ended movement while holding a linear storyline. I was surprised to find myself walking further into the wrong place, only to get a creatively narrative warning that I was heading in the wrong direction. However, don't let the game's systematic approach to acquaint you with the game in it's entirety. Once you've learned the basics, you're on your own to learn and adapt. A true "thinkers" action game. Don't forget to stock up on those poor fish remains.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. JustinS
    May 30, 2009
    10
    Aquaria is hands down one of my favorite games ever. Everything from the hauntingly beautiful soundtrack to the elaborate and elegant art design is polished to a professional shine. The gameplay is addictive and rewarding as you swim, shoot, eat, and/or ride everything in the ocean, following an interesting and enigmatic storyline of self-discovery and exploration. To be fair, the game�39;s fault lies at times in its originality and some boss fights may seem over-the-top difficult with only a single obscure trick available to take them down, but they are rarely counterintuitive once the trick is discovered. Furthermore, for those having trouble on a given boss, dont expect much support online as the game is indie to a fault, with only a small handful of bloggers offering strategy and tips online, at least when I played it. Despite this, I HIGHLY reccomend Aquaria to any gamer. I primarilly play strategy and shooters, but I still found Aquaria to be one of the most enjoyable games I ever played.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. JasonB
    Dec 17, 2008
    9
    A great game for the price! This game has decent graphics for it's style and is rather entertaining to play. I think the only thing it has going against it in my opinion is it is quite. I know it takes place under water and all but it just is quiet haha. I have already played this game for several hours and for some reason I can not put it down, the game play is addictive and, up to this point, rewarding. I will definately recommend this game to my friends.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. PeterS.
    Dec 22, 2008
    10
    Best game ever. Hours of fun, with tons of unlockables everywhere. First game since I was 8 that got me really scared.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. AlexandruS.
    Mar 18, 2008
    10
    Beautiful art, music and atmosphere. Amazing game. Surprisingly challenging.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  11. Mehve
    Apr 6, 2009
    10
    Serious gem right here, frankly beats the pants off of many bigger-budgeted games. Crisp graphics, a lovely soundtrack that doesn't grate after the first fifteen minutes, and an intuitive interface make for an excellent and addictive experience. Comparisons to the earlier Metroid games are entirely accurate, albeit with far more colour and scenic variety here. The game starts out almost painfully slow, but definitely begins to pick up quickly within an hour or two, and the boss battles require both finesse and on-the-fly creativity. The puzzles are challenging, yet I was able to solve all of them without visiting any FAQ sites. Exploration is both encouraged and rewarded, with many extras scattered for those who put the time in. 10-20 hours is a reasonable expectation for finishing this game, depending on how much you explore. Definitely looking forward to a sequel!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  12. MarkM
    Dec 17, 2008
    9
    It's hard to come by a PC platformer with as much work that was put into this artistic masterpiece. Like Alexandru said, breathtaking colorful art, music, and atmosphere combination. If you at any level enjoy art, you will enjoy being immersed within this world. I wish there was more 3D pc games like this. But 2D captures this level of detail much better.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  13. LachS.
    Dec 17, 2008
    10
    A really sweet game with amazing graphics and sound. Kind of like an underwater metroid. It has a lot of heart this game, and everyone should check it out.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  14. ChrisN
    Dec 19, 2008
    9
    Something a bit different. Amazing music, artwork, and I hate to parrot the other posters, but atmosphere. This game is truely something unique. Captured me from the first minutes of the game. Very remeniscent of Ecco, but more adventure and action over pure exploration. Also reminds me of a Metroid game for some reason. Definitely worth being in anyone's collection.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  15. Mavi
    Sep 14, 2010
    10
    Beautiful game that touched my heart, one of the best indie games that I played in my life. When you are playing through the game it unlocks you more and more content so you are never bored.
  16. Arcanon
    Apr 15, 2011
    10
    Moving soundtrack, beautiful visuals (who said only 3D games look good?), engaging story, fun combat system and an awesome underwater world to explore. Lack of direction can sometimes be frustrating, but be patient at the beginning of the play through and you will be rewarded! After dozens of cutting-edge graphics games it's still in my top 10, a little Indie game developed by two people (that's right, 2 guys).… Expand
  17. NamNem
    Jul 27, 2011
    10
    A masterpiece. The storyline, the pace, the music, the voices, all comes perfect together. This is an experience that will stay with you for your whole life. I am glad I found it and played it
  18. tech-noir
    Feb 15, 2012
    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.… Expand
  19. starsh3ro
    Feb 11, 2012
    4
    the game has good sounds and i like the voices. the light effects and objects are pretty. the leveldesign all together could be better. there might be a good story behind it, but most of all: the game is very very BORING and there is not really much to see. i wouldnt suggest to spend any money for it.
  20. Othrandur
    Feb 10, 2012
    9
    Wow! The only reason I got this game was because it came in a Humble Bundle and the only reason I installed it and played it is because I heard the soundtrack and loved it. The screen shots and trailers don't do it justice. The gameplay is smooth and intuitive, and it works great with a game pad, if you have one. The music by itself is great, but in the game, it creates a surreal atmosphere that you feel in your chest. One of the main character's abilities is to "cast spells" by singing -- you get a wheel of notes to select -- but I found myself pausing in the middle of a screen just to play counterpoint to the soundtrack. I have no musical talent whatsoever and it came out sounding awesome. I spent almost as much time "singing along" with the note wheel in the first couple of levels as I did actually playing. The actual game is a mix of an arcade shooter, a dungeon crawler, and the amazing LucasArts classic, Loom. The narration is also spot on and brings depth to the character while guiding the player through the storyline. And for the record, Jenna Sharpe, the narrator, is just as cute as she sounds. :)… Expand
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Critic Reviews

All reviews »
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
  1. PC Gamer UK
    81
    Atmospheric and gorgeous, an excellent indie calling card. [Feb 2008, p.83]
  2. The A.V. Club
    91
    Amazing mash-up of a classic NES adventure and that fish-tank screensaver you had in the '90s.
    Read full review
  3. PC Zone UK
    85
    Aquaria just oozes quality. [Mar 2008, p.86]
See all critic reviews »