Aquaria

I would really like to love this game. It has gorgeous art, a captivating, yet relaxing soundtrack and an interesting premise. The enemies' numbers are legion, befitting how many different kinds there are of them - jellyfish, piranhas, crabs, sponges, molluscs, etc... (although most of them seem descended from the almighty bullet-sponge). But there are just such long stretches of aimless wandering during which you have nothing else to do than hammering the Fire-Button to ward off the legions of enemies infesting the oceans. Hardly any clues to find, to analyze - little thinking to do apart from "where the fuck am i supposed to go next?". I just wish other games had Aquaria's atmosphere.

Every time when i see this game it reminds me how good it is and instantly make me want to play it again. If you like open world exploration/adventure games without the game holding your hand the entire time give Aquaria a try. The music, the feeling of wandering in the water, the attention to the world map/secrets/details, everything is so good crafted. Hard to believe that 2 people made this. The only game, at least for me, that comes close to Aquaria in terms of scale, freedom, world lore is Hollow Knight, again made from very small team. Go and meet your maker in the deep waters:)

I remember playing this like 10 years ago, I was tired of playing the same old Super Metroid hacks and started looking for a fresh new metroidvania and BOOM! there it was. Found this amazing piece of art. I loved and still love the aesthetic and the desing of this gem. I got lost a few times since My main language is not english and didn't understood many of the things the game was trying to comunicate yet I finished it and enjoyed every moment spent playing it. Loved the music BTW, amazing!

Aquaria had the misfortune of being released before indie games began to boom. It is a beautiful looking game with brilliant music. The world is massive and the exploration is well done. There is a small alchemy type mini-game where you can cook food to get some nice effects (regen, + speed etc) The boss battles are another highlight of the game where in most cases you cannot just attack and kill them. You will have to switch between various forms, use elements from the environment to finish them. Overall a well made game and more personally the game which made me fall in love with indie games.

Aquaria has a 'casting' system whereby the protagonist sings tones at the player's command, and certain tone / note combinations cast certain spells. I spent more time than I'm willing to admit (over an hour) just listening to her sing, no 'spell' or ability in mind, ad libbing acapella primal beats. The same level of attention and beauty has been payed to the backgrounds, the enemy sprites / behavior, the subtle environmental story telling..... At it's heart, ripping away the beautiful and captivating environments and artistry, you've got a perfectly serviceable 'metroid-vania' game. Highly recommended.