Aquaria

Got this game in 2007, when it was released by BitBlot, as well as the soundtrack on CD, back then you barely heard of "indie games".. and this game, its music, ah everything is a bright shinning jewel. The BitBlot forum was (and still is) filled and alive (less today) with mod talkin (yeah, you can mod it!) as the source code is Lua-based and all of it (language, graphics, etc) is easly accessible. Won't get into details (don't want to spoil it!). It has a secret ending that sadly ends with a "To Be Continued", giving off a sequel that never came. The game developers said "no motivation" and no news till today are bad news. Anyway, go get the game - you will love it!

It have been said about many games and not all of them deserve that. This one does. It's not only about visual side, which is very nice and polished. And not only about music, climatic and instantly lovable. And even not only about story, well written and touching at times. It's about everything. This is how games should be made. Take what's already been mentioned, bind it with solid game mechanics, seamless control, good combat and add deal of exploration and you're good to go. If I was to nitpick, my only gripe would be the music riddles, but it's only because my music hearing sucks. And could be a little longer. But these are small details. Let's hope the sequel is created one day (low chance, but one can dream).

I haven't had a chance to try the Linux version or recompile it myself, but running on a "mere" AMD A4, with 8 GB and windows 8 (nearly full solid state drive, this is my portable, after all) this game runs gorgeously in 1600x900 with everything maxed out. (This is directly in response to the user (uoowoo) who gave it one star... angry review written by someone who reminds me of my demented father calling any music except gypsy polka... "noise.") Also, any user bitching this way is entirely unfit to be logging onto the internet, since any cursory reading of GOG's policy tells you they will refund your cash if you are unhappy with a purchase. That said, I concur with the 5 star users. The game is breathtaking on an actual high end system, but pretty damn gorgeous even on my portable, which hasn't been high end since the first A6's came out (the second and third gen A10's are out now.) The dialogue does indeed sound childish, but that is because we're seeing the world through the eyes of a creature which, for all we know, is the survivor of the apocalypse, largely innocent, and... alone. Also, the creature in question is some sort of naiad/nereid (not little mermaid, sorry uoowoo, you got Disney on the brain.) I will include no spoilers except to say the game is indeed corgeous, and pretty difficult for the typical kill everything right now player. In true metroidvania fashion, there will be places where you'll literally try to exploit what you think are bugs, and fail, or succeed, only to realize you should have come back later with the right form. Occasionally you'll miss a boss entrance for optional bosses. There are tough as hell to reach places, etc. This and Dust are probably some of the most gorgeous cell shaded/hand drawn style games I've seen to date. Both also have excellent soundtracks. If there's one thing I'd suggest to GOG, its... This game needs its soundtrack extracted in FLAC and MP3. Seriously.

It's the best metroidvania ever, in my opinion. There is a lot of exploration to do, the world is colorful and beautiful, powers are interesting and are always a pleasure to obtain and to use. These powers let you find new areas from the area already explored (typical metroidvania structure). The factor "just a little more time" is very strong here (I usually plan to save at the next "save crystal" and I find myself still playing an hour after that...) I played the first version a few years ago, when it was downloadable for free, but I didn't manage to complete it (the last few bosses are hard), so I had to buy it -the full new version- and to play it all again, and to beat the last boss, eventually. So, let's break this into categories : Story: Good Graphics: Good, colorful, varied. The seas are bright and sunny most of the time, sometimes some underwater caves get dark and gloomy and that participate very well in the atmosphere. Opponents: Good, lots of different monsters with different behavior patterns and different sort of attacks. This is not just mindless dodging and fighting, you've got to figure out a few things if you're to make progress and beat bosses. Main character: Great, well characterized female character, non-sexualized, interesting, well voiced. Voice acting: Good. Atmosphere: Great Exploration: Great. Like taking a dive in a lush ocean and the pressure in your bottle never drops so you can always stay a bit more ;3 Bosses: Great (sometimes epic) Character powers: Interesting Crafting Potions and Recipes : an interesting system where you learn how to mix and brew ingredients to give you a few additional buffs or boosts (and so you can heal yourself). This system is not mandatory but can help a bit at times (especially during the long hard fights). Music : I love it, sustains the atmosphere very well. Learning curve: smooth Length: About 15-18 hours. It feels a bit on the short side as it is so good, but the last couple of bosses are hard, like very hard, so they can keep you busy a bit of time.

The game is fun. It starts off slow, but ramps up quickly. While the puppet-like animation style may not be to everybody's taste, the designs for the creatures and environments are amazing and the music complements them very well. The environment and music combinations are really what makes this game stand out to me. The game plays like you would expect a Metroid game to if you weren't restricted by gravity. You explore, shoot monsters, get new abilities (though that's a slightly more Zelda-esque one-per-area for the most part), and find collectibles. Some sections even manage to have some platforming. Good times.