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.
This is a really likeable game with creative design and a very appealing art style. But it can get a bit tedous at times. Some levels feel a bit long, requiring to solve several individual puzzles in succession. And often one misstep, one drilled cube or one contact with an enemy can mean that you have to do it all over again. Especially if it was a particularly minor mistake that traps you in an inescapable situation, you really hate restarting the entire level and doing a few minutes of puzzling, the solution to which you already know, all over again. That being said, not placing such trap-puzzles or enemies that can kill you near the end of a longer level, would have been enough to solve the issue. On the plus side, this is one of those adorabe mind-exercises that will keep you going until someone finally makes a true successor to the lolo series from the NES days.
