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I am seriously blown away by the game.
The gameplay strikes an incredible balance between exploration, puzzles, and action. Naija has enough abilities to allow the player to get creative with their solutions to the various situations they encounter, but not so much it turns into a math exercise. Some of the bosses are fast paced exercises in dodging, others are slower and require far more thought. The variety is wonderful.
The music and art direction both are incredible. Seriously, I couldn't even imagine something better. After each major accomplishment I find myself exploring and wandering around, mostly just as an excuse to relax, listen to some nice music, and view some incredible scenery. Having treasures and memories to look around for is just icing on the cake.
The difficulty is pretty much perfect. It has been a while since I've played a game hard enough to give me a sense of accomplishment when I jump over the next hurdle. I like that the game doesn't hold your hand, point you in the direction you need to go, or necessarily make the solution to everything obvious. Spot on.
Then there is the story. The truly great games find their own way to communicate their story, Aquaria did exactly that. I enjoy the subtleties of the storyline -- it lets you fill in bits and pieces for yourself, but doesn't leave you wondering about the major points. The past-tense narration works so well for the subject matter as well.
Finally, there's the details. Her subtle 'wow' when she comes across a large creature, and her cry of fear (or perhaps, despair?) when she comes across a hostile boss. It is that level of polish that separates the average from the outstanding.
Aquaria is perfect in its own way, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Definitely one of my top 5 games (which for me, is just a big 5-way tie).
The gameplay strikes an incredible balance between exploration, puzzles, and action. Naija has enough abilities to allow the player to get creative with their solutions to the various situations they encounter, but not so much it turns into a math exercise. Some of the bosses are fast paced exercises in dodging, others are slower and require far more thought. The variety is wonderful.
The music and art direction both are incredible. Seriously, I couldn't even imagine something better. After each major accomplishment I find myself exploring and wandering around, mostly just as an excuse to relax, listen to some nice music, and view some incredible scenery. Having treasures and memories to look around for is just icing on the cake.
The difficulty is pretty much perfect. It has been a while since I've played a game hard enough to give me a sense of accomplishment when I jump over the next hurdle. I like that the game doesn't hold your hand, point you in the direction you need to go, or necessarily make the solution to everything obvious. Spot on.
Then there is the story. The truly great games find their own way to communicate their story, Aquaria did exactly that. I enjoy the subtleties of the storyline -- it lets you fill in bits and pieces for yourself, but doesn't leave you wondering about the major points. The past-tense narration works so well for the subject matter as well.
Finally, there's the details. Her subtle 'wow' when she comes across a large creature, and her cry of fear (or perhaps, despair?) when she comes across a hostile boss. It is that level of polish that separates the average from the outstanding.
Aquaria is perfect in its own way, and I wouldn't change a thing about it. Definitely one of my top 5 games (which for me, is just a big 5-way tie).