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General / Re: Aquaria review in local paper

« on: December 22, 2007, 09:46:52 pm »

When Naija wakes up in her own underwater cave she soon realize that something is wrong. Nothing is like it used to be. Her family and friends are missing and left are only the ocean's other inhabitants - enormous sea-turtles, highly dangerous barracudas and gigantic swarms of aquarium fish.

Two dimensions
But the most odd is when the “everyday constants” are gone from her home environment suddenly there are clues about a huge adventure to find. Naija begins a quest to find her family and find answers amongst ruins from long gone civilizations. “Aquaria” is an adventure game in two dimensions with action, puzzle and exploring elements which clearly have been inspired by classic series like “Metroid” and “Castlevania”(and, maybe more obvious, “Ecco the Dolphin”) - but still succeeds in creating a unique atmosphere and identity. The game, developed by the two man company Bit Blot, represents the absolute top of what today's indie scene has to offer (and have already before the release, received awards). It is polished in a way many commercial “full price” titles fail to be, and it is high quality across the whole spectrum.

Surprisingly well made
Games which have been developed with these conditions often have an interesting idea or an exciting gimmick  - but don’t have the completeness the “big budget productions” can afford to develop. Sure there are flaws in “Aquaria” mainly in how the control-system was planed and how some of the maps have been designed, but overall it is an unexpected, well made project. A work sprung from love and dedication - which deserve all the attention it can have.

There might be some translation errors but it should be fairly complete.