I just recently got Aquaria after far too long a wait as part of the HIB. I have always, since I became aware of them, loved independent games and even had my father buy Gish for me when I was much younger when it had just been released. As such, I had heard the massive amount of well-deserved praise Aquaria recieved on released, but because I was impatient with the slow pace at the beginning of the game in the demo, I assumed it was just not my style. Repeatedly since then I had wanted to give it a chance but never quite had enough money (since I'm a chronically broke student who spends his only money on food). The HIB allowed no such excuse to be made and, though I wish I could have donated more, I am glad I finally got to play your beautiful game legitimately (I have few morals but one is to never pirate an independent game).
More directly related to my feelings on this masterpiece of a game, is the fact that I have only on one other occasion felt so compelled by the beauty, atmosphere, and quality of a game experience that I thanked the developers and this case was World of Goo. I have long loved the Metroid style of game and have been playing them from Super Metroid on a SNES emulator as a very young boy to Fusion, Zero Mission, and Prime 3 (I never had a Gamecube). The sort of games that are driven by my desire to improve and change my character and even stronger desire to simply explore the beautifully diverse world therefore hold a special place in my heart, but Aquaria is by far the most wonderful game of this style I have ever played and possibly the most enjoyable game I have played at least in years. The sheer beauty of the world of Aquaria was reason enough for me to complete and move through every area but beyond this the wonderful freedom of movement allowed by swimming made spending a few seconds playing in the water wherever I went fun. Past the joy I felt simply by examining and moving through this world, the gameplay was immensely enjoyable. Puzzles could make you think, but never frustrate you; combat could be avoided if you wanted, but was fun if you felt like being a bit more agressive; boss battles were wonderfully tense and rarely just a matter of shooting while exploration was pleasantly calm in most places. The soundtrack was beautiful and augmented the atmosphere in every occasion. But enough lists; I wanted most of all to thank you, Alec and Derek, for creating a game as wonderfully beautiful as this and for giving to me at least twenty hours of awe and five seconds of absolute joy as I back-flipped out through the veil for the first time, which had been my single greatest goal since the start of the game. This game to me was flawless and, because I am running out of ways to say it indirectly, I absolutely loved it.
I realize my praise is belated and carries little weight, but I hoped to share with you a little of the love and wonder it made me feel. Thank you so much for this incredible game and I can't wait to see what else you make. Alec, Marian looks intriguing, and if I can scrounge enough money to spare some to support its creation, I'll try to do so. Derek, I've tried Spelunky and it's great fun, and I read TIGSource all the time.
I do feel compelled to admit, however, that, as the game ended, I desperately hoped to be able to swim around Aquaria exploring the last few nooks I'd missed and seeing the restored spirits in their homes. For me playing from the pre-final boss save in a game always makes hunting for the last few items less relaxing than it should be, especially in after saving a world as beautiful as Aquaria.
This post-completion relaxation brings me to a final thank-you to Alphasoldier. I tried the nudity mod earlier in the game out of curiosity but re-clothed Naija and Li after a while to appreciate their costumes and forms; however, in relaxing, exploring, and appreciating the game after completing the story, this mod was wonderfully appropriate. This mod made and makes swimming through Aquaria sexy, relaxing, and as natural-seeming as it should be for a water-creature in her home. I must say that it does make me a bit jealous of Naija; I'd love to swim naked in places as pretty as the ones in which she gets to swim. Also, Naija swimming around naked in a tiara is incredibly cute.
