I just finished Aquaria, and I wanted to share a couple of thoughts about the game.
First of all, I assume that by finding all of Naija's memories, I saw both the "regular" ending as well as an extended sequence (the bit with the spiral tunnel and the conversation with Mia).
The standard ending was just beautiful. The story in general was extremely well done, but you can often see the true value of a story by the way it is completed, and this ending was wonderful. The in-game story was compelling enough to make you want to find out what happens next, and although everything isn't explicitly explained at the end, the end was very satisfying. Granted, the "monster was just a misunderstood child imparted with too much power" idea is hardly new - off the top of my head I can think of at least 5 analogous stories, including "Akira" and an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" - but even well worn stories can be very powerful if they're done well, and Aquaria definitely was. There's a reason some stories are retold again and again, and it's usually because there's something intrinsically moving about them. For example, how many stories and movies have sprung from the deep fascination people have with the idea of the re-animated dead?
I won't insult the creators of the game by saying that they "lucked into" a great voice actress for the role of Naija; I'm sure they didn't pick Jenna Sharpe because she was the first one to walk in the door. I will say that they made an excellent choice, and considering the number of mediocre voice actors doing work for much larger budgets, I think luck might have played a little part. The final conversation at the end of the extended sequence between Naija and Mia is a perfect demonstration of the subtle but profound difference a talented voice actor can make. There's nothing wrong with the performance of Mia's part, but it just pales next to the performance given by Ms. Sharpe, both here and in the rest of the game. It's a little like seeing a competent actor working next to a great actor. The movie "Training Day" springs to mind: Ethan Hawke did a fine job, but he was just completely outdone by Denzel Washington.
The music is another area that was extremely impressive for an independent game, but even though I'm new to the forum, that's obviously been gone over in so much detail that I don't really have to go into it. The fact that there was enough demand for the release of a soundtrack is proof enough.
This obviously isn't the place for a full game review, so I won't write one here. But I did want to say how impressed I was by Aquaria, and that I greatly look forward to the possibility of a sequel, or to whatever Bit Blot has to offer next.
