Aquarist is a simulation recreation developed for the Nintendo Swap and printed by Final Video games. So far as aquarium sims go, you are able to do so much on this one. Nonetheless, it’s not a easy recreation by way of gameplay, largely due to the controls.
I used to be excited to play Aquarist as a result of I get pleasure from simulation video games and love aquariums. I’ve performed my justifiable share of aquarium sims over time. Nonetheless, Aquarist has extra, which excites me probably the most. Sadly, that wasn’t sufficient to scratch my itch.
There’s not a lot of a narrative to this recreation, which is ok. Nonetheless, the tutorial tries to offer you considerably of a background story, and it doesn’t work. It solely causes the tutorial to be longer than it already wants. So as a substitute, the tutorial explains the varied issues you are able to do within the recreation and learn how to do them—shopping for a tank and all of the provides wanted for it, shopping for fish, breeding them, and promoting fish.
It’s your birthday, and your father presents you a glass tank of your individual as a result of aquarium holding is his interest, and he needs to share it with you. The tutorial continues, explaining how one can arrange your tank. There have been many annoying elements of this (to the purpose I saved quitting the sport and needed to push myself to get by way of it).
I perceive tutorials are supposed to educate you learn how to play the sport. Nonetheless, Aquarist acts as if you’ve by no means owned a fish earlier than. In actual life, perhaps you haven’t, however the step-by-step hand holding is extraordinarily pointless. As an alternative of educating you to purchase an merchandise, put it within the tank, after which provide you with an inventory of every thing else that you must buy and put within the tank, the sport goes by way of each movement. First, purchase gravel, choose it up out of your shelf, and put it within the tank. Then purchase a lightweight, choose it up, and put it within the tank. Rinse, repeat.
If that’s not annoying sufficient, the controls have been worse. Once you purchase one thing, it doesn’t go into your stock. As an alternative, it goes onto a shelf within the room. You play as your character in first-person mode, and, relying on the place you might be, the shelf isn’t at all times obvious. Then, you need to choose up the merchandise (you’ll be able to maintain onto 5 gadgets without delay) and place it within the tank.
The primary problem with these controls is that your cursor is a small white dot in the midst of the display screen. Choosing up a tank heater is a slightly giant object, so it’s a easy job. However selecting up a small rock decor that you may barely see? It should take some time as a result of that cursor have to be completely on the article to register (and no, contact controls don’t work undocked). Aquarist was first launched on PC within the Spring of 2022. It’s simple to see that the controls weren’t optimized for the Nintendo Swap.
When you lastly make it by way of the tutorial, you’ll be able to start the precise gameplay. You open your first store in your storage. You’ll have time earlier than opening to restock your fish, clear the tanks, and do the rest that you must do. Then, you’ll be able to open up store and start getting cash for greater and higher aquariums and inventory. You’ll degree up over time, too. Ultimately, you’ll improve out of your storage and run a enterprise in a retailer. Leveling up additionally permits you to unlock new gadgets to purchase, resembling totally different species of fish.
Taking part in by way of the sport on this manner was enjoyable. I’ve performed many aquarium sims the place you run an aquarium enterprise however not essentially a fish retailer. Aquarist additionally thinks exterior the field by way of fishkeeping. For instance, maintain freshwater versus saltwater in thoughts, present appropriate lighting and temperature, clear the tanks when algae construct, and extra.
General, Aquarist is a stable enterprise simulation, however the clunky controls ruined the expertise. I gained’t revisit it on Swap. Getting it on the PC might be the way in which to go.
