Aquarist is a simulation recreation developed for the Nintendo Change and revealed by Final Video games. So far as aquarium sims go, you are able to do quite a bit on this one. Nonetheless, it’s not a easy recreation when it comes to gameplay, principally due to the controls.
I used to be excited to play Aquarist as a result of I take pleasure in simulation video games and love aquariums. I’ve performed my justifiable share of aquarium sims over time. Nonetheless, Aquarist has extra, which excites me essentially the most. Sadly, that wasn’t sufficient to scratch my itch.
There’s not a lot of a narrative to this recreation, which is okay. Nonetheless, the tutorial tries to present 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 assorted issues you are able to do within the recreation and the best way 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 personal as a result of aquarium holding is his passion, and he needs to share it with you. The tutorial continues, explaining how one can arrange your tank. There have been many annoying facets of this (to the purpose I stored quitting the sport and needed to push myself to get by it).
I perceive tutorials are supposed to educate you the best way 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 offer you a listing of all the pieces else it is advisable to buy and put within the tank, the sport goes by 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. While 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’re, the shelf isn’t all the time obvious. Then, it’s essential to choose up the merchandise (you possibly can maintain onto 5 objects directly) and place it within the tank.
The principle concern with these controls is that your cursor is a small white dot in the course of the display. Choosing up a tank heater is a relatively giant object, so it’s a easy activity. However selecting up a small rock decor that you would be able to barely see? It should take some time as a result of that cursor should be completely on the item 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 Change.
When you lastly make it by the tutorial, you possibly can 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 it is advisable to do. Then, you possibly can open up store and start creating wealth for larger and higher aquariums and inventory. You’ll degree up over time, too. Finally, you’ll improve out of your storage and run a enterprise in a retailer. Leveling up additionally lets you unlock new objects to purchase, reminiscent of completely different species of fish.
Enjoying by the sport on this method was enjoyable. I’ve performed many aquarium sims the place you run an aquarium enterprise however not essentially a fish retailer. Aquarist additionally thinks outdoors the field when it comes to fishkeeping. For instance, preserve freshwater versus saltwater in thoughts, present right 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 received’t revisit it on Change. Getting it on the PC might be the best way to go.