Aquarium Designer
- October 21, 2021
- Sigur Studio
- 5h median play time
Dive into the world of aquarium design with "Aquarium Designer" and create realistic fish tanks of various sizes. Fill them with an array of aquatic species, from angelfish to bettas, while considering the needs of your clients. Use your earnings to buy new elements and enhance your aquarium-building skills. * Design realistic fish tanks for various clients * Choose from a variety of aquatic species * Earn money to buy new elements for your aquariums
Reviews
- Relaxing and calming gameplay that allows for creativity in designing aquariums.
- Beautiful graphics and a good variety of fish, plants, and decorations.
- The developers are responsive to community feedback and actively working on updates.
- The campaign is very short, taking only a couple of hours to complete.
- Limited selection of fish and decorations, which can lead to repetitive gameplay.
- Fish behavior is unrealistic, with many species not exhibiting their natural swimming patterns.
- story182 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is minimal and primarily revolves around completing various missions related to aquarium design, which many players find enjoyable yet simplistic and repetitive. While the quests are generally relaxing and feature some humorous customer interactions, players express a desire for more diverse and creative mission options, as well as a longer campaign. Overall, the game offers a basic narrative framework that serves as a backdrop for its sandbox-style gameplay, but it lacks depth and variety in its storytelling elements.
“I love the graphics, and I do enjoy the campaign as each level you are in a different house and with a sort of background story.”
“I enjoyed what I've played of the campaign so far, and sometimes I catch myself just looking at the tank before finishing the mission.”
“Very relaxing, I wish the story was longer but just designing some nice aquariums for yourself is still a lot of fun.”
“The missions are all pretty generic and similar, and meeting them is just about a few arbitrary goals that repeat endlessly.”
“The story missions can all be completed in a very short period of time and they say they are working to add more, but that's not all there is to do in the game since it does have several sandbox modes to choose from.”
“Good game but needs a lot more content, I beat the entire storyline in an hour.... hope they update it soon.”
- graphics122 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised for their beauty and realism, with many users noting the stunning visuals and relaxing atmosphere. However, some reviewers express a desire for improved fish animations and higher quality graphics, suggesting that while the visuals are good, there is room for enhancement. Overall, the graphics are considered solid and enjoyable, contributing positively to the gameplay experience.
“The graphics are incredible.”
“The graphics quality is fantastic and the fish and plants etc. etc. are stunningly beautiful!”
“Relaxing to play, beautiful graphics and a nice selection of fish, plants and tank items.”
“The game's aesthetics are rudimentary and fail to command admiration.”
“I expected more out of an aquarium game that you spend money on; the visuals try to go for some kind of realism but it has an unappealing gritty pixelation to it.”
“However, you cannot breed the fish, nor will the fish grow, age, hide, fight, get diseases, etc. The graphics quality and fish animations are okay, and perfectly acceptable at this price point.”
- gameplay90 mentions
- 27 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally described as simple, smooth, and addictive, with an intuitive interface and beautiful graphics, making it accessible for players. However, many users express a desire for more depth, content, and mechanics, such as better categorization of fish, improved object placement, and additional gameplay features like fish health management. While the core mechanics are enjoyable, comparisons to other aquarium games highlight a lack of variety and complexity, suggesting that the game could benefit from further updates and expansions.
“I enjoyed the gameplay as it was simple and straightforward.”
“It's relaxing, gameplay is smooth and quite addictive, the interface is easy to use and intuitive, graphics are really beautiful.”
“The mechanics are fun; it was like House Flipper, but instead of house jobs, you get to build tanks.”
“However, it lacks the depth of gameplay found in Aquarium Designer.”
“The selection of everything is lacking and I hope that the developers work on adding more fish and fixing some of the mechanics like the placement of objects, especially the large ones.”
“No one who has finished the game and reached the limits of its poor mechanics is going to see an update that has a new skin for the water heater and allows 2 of the plants to be placed on rocks and decide to launch that game again.”
- music52 mentions
- 31 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its relaxing and soothing qualities, enhancing the overall calming experience of gameplay. However, some players note that the soundtrack can be repetitive and wish for more variety or the option to use their own music. Overall, the music contributes positively to the game's atmosphere, making it a great choice for players looking to unwind.
“This is the ultimate game for relaxing; no time restrictions, no harsh punishments for doing something wrong, the music is lovely, and the quests are very wholesome.”
“The music choice really helps a lot in giving you a very comfortable feel.”
“Love the relaxing music by Kevin MacLeod :) The developers seem to be responding to everyone, so it is great to see they care about player feedback.”
“In-game music is repetitive enough to be turned off, which leaves utter silence.”
“I also wish the music was less elevator-y.”
“Even though the music soundtrack is extremely limited, I actually like the little tune that plays.”
- replayability18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 61 % neutral mentions
- 22 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate the creative freedom and the potential for replaying tank management, many criticize the limited depth and short campaign duration. The lack of engaging content and the repetitive nature of certain tasks contribute to a perception of low long-term replay value, suggesting that the game could have benefited from more challenging and varied gameplay elements.
“Giving more freedom of creativity so the game can be more replayable.”
“Your own tanks do offer decent replayability.”
“🔲 infinitely replayable”
“Very little depth or replayability; the campaign lasts a couple of hours at most, and the 'realistic' mode isn't really realistic.”
“The only replay value of the game is doing the most boring part of tank care, like scraping algae and adjusting pH.”
“Long-term replayability is rather limited, so don't expect much as it is now.”
- humor16 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players finding the quirky elements, such as oversized fish and amusing customer emails, to be particularly funny. While the writing has some polish issues that lead to inconsistencies, many players appreciate the comedic aspects of the quests and assignments, suggesting that the developers have a good sense of humor. Overall, the game offers a lighthearted experience that enhances its relaxing gameplay.
“Truly a beautiful game, makes me feel about 98% sure that the programmers had to have been or still are in the hobby too when reading through the assignments, so the game is also surprisingly funny.”
“Great humor but some polish issues with the writing, leading to hilarious highs and confusing lows.”
“The size of the fish is completely off to a point it's hilarious to see a Corydoras as big as an angelfish.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is a mixed bag; while many players report no significant bugs, freezes, or crashes during extended play, some have encountered minor glitches, particularly in the campaign mode and achievement tracking. The developers appear responsive, allowing players to report issues directly, indicating ongoing efforts to improve stability. Despite these concerns, the game is generally considered fun and relaxing, with potential for future enhancements.
“For the campaign, it's still a bit buggy where, for example, recreating something out of a customer's order doesn't get registered as finished.”
“It is still a little bit buggy, but they allow reporting bugs directly through the game itself, so they seem to be really working on that.”
“Relaxing game, has potential but needs more content and a motivation to finish more customer orders in the campaign. For me, the achievements were buggy (I got certain ones without finishing them) and I found small mistakes inside the game emails from customers.”
- optimization10 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant optimization issues, including poor performance and long loading times, even on decent hardware. Players have noted unnatural stuttering during gameplay and a lack of essential features for realistic aquascaping, leading to frustration. While developers are reportedly addressing these concerns, the underlying engine issues may hinder improvements.
“For some reason, the game has poor performance and long loading times even though I have a decent gaming setup.”
“The devs say they are working on this... I really hope they can fix it, but it might be an engine or performance issue.”
“Some of the issues could be performance-related because my computer isn't super new, but it shouldn't need to be for a game like this.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players find the game emotionally engaging and relaxing, highlighting its lack of time constraints and gentle gameplay that fosters a wholesome atmosphere. The heartfelt quests, such as helping characters like Craig with their fish tanks, evoke strong emotional responses, making the experience both enjoyable and touching. Overall, the game is praised for its soothing music and the potential for personal investment in the virtual world.
“This is the ultimate game for relaxing; no time restrictions, no harsh punishments for doing something wrong, music is lovely, the quests are very wholesome.”
“Craig wanted 27 plants in a 5-gallon tank; it made me cry because he also had 4 fish. This game is awesome! I'd love to see it grow, and I'm looking forward to the hours of time I will be putting into this game.”
“Wholesome.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessively tedious, often requiring significant time investment to acquire specific items, such as colored fish, which can lead to frustration when they don't align with existing resources. Overall, the grinding is seen as a major hurdle that detracts from the enjoyment of the game.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Some jobs require specific colored fish, which is fine, but it's nothing but tedious buying fish after fish to get the one that ticks off the box. But then, whoops, it doesn't share pH/temperature level with the plants you already have in there.”
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is likened to the immersive and relaxing experience found in The Sims' build mode, allowing players to zone out and enjoy their surroundings while engaging in gameplay.
“It reminds me of The Sims build mode, where you can zone out and enjoy the atmosphere while doing your thing.”