Aquatico
- January 12, 2023
- Digital Reef Games
- 7h median play time
The resource management is deep, but the city itself never quite feels like a city.
Get on Steam"Aquatico is a single-player, open-world city-builder game set on the ocean floor, where players must build a unique underwater city to escape a dying world. The game features excellent gameplay, splendid visuals, and beautiful music, as well as the challenges of managing resources, temperature, and depth to survive in the diverse biomes of the sea. Construct core infrastructure on the seabed and house your people in the safety of domed layers above, but be wary of the dangers that lurk in the depths."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The graphics are beautiful and create an immersive underwater environment.
- The game offers a relaxing gameplay experience with a lot of technologies to research.
- The switching between city domes and manufacturing buildings is clever and intuitive.
- The economy is broken, leading to frustrating resource management and excessive consumption demands.
- The game lacks meaningful challenges and feels repetitive over time.
- There are significant UI issues and unclear mechanics that hinder the overall experience.
- gameplay126 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Aquatico is characterized by its relaxing pace and visually stunning underwater environment, making it accessible for casual players. However, many reviewers noted a lack of depth and complexity, with simplistic mechanics that can lead to a dull experience over time. While the game offers some unique features and a charming atmosphere, it struggles with poorly integrated mechanics and a disconnect between its narrative and gameplay, leaving players desiring more variety and challenge.
“The gameplay is simple yet engaging, allowing you to explore the vast and mysterious underwater world at your own pace.”
“I was captivated by the unique blend of city-building and survival mechanics.”
“The game's underwater setting immediately captured my attention and the opportunity to start over in a new world below the tides added a layer of excitement and intrigue to the gameplay.”
“If you're looking for deep gameplay with careful decision making (which is the core of colony sims), then this isn't it.”
“The mechanics aren't too complicated, but they're engaging enough to make you consider building placement, upgrade priority, etc.”
“Ultimately, this game could spend another year in alpha iterating on core mechanics and probably not have enough time to be a proper game.”
- graphics80 mentions
- 65 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and attention to detail, creating an immersive and atmospheric experience reminiscent of an aquarium. Many players appreciate the vibrant visuals and serene environments, although some note that the graphics may not be groundbreaking compared to other titles. Overall, the aesthetic quality significantly enhances the gameplay, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere.
“The graphics are gorgeous, with families of manta rays swimming by - it's like looking at an aquarium.”
“With vibrant graphics, diverse marine life, and immersive environments, it offers a delightful and relaxing experience.”
“The graphics of the game are excellent - all the objects and details are displayed very detailed and realistically, and the background music and ambient sounds convey the atmosphere of the game in the best possible way.”
“The graphics look 10 years old.”
“This strange unity cell shaded graphics is just off-putting.”
“This is clearly visible that devs focused on graphics and underwater sounds instead of in-game mechanics and complexity.”
- story71 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story in Aquatico is generally viewed as underdeveloped and lacking depth, with many players expressing disappointment in its execution and connection to gameplay mechanics. While some appreciate the potential for future updates and the inclusion of a campaign mode, the narrative often feels disconnected from the core gameplay, leading to a sense of monotony and lack of engagement. Overall, players hope for more substantial storytelling and varied quests to enhance the experience.
“The research tree is almost seamlessly integrated into the storyline while you build your undersea environment, juggle finances, resources, and the needs of your growing community.”
“I do recommend the game; it's an underwater colony sim, tweaking income at every new research and progression. It has a good storyline, aka the Atlantis campaign, I love it.”
“The 'aquatic' feeling made it interesting to me, as well as the story.”
“Similarly, the storyline is nothing to write home about.”
“The story is weak and the expansion of the colony feels more like a chore than fun.”
“There's also the complete lack of a story that amounts to delivering resources to make a giant base and the event chains that are in the game have so little effect and are so infrequent they may as well not be in the game until finished or more accurately if the devs even finish fleshing them out.”
- music29 mentions
- 55 % positive mentions
- 34 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its atmospheric quality, with many reviewers highlighting the tranquil and immersive soundtrack that complements the gameplay beautifully. While some users noted occasional annoyances and similarities to other games, the overall consensus is that the music enhances the serene and cozy atmosphere, making it a standout feature. The dynamic nature of the soundtrack, ranging from soothing ambient tunes to more energetic pieces, further enriches the gaming experience.
“From the stunning visuals to the tranquil soundtrack, every aspect of the game is designed to create a serene and relaxing atmosphere.”
“The game's dynamic soundtrack enhances the immersive experience, with tranquil melodies that perfectly complement the underwater setting.”
“From soothing ambient tunes to more energetic tracks during moments of discovery, the soundtrack adds another layer of immersion to the gameplay.”
“Annoying music, no feeling of connection between drones and buildings, presence is weak, it's like you were on the ground, with water added effects.”
“Also, I'm almost positive that some of the songs in the soundtrack are the exact same songs in Stellaris.”
“The music, sounds, and effects are on par with the expectation of the theme.”
- optimization22 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some players reporting smooth performance and no crashes, while others experience significant lag and technical issues, particularly on lower-end hardware. Many users express a desire for better optimization and lower system requirements, as well as frustration over the game not retaining graphical settings. Overall, while some improvements have been noted, persistent performance problems remain a concern for a substantial portion of the player base.
“Runs smoothly and the colors chosen are perfect for the game.”
“Optimization is good, although I haven't had large colonies yet.”
“Further content and optimizations will put this game in my favorite city builder range next to Anno 1800. Nice job, devs.”
“The game has serious performance issues; even when the options are all turned down, it still gets into heavy lagging screens. When I enter the exploration map and return to the world map, it 'forgets' the changed options, like I turned off shadows to get rid of the performance issues, but when I switch screens, the shadows are turned back on.”
“Horribly optimized, to a point where it's borderline unplayable sometimes.”
“Performance was never fixed even though the devs supposedly looked into it multiple times.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its stunning visuals, detailed graphics, and calming soundtrack, creating a serene and immersive underwater experience. Players appreciate the therapeutic quality of the gameplay, which combines relaxing mechanics with a cozy ambiance reminiscent of titles like Subnautica. Overall, the atmosphere is described as a perfect escape for those seeking to unwind, though some players desire more content to enhance replayability.
“The graphics of the game are excellent - all the objects and details are displayed very detailed and realistically, and the background music and ambient sounds convey the atmosphere of the game in the best possible way.”
“From the stunning visuals to the tranquil soundtrack, every aspect of the game is designed to create a serene and relaxing atmosphere.”
“Players have praised the game for its beautiful graphics and calming atmosphere, with many describing it as a therapeutic experience.”
“Not Frostpunk, but has its own atmosphere.”
“It resembles the atmosphere of Subnautica.”
“A lot of buildings available for construction, high-quality sounds immerse you in the atmosphere of the ocean and high-level graphics!”
- stability10 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is mixed; while some players report smooth performance and no significant issues, others experience frequent freezes, pauses, and technical glitches, particularly when managing larger bases or on lower-end hardware. Despite these concerns, many users find the game runs well on platforms like the Steam Deck and older PCs.
“Game runs great on Steam Deck.”
“Looks great, runs great, and I haven't encountered a bug or crash yet - very polished release!”
“Been anticipating it, and I have to say I'm not disappointed at all; beautiful and runs great on older PCs.”
“There are constant freezes and pauses once you get a big base built up.”
“There are some bugs and glitches that can be frustrating, and the difficulty can spike unexpectedly at times, namely when you reach certain thresholds with resources and the stance of your citizens changes in a short time.”
“Performance issues: some players may encounter performance issues such as framerate drops or technical glitches, especially on lower-end hardware or older systems.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is mixed; while some players appreciate its engaging content and the thrill of discovery, others feel it lacks sufficient diversity and depth to sustain long-term interest. The intuitive design and solid mechanics contribute positively, but a desire for more varied gameplay options may limit its replay value for some.
“It's actually really solid, a little simpler than most modern building games but still has enough complexity to make the game engaging and replayable.”
“The game offers a lot of content and replayability, and I found myself sinking hours into it without even realizing it.”
“The sense of wonder and excitement that comes from discovering new sights and secrets adds depth and replayability to the game.”
“This will unfortunately hamper the game's replayability in the long run.”
“Not many options to diversify gameplay, so not sure about replayability.”
“While the game's tranquil atmosphere and relaxing gameplay are enjoyable, some players may find themselves wishing for more content or replay value to extend their time in the underwater world.”
- grinding5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and boring, especially in the endgame when the city becomes self-sufficient. While the graphics and potential depth of gameplay are appreciated, the lack of engaging content, such as encounters with pirates or megalodons, contributes to a sense of monotony during extended play.
“Once your city is mostly self-sufficient, the endgame is super grindy.”
“Just felt boring and tedious from the start; graphics look great though, and I could definitely see this game becoming enjoyable in the future if the devs keep working on it.”
“Not once did I see pirates, megalodons, or anything like that after 9 hours and farming all the achievements.”
- humor3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Users find the humor in the game's mechanics to be hit-or-miss; while some aspects, like the drastic changes in beauty ratings, can be amusing, the frustration of setting up systems and dealing with misplaced elements detracts from the overall comedic experience.
“It's funny when we have a dome that is sitting at +100 beauty and the next thing you know it's -829!”
“It looks interesting, but meh... it's not funny, at least not right now.”
“The jokes fall flat and feel forced, lacking any real wit.”
“I expected a lot of laughs, but the humor just didn't land for me.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express deep appreciation for Aquatico's ability to create a beautiful and immersive underwater experience, highlighting its emotional impact and the heartfelt connection it fosters with players.
“A heartfelt thank you to the developers of Aquatico for creating such a beautiful and immersive underwater experience.”
“The emotional depth of the story left me in tears; I felt a genuine connection to the characters.”
“Every moment in the game resonated with me, making me reflect on my own life and relationships.”
