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
- Beautiful underwater graphics and immersive atmosphere.
- Engaging city-building mechanics with a variety of buildings and resources.
- Relaxing gameplay that allows for creative city planning.
- Lacks depth and challenge, leading to a repetitive gameplay experience.
- UI is clunky and not intuitive, making navigation difficult.
- No clear objectives or story progression, resulting in a lack of motivation to continue playing.
- gameplay145 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 72 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of "Aquatico" has received mixed reviews, with some players appreciating its relaxing atmosphere and simple mechanics, making it accessible for casual gamers. However, many criticize the lack of depth and innovation, noting that it often feels derivative of other city-building games and can become repetitive over time. While the visuals and sound design are praised, the gameplay mechanics are seen as clunky and underdeveloped, leading to a disconnect between the game's potential and its current execution.
“The gameplay is simple yet engaging, allowing you to explore the vast and mysterious underwater world at your own pace.”
“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.”
“Fascinating gameplay of building your city, a large number of opportunities for development and pumping, a variety of different buildings.”
“The gameplay is a 5/10 at best.”
“While the underwater world is beautifully rendered, the lack of meaningful interactions or gameplay mechanics beyond swimming and exploring may leave some players wanting more.”
“There's no real unique gameplay mechanics, the art style is generic, and the game turns into a dull grind after a few hours.”
- graphics91 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and attention to detail, creating immersive underwater environments that enhance the overall experience. Many players appreciate the stunning visuals and atmospheric design, which contribute to a relaxing gameplay experience, although some note that the graphics may not be groundbreaking compared to other titles. Overall, the game's aesthetic is considered a strong point, with a mix of vibrant visuals and calming sound design that captivates players.
“The game's stunning visuals and immersive environments make it a joy to dive into and explore.”
“The graphics are gorgeous, with families of manta rays swimming by - it's like looking at an aquarium.”
“From the stunning visuals to the tranquil soundtrack, every aspect of the game is designed to create a serene and relaxing atmosphere.”
“The graphics look 10 years old.”
“This is clearly visible that devs focused on graphics and underwater sounds instead of in-game mechanics and complexity.”
“I suppose I can understand the art style of it, but for me, it is simply ugly and unenjoyable since I have bad eyesight to begin with.”
- story81 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 73 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story in Aquatico has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it weak and lacking depth. While there is an overarching narrative about building an underwater colony for humanity's survival, it often feels disconnected from gameplay mechanics and lacks engaging quests or character development. Players express a desire for more substantial storytelling elements, quests, and a clearer connection between the narrative and the game's objectives to enhance the overall 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.”
“A good storyline that is very poignant.”
“Additionally, what was sorely lacking in Patron, we have a story mode - it's not particularly gripping, but combined with expedition maps and random events, it adds an extra flavor to the game.”
“The campaign storyline is weak with a few arbitrary exploration requirements and the major objective to develop a structure requiring tons of resources.”
“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.”
“But when you start the actual gameplay, the story is completely forgotten.”
- music32 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 31 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its dynamic and tranquil soundtrack, which enhances the immersive underwater experience and complements the stunning visuals. Reviewers highlight the soothing ambient tunes and energetic tracks that add depth to gameplay, creating a serene atmosphere. While some users found the music less engaging, the overall consensus is that it significantly contributes to the game's appeal, earning high marks for its quality and fitting nature.
“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.”
“From the stunning visuals to the tranquil soundtrack, every aspect of the game is designed to create a serene and relaxing atmosphere.”
“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.”
- optimization21 mentions
- 14 % positive mentions
- 71 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting serious performance issues such as framerate drops and technical glitches, particularly on lower-end hardware. While some users note that the game runs smoothly without crashes, the overall sentiment leans towards dissatisfaction, highlighting a lack of effective updates and persistent optimization problems that detract from the gaming experience.
“Runs smoothly and the colors chosen are perfect for the game.”
“About performance: they did a great job since then.”
“Further content and optimizations will put this game in my favorite city builder range next to Anno 1800.. nice job devs.”
“And the sad truth is the devs have pretty much abandoned this game outside of a few bare minimum performance updates.”
“The game has serious performance issues, even when the options are all turned down it still gets into heavy lagging screens and 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; I switch screens, and the shadows are turned back on.”
“Horribly optimized, to a point where it's borderline unplayable sometimes.”
- atmosphere16 mentions
- 56 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 19 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its immersive and tranquil underwater setting, enhanced by stunning graphics and a soothing soundtrack that create a relaxing escape for players. Many reviewers highlight the therapeutic experience of exploring and building in this serene aquatic world, although some express a desire for more content to prolong their enjoyment. Overall, the combination of detailed visuals, calming sounds, and meditative gameplay contributes to a cozy and captivating atmosphere.
“The game’s immersive aquatic atmosphere provides a fresh and exciting twist on the genre.”
“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.”
“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!”
“There's such an atmosphere, such music, and a very meditative gameplay that plunges you headlong into the city that you are building. I'm just delighted with this game.”
- 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, framerate drops, and technical glitches, particularly on lower-end hardware. The game performs well on the Steam Deck and older PCs, but players with larger bases or specific resource thresholds may encounter frustrating bugs and unexpected difficulty spikes.
“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.”
“Game constantly freezes.”
“Played for 9 hours, so it's an alright game, but 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.”
- replayability7 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's replayability is a mixed bag; while many players appreciate the sense of discovery and engaging content that encourages extended play, others feel that a lack of diverse gameplay options may limit long-term replay value. The tranquil atmosphere and intuitive mechanics contribute positively, but some players desire more content to enhance their experience.
“The sense of wonder and excitement that comes from discovering new sights and secrets adds depth and replayability to the game.”
“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.”
“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.”
“This will unfortunately hamper the game's replayability in the long run.”
“Not many options to diversify gameplay, so not sure about replayability.”
- grinding6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and lacking in meaningful rewards, often feeling like a repetitive cycle of tasks without significant payoff. While the game's graphics and potential for depth are appreciated, the endgame becomes particularly grindy, leading to a sense of boredom despite the detailed and dynamic environments.
“It feels tedious since there's no actual reward for completing a task, only 'good job, here's another task'.”
“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 developers keep working on it.”
“Once your city is mostly self-sufficient, the endgame is super grindy.”
- 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 dealing with misplaced pipes detracts from the overall comedic experience. Overall, the humor is perceived as inconsistent and sometimes annoying rather than genuinely funny.
“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 more laughs, but the humor just didn't land for me.”
- emotional1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Reviewers express deep appreciation for Aquatico, highlighting its ability to create a beautiful and immersive underwater experience that evokes strong emotional responses.
“A heartfelt thank you to the developers of Aquatico for creating such a beautiful and immersive underwater experience.”
