Neo Aquarium: The King of Crustaceans
- June 8, 2015
- Calappa Games
- 2h median play time
Get on SteamNeo Aquarium: The King of Crustaceans is a unique fighting game featuring a variety of battling sea creatures. Players choose from different crustaceans, each with unique abilities and attacks, and compete in one-on-one matches in dynamic underwater environments. The game combines fast-paced combat with stunning visuals and addictive gameplay, offering a fresh take on the fighting genre.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Unique and entertaining concept of crustacean combat with a variety of characters and abilities.
- The game features a quirky and humorous storyline, along with a fun soundtrack that enhances the experience.
- Once players get accustomed to the controls, the gameplay can be enjoyable and offers depth with strategic limb management.
- Controls are clunky and difficult to understand, making the learning curve steep and frustrating for new players.
- The game suffers from technical issues, including crashes and a lack of clear tutorials or explanations for mechanics.
- Repetitive gameplay and limited content can lead to boredom after a short period, as players may find themselves playing the same stages multiple times.
- story36 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 56 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story of the game is a mixed bag, featuring a blend of 2000s internet humor and a unique premise about sea creatures forced to fight in an aquarium, but it often feels disjointed and lacks depth. While some players appreciate the emotional rollercoaster and compelling characters, others criticize the repetitive gameplay and buggy execution that detracts from the overall experience. Ultimately, the narrative is seen as a lighthearted parody that may not be taken seriously, with a focus on humor rather than a cohesive storyline.
“The story mode brings tears to my eyes due to the emotions emitted by the characters.”
“Incredible, the storyline takes you on an emotional roller coaster and, combined with the beautiful graphics, makes it extremely immersive.”
“Beautiful graphics, compelling story, and amazing and unique characters.”
“The story mode amounts to a parody paragraph before every fight on top of a lackluster still image.”
“There isn't much content past a short story mode (which you'll be playing through several times to unlock characters) and an even shorter bonus story mode of only two stages that act as a sort of epilogue, and behind which are hidden the final two unlockable characters.”
“There's a rough attempt at hanging a story on the gameplay, but it doesn't make much sense.”
- gameplay36 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of confusion and potential, with many players struggling to grasp the mechanics due to poor explanations and clunky controls. While some find the innovative design and class system enjoyable, others criticize the repetitive nature and lack of polish, leading to a frustrating experience. Overall, the game offers moments of fun but requires patience and effort to fully appreciate its depth.
“The innovative game design is amazing and the gameplay is intense.”
“Its gameplay is fun and the class system is relatively balanced, with some species having advantages over others or being better suited to different play styles.”
“The animals will aid you during battle by shielding you, shooting lasers, etc. This adds some depth to the gameplay, as you can use the points you gain in each match to purchase more offensive or defensive assistance.”
“The controls are abysmal, none of the mechanics are explained properly, little to no graphics options.”
“The gameplay feels off at first, it does get worse over time.”
“After 1-2 hours most of the essential dynamics will be evident, and gameplay becomes repetitive.”
- humor21 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is a mix of 2000s internet-style jokes, forced typos, and non sequiturs, which some players find cringe-worthy, particularly adults. While the game attempts to deliver laughs through its randomness and quirky story elements, reactions are mixed; some appreciate the humor as self-aware and funny, especially in local multiplayer settings, while others feel it falls flat or is lost in translation. Overall, the humor may resonate more with younger audiences, but it does have moments that can genuinely amuse players.
“There's a funny story mode that's a kind of send-up of other Japanese over-the-top games, and I get a distinct Ikaruga-esque vibe from the little story blurbs.”
“The story obviously isn’t meant to be taken too seriously, and while it does have some cringy jokes, it also genuinely made me laugh a few times.”
“It also has humorously snide inspirational quotes between matches.”
- music19 mentions
- 37 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its ability to enhance the bizarre and chaotic gameplay experience. The soundtrack is described as both fitting and exhilarating, often elevating the overall atmosphere and excitement of the game. Some users even consider it one of the standout features, with comments highlighting its quality and the desire for additional soundtrack content.
“One of the greatest parts of the game is its soundtrack.”
“It also has an amazing soundtrack to boot, really gets you hyped up for some laser crustacean action.”
“For reasons unexplained, this game has one of the best soundtracks I've ever heard; for that reason alone it's worth picking up.”
“A few songs also try way too hard to sound like Japanese 'Engrish' covers.”
“Don't even get me started on the soundtrack, which fits the environment of endless crustacean war perfectly.”
“The menu and soundtrack bring a very large eye booger to the corner of my eye.”
- graphics19 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising their beauty and detail, contributing to an immersive experience. However, some users note the presence of glitches and a lack of polish, indicating that while the visuals can be stunning, they are not without flaws. Overall, the graphics are generally well-received, enhancing the game's unique story and gameplay, despite some criticisms regarding performance and options.
“Graphics, level design, and absolutely everything about this game is really well made.”
“The graphics are to die for, and the corn barnacles make my eyeballs protrude from their sockets due to absolute amazement.”
“Incredible, the storyline takes you on an emotional roller coaster and, compared with the beautiful graphics, makes it extremely immersive.”
“The graphics are really bad, the sounds will make your ears bleed, the gameplay is the worst thing in this and the camera doesn't know what it's supposed to do.”
“Crabb graphics, crabb performance, crabb controls.”
“This is not a game for you if you want high levels of polish, fancy graphics or simple controls.”
- stability4 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent crashes, particularly during level 4 of the story mode, and persistent freezing when attempting to enter lobbies. While the graphics are generally appealing, they are marred by glitches that detract from the overall experience.
“The game is buggy; it always crashes during or when restarting level 4 of the story mode.”
“The game offers some nice graphics, although there are some ugly glitches here and there.”
“The game freezes when trying to get into a lobby, and I don't even know what's going on because it's all in Japanese.”
- emotional3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game delivers a heartwarming and immersive emotional experience, showcasing the triumph of a determined pistol shrimp against formidable foes. Players are taken on an emotional roller coaster, enhanced by stunning graphics, making the crustacean battles both action-packed and deeply rewarding.
“Incredible, the storyline takes you on an emotional roller coaster, and combined with the beautiful graphics, it makes for an extremely immersive experience.”
“Never for the life of me did I think a crustacean-based battle game could be so action-packed and yet, highly rewarding on a deep emotional level!”
“A heartwarming tale of triumph, where one small but steadfast pistol shrimp is able to overcome all the odds stacked against him to defeat not only the snow crab, but the hermit crab and barnacles in back-to-back victories.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has been criticized for poor graphics, performance issues, and unresponsive controls. While it may not have lasting appeal, players find enjoyment in exploring its various dynamics and character combinations.
“Crappy graphics, crappy performance, crappy controls.”
“This is not a game with a long shelf life, but it is a fun game as you discover the different dynamics, characters, offensive and defensive mechanisms and their optimized combinations.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game offers decent replayability through a variety of crustaceans and a customizable "create a map" mode, allowing players to design their own aquariums. However, some players may find their interest waning after defeating the boss a few times.
“Aiding replayability, the game contains a 'create a map' mode where you can customize your aquarium, choosing the location for flora and fauna.”
“The variety of crustaceans adds extended replay value, keeping the gameplay fresh and engaging.”
“A variety of crustaceans makes for some extended replay value, but if you're like me, you'll probably lose interest after beating the boss a couple of times.”
“Aiding replayability, the game contains a 'create a map' mode where you can customize your aquarium and choose the location for flora and fauna.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players express frustration with the grinding aspect of the game, noting that it detracts from their overall enjoyment, especially when it involves tedious tasks to unlock new classes. Additionally, the camera mechanics can complicate gameplay, further contributing to a sense of annoyance during grinding sessions.
“Even if I like a game, I don't feel I'm enjoying it as much when I'm grinding painfully in order to unlock new classes.”
“The camera changes on its own or manually refocuses when you hold Ctrl, but when you are near your opponent and/or the edge of the map, it will automatically reposition itself, which can be very confusing or tedious.”
