Aquaria (computer game)
| Aquaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Aquaria logo | |
| Studio | Bit Blot, LLC |
| Erstveröffent- lichung |
2007 ( Windows ), 2008 ( Mac OS ), 2010 ( Linux ), 2011 ( iOS ) |
| platform | Windows , Mac OS , Linux , iOS |
| genre | Action adventure |
| Game mode | Single player |
| control | Mouse , keyboard , gamepad (PC, Mac OS ) |
| system advantages preconditions |
Pentium 1.6 GHz , 256 MB RAM , Windows 98 , 2000 , ME , XP , Vista |
| medium | Download |
| language | English |
| Current version | 1.1.2 1.1.3 ( Community Patch ) |
Aquaria is an indie - Computer game of action-adventure - genres that vonnder company Bit Blot, LLC develops and in 2007 for Microsoft Windows , 2008 for Mac OS , 2010 for Linux has been released and 2011 for iOS.
Gameplay
Aquaria belongs to the genre of action adventures , is held in 2D and uses the side perspective to display the game, which takes place almost exclusively in a huge underwater world with different regions and structures (e.g. temples). The player can use various attack and defense spells, which are collected in the course of the game. For this purpose, a melody is usually learned first, which the player then has to play by successively pressing colored symbols.
Furthermore, shape change and interaction with a wide variety of living beings and objects in the world are possible and necessary. The free exploration of the virtual world is an essential part of the game principle, as there are no tasks here and the player is only continued by discovering new regions and objects in the story. For this it is often necessary to revisit areas that have already been visited with newly learned skills, for example to open previously blocked paths. Because of this, and also because you can swim in different directions and paths most of the time, the game is not linear. In addition to the normal friendly and very often less friendly-minded creatures, so-called boss opponents appear at intervals , who have to be hunted down in order to be able to progress in the game. Aquaria includes some role-play elements , such as collecting objects in an inventory or creating food by mixing different ingredients.
Backstory
The player controls Naija, a young mermaid who is searching for her past. As the game progresses, Naija's lost memory is put back together using individual puzzle pieces. But the search for her story turns out to be difficult, because the further she dares to venture out of the familiar realm, the more dangerous her project becomes. Enemies have to be defeated, allies won and puzzles solved.
Playing technique
graphic
Aquaria's graphics are hand-drawn and have a colorful, comic-like style . Various light and special effects contribute to the dense atmosphere in the underwater world. The same applies to the background music for the game, which is mostly calm and classic. Speech output is only available in the form of Naija's voice. The game comes with the original level editor , which enables the user to create their own worlds.
Development history
Only two people were involved in developing the game, which took over two years to complete. For the development of game engine was Alec Holowka responsible. He also worked on the graphics and was also responsible for the sound effects. Derek Yu took on the task of creating the graphics and artwork for the game.
Aquaria is a download version in the digital distribution in the form of a setup - Exe published. The game was also published as a download on the " Steam " platform . A retail version was considered, but this has not yet been produced. The original soundtrack has been released as a music CD.
Ports
The Macintosh version was released in 2008 by Ambrosia Software. In 2009 Ryan C. Gordon ported a Linux version for the Humble Indie Bundle . The source code of the game was then published under the GNU General Public License . In November 2011 the game was also released in the AppStore for the iPad. This iPad version comes from Andrew Church, who was asked by Holowka to perform this port after he had created an unofficial PlayStation Portable version. Community patches were later released based on the available source code, which attempted to fix remaining bugs and further improve the game.
reception
Prizes and awards
Aquaria was awarded the Seumas McNally Grand Prize for the best indie game at the 2007 Independent Games Festival . There it was also nominated in the categories “Design Innovation”, “Excellence in Audio” and “Excellence in Visual Art”. The game was largely well received in the specialist press and the gaming community.
Web links
- Official website for the game
- Aquaria at MobyGames (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Unofficial update packs! (1.1.3 +) (Updated 14th Oct 2012) on bit-blog.com (English, October 2012)
- ↑ ACMI.net.au: Aquaria ( Memento from September 29, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Aquaria on Steam
- ↑ Alec Holowka : Aquaria Source Released! . Infinite ammo. June 3, 2010. Archived from the original on May 7, 2011. Retrieved on August 24, 2010.
- ↑ Justin Davis: Aquaria iPad Details Revealed . IGN Entertainment . September 27, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved on September 28, 2011.
- ^ Independent Games Festival: Finalists and Winners