Aquaria (video game)

Infobox VG
title= Aquaria


caption=
developer= Bit Blot [http://www.bit-blot.com/]
publisher= Bit Blot (Windows),
Ambrosia Software (Mac OS X)
distributor=
designer= Alec Holowka,
Derek Yu
series=
engine=
version=
released= December 7, 2007 (Windows)
genre= Fantasy, Adventure
modes= Single player
ratings=
platforms= Windows, Mac OS X
media= Download
requirements=
input= Keyboard, Mouse
Xbox 360 controller

"Aquaria" is a 2D sidescrolling computer game by independent game company Bit Blot. It won the Seumas McNally grand prize from the Independent Games Festival in March 2007. [ [http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=13039 Gamasutra - GDC: Independent Games Festival Awards Topped By Aquaria ] ] It was released on the 7th of December, 2007 [ [http://www.bit-blot.com/?p=27 Bit Blot ] ] after more than two years of development. A Mac port is due in the near future, courtesy of Ambrosia Software.

Overview

In "Aquaria", the player controls Naija, a lone underwater dweller, who is in search of her family. She explores a massive ocean world, teeming with life and filled with ancient secrets. In her journey she encounters various underwater creatures, travels from hidden caves to sunlit oases, and solves mysterious quests in underwater ruins and long forgotten cities of ancient civilizations.

It is an action adventure game, heavily focused on exploration and puzzle-solving, with non-linear gameplay. There are many lifeforms with which Naija can interact. Some of them are hostile, while others are friendly, and some pay no notice to her. Interaction is accomplished by singing songs, which have various effects on Naija (shield, transformation into another form, etc.) and her surroundings (lifting heavy objects, opening plants, cracking eggs, etc.). It is also possible for Naija to obtain offensive powers to protect herself from some of the more hostile creatures in the game, and key battles against certain ancient foes are essential to progressing the storyline.

Gameplay

The game begins initially at a sedate pace with much emphasis on exploration, but as Naija's repertoire of abilities slowly increases the player's options branch out greatly, so they may concentrate more on exploration and accumulation of needed ingredients, or more on aggression and the defeating of foes, or a mix of the two. Many areas of the game open up after the initial tutorial phase and the player is free to explore the world as they wish, with minor restrictions based upon the current range of abilities or the presence of the previously-mentioned ancient foes.

Forms

In the course of the game, Naija learns songs that allow her to transform into different forms. Each of the forms provides her with unique abilities critical to overcoming the various challenges and obstacles seen in the game. Some of the basic forms she discovers early in the game are: Normal form: This is her default appearance. Only in this form is it possible to sing and wear costumes. Energy form: The basic offensive form. It allows Naija to shoot projectiles to attack enemy creatures.With every new song she learns as she uncovers the history of various parts of Aquaria, Naija finds out that she is capable of transforming into many even more exotic forms. Some are more powerful in combat, while others are practically defenseless but provide her with some unique powers. There are also some that seem to be practically useless at first, but as she gains more experience, she learns to exploit every one of them. With these new abilities, Naija can visit previously-inaccessible areas and progress through the game. Each of the forms has a short story about each region of Aquaria behind it, retelling some era of its history or little stories about different inhabitants and their lives. With each of these stories, Naija learns more about world around her and slowly discovers what role she plays in this vast world.

Cooking

While exploring the world, Naija can collect various ingredients from interaction with plants, animals and mainly by combating her foes. These ingredients can be used to cook dishes. Each dish has various effects when eaten. Most common effects are healing, enhancing various characteristics (such as speed, defense, etc), but there are some more exotic ones which grant her new abilities.

Naija can learn new recipes by collecting new dishes, or by combining ingredients randomly (which can lead to creating nearly-useless "sea loaf", wasting used ingredients in the process). Most of the dishes can be cooked only from two ingredients, which can be done anywhere, but some more complicated ones need to be cooked in a kitchen, which allows Naija to combine three ingredients.

Plot

Naija, who has lost almost all her memories in the beginning of the game, is able to recall some of them by entering secret locations, which unfold history of Aquaria and retell her story. In addition to main storyline, a reward system motivates player to further explore the world, searching for side quests and secret areas. These rewards include various costumes (some of which provide new or upgraded abilities), objects and plants used for decorating her home cave (and sometimes providing an additional source of ingredients), maximum health upgrades, pets to help Naija in fights, new recipes and many beautiful landmarks.

Mods

Aquaria comes with a level and animation editor. The player can switch between the editor interface and the game engine, so they can see their changes immediately. However, the editor has somewhat limited usability and in order to change various aspects of game the user has to edit various XML files and/or write their own Lua scripts. Although the editor is poorly documented by its creators, there is already a game-modding community emerging in the Bit-Blot forums, where many guides can be found. There is also an Aquaria modding wiki, which aims to provide extensive information and guides.

See also

* Derek Yu

References

* http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07078/770087-96.stm

External links

* [http://www.bit-blot.com/aquaria/ Official site]
* [http://www.bit-blot.com/aquaria/demo.html Demo download]
* [https://www.plimus.com/jsp/buynow.jsp?contractId=1724988 Full version]
* [http://aquaria.sfiera.net/wiki/Main_Page Aquaria modding wiki]
*moby game|id=/aquaria