As we move up the ranking list, I fully expect to have games pull me in so "badly" that I will end up wanting to play them more than the two days scheduled, and this is one game I fear will be that way. Currently, the plan is to work on the main story campaign (starting from the beginning) on Monday, and then on Tuesday check out the Freshwater DLC campaign (which I've never played)... however, I do not know if I'll be ready to stop playing after that. So Thursday/Friday this week will serve as "swing" days that I could continue playing if I want to. With that being said, let's get into learning about this super-addictive little gem of a game.
Megaquarium came out in 2018, and caught my attention pretty quickly. I love fish and have had several aquarium set ups in my life, and any game that involves taking care of animals and managing a zoo (or aquarium) is likely to pull me in easily. I haven't (yet) finished the main campaign, nor have I played anything relating to the two DLCs, but I own them, and am looking forward to seeing how they incorporate into game play. Review-wise, the reception has been varied. PC Gamer gave this little indie game a whopping 86, while MetaCritic gave it a 69. It's listed as Very Positive on Steam, and I would 100% back that up.
Basically, as one would expect, the game puts you in charge of building an aquarium and taking care of not only all the fish, but your guests, as well. There is a 10 episode campaign that increases in difficulty as you go, plus you can also play in a Sandbox mode that gives you more control of all the variables of your game - like how you can acquire fish, and how you unlock new tech. The tutorial is fairly comprehensive, and I've never felt I had a problem figuring out how to play the game while going through the story campaign. On top of that, hours simply melt away while you're juggling fish care and pleasing the masses of visitors. It's terrifyingly easy to lose a whole day playing this game, and you are often equally ready to start the scenario over immediately after a failure or go on to the next after a success.
I've purposely avoided playing this game in the last year or so, because I just haven't had the time to lose myself for a few weeks into a game like this. However, that doesn't change the fact that I adore this game, and I'm looking forward to playing it this coming week so very much! If you're into fish at all, (or just management games in general) this game is for you. The two DLCs that have been brought out bring new features to the game, and if those aren't enough for you - there's a healthy modding community on Steam that is always adding new things like new fish to learn about and custom tanks to show them off in. I truly cannot recommend this game any higher, and I hope you all enjoy this week of exploring this adorable game!
*(coming next week when I publish the VODs from this week's playthroughs on Youtube)
