AQUARIUMS

I saw this game and I wanted to love it. I love the idea of AQUARIUMS and the liminality of the game. It does look beautiful initially and I adored the more sinister vibes, but this doesn't feel like a liminal space game to me. The gameplay is completely linear with absolutely no way to get lost, which to me is a factor in what makes a liminal game great - the sensation of being lost and disoriented, looking through every nook and cranny of a labyrinthine map to find the way out. Not all liminal spaces must have a threat, but if there is a liminal space game that is supposed to make you feel threatened, it should at least consistently show how dangerous its threats are, and decide what those threats should be, instead of having things glitching in and out without any reason behind it. Speaking of glitching in and out, there were some jump scares here and there, but they were absolutely dependent on loud noises and "grabbing" the player's camera. There was no real sense of fear or fright I feel like this game is incomplete. There is no user interface in game to change volume, brightness, or graphics settings. The menus didn't even include words, which is why we have this instead: https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/3654850/view/517473930105061797?l=english

This game showed a lot of promise in the story elements and how it leans in to the spooky themes. With that said, the game is quite underwhelming in terms of level design. The game is extremely linear, with no complexity to the map/level design. I was expecting a horror take on the poolrooms. Instead, I found it was slow hallway walking simulator with bits of lore dropped in. Kind of like eating raisin bran. Nasty bran (the level design) and the sweet raisins (the lore).

[b]AQUARIUMS[/b] is, as best I can describe it, a dream from someone who is afraid of the thing they are dreaming about but can't quite look away and is not scared enough to wake up just yet. There's a lot to unpack about this game, but first and foremost before getting into this review, I want to provide the caveat that I did receive this game for free from the dev via my Steam Curator page, which you can check out [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45590199/]by clicking here.[/url] Among other things, I have reviewed other, similar games such as this. So, while I did not pay for this game, my views are still my own and come off the experience of having played other, similar games. Additionally, I also have a warning for any prospective player of this game: I do not know if it was intentional or not, but I experienced [b]multiple sequences with flashing lights.[/b] If you are sensitive to rapid, flashing light sequences, then I would be very cautious of this title -- or skip it entirely, if it is a serious health concern. So, [b]EPILEPSY WARNING: this game [i]does[/i] contain sequences with flashing lights![/b] Now, all warnings and caveats aside, I have to say...I [i]did[/i] enjoy my experience with this game! As I mentioned before, I have played other titles in this genre, including the likes of [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2663530/POOLS/?curator_clanid=45590199]POOLS,[/url] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/app/2453060/Dreamcore/?curator_clanid=45590199]Dreamcore,[/url] etc. Unlike those games, and without getting too [i]deep[/i] into spoilers, this game takes a more linear, story-based/inspired approach. Again, without giving too much away, there are set pieces, a bit of commentary about the aquarium industry (one part of it in particular), etc. This being a solo dev project, it seems very clear to me that dev was very inspired their own fears and experiences and this game serves as somewhat of an art piece role with that in mind. To the 'solo dev' of it all, while I was able to find a few little technical hiccups here and there, I have to say it is fairly impressive for a solo dev project. I think this dev seems capable of taking this and refining it into more polished experiences going forward, and they're clearly capable of committing to completing their project(s)...so, good on them for that! Back to the game itself, I was not particularly "scared" throughout the process. Granted, I am not someone who is easily scared, and I actually prefer [b]not[/b] being scared or stressed. In my real life, when I do haunted house attractions or things similar to that, I generally walk through them laughing and occasionally getting startled, but never really stressed about the whole thing. I had a very similar experience with this game. For the most part, the "jumpscares" didn't really have much of an effect on me. They were interesting. I appreciated them, but they didn't frighten me--and that's ok. They added to the ambiance. Speaking of, the game is very much in the "walking simulator" genre, which I happen to enjoy. It's not a particularly long game in the genre, [i]only taking about an hour or so.[/i] If you are concerned about anything potentially chasing you, monsters and the like, here is my spoiler answer to that: [spoiler]no, there are no monsters chasing you, though things do appear for brief jumpscare moments as if they would...but, no, there are no "enemies" in this game....which I am a fan of as I don't like being chased. Not fun.[/spoiler] I thought the visuals were fairly interesting for the most part. I think the dev could have gone more fantastical with it, but it accomplishes what it needs to. There is an element of the game that could be concerning to some folks, but it would be spoilery to comment on in too much detail. I'll briefly get into here, and you can choose to read it or not: [spoiler]there are sequences in this game where real footage is shown, including footage of orcas at SeaWorld. At least one of these sequences shows an attack. None of this footage shows blood or is from any one of the fatal incidents. No need to worry about seeing footage of those incidents if you don't want to.[/spoiler] In closing, I think if you are someone who has a deep fear of the ocean, sea life, people in diving suits, deep water--things like this, this game might be a pretty scary for you. For the rest of us, it can certainly offer that fun house/haunted house attraction experience. It's a very strange, peculiar experience that won't be for everyone, but it worked for me! I look forward to seeing what the dev does next!

Just beat the game. A super cool realistic poolrooms game where you explore a giant aquarium full of bloody dangerous sharks, giant whales, divers and a mysterious metal ancient scuba diver ghost who is always scaring you in funny ways. The game is a hell of a trippy experience and i loved this!

심해 공포증 무서운사람들은 조심

I chose this game because it has all my fears in one, which I think made it more effective.

Been eagerly awaiting this one for 4 months, and I was not disappointed! The concept behind this liminal space game is incredibly unique, and I don't think I've seen another one like it. It nails the ambience, and the music is wonderfully subtle and eerie. The atmosphere is perfect. I also found the story of the facility and its founder delightfully creepy. A few minor notes I have being that I wish there was more interactivity with the environment, and I wish the game were a bit longer, and less linear. I'd have liked more forking paths and to have seen more of the aquarium to explore. I'm also not a huge fan of jumpscares in liminal horror, and here there are a few. Not so bad that it ruined the game, but I think it'd be better without them. Last note being that I found a few places where there's no collision, so you can fall out of bounds and have to restart. Those can be patched, still... beware! Last thing, certain passages are VERY dark, which makes it hard to navigate. Hopefully they can add a lighting setting, or brighten the rooms overall. Overall, the pros outweigh the cons, and I enjoyed it more on the second playthrough after I got out all the jitters. I'd say a 7/10. Room for improvement, but by no means bad. It was my first time playing a liminal space game too, so what a way to be introduced to the genre. Thank you for a great experience! = )

I know this game won't be everyone's cup of tea but I really enjoyed it. If you're expecting a traditional liminal game, you won't get that here, but what you will get is a fun little game that looks like POOLS and explores the premise "what if Seaworld animals got revenge?" Execution could use work - there were quite a few misaligned textures, I think the wood had the wrong shader, and the water didn't quite feel right to look at, but overall I think this is a fun game!

me dio miedito pero ya lo pase comleto esta good y esta buenardo

Visually, it does some nice things with geometry, vivid colors and shiny surfaces, but that's probably the only good thing I can say about it. Otherwise, it's both pointless and boring. You walk through linear hallways (in other words, you hold down Shift+W for like an hour), look at divers, orcas and sharks, and then the game ends. But not before throwing a handful of cheap, repetitive jump scares at you. Save your time and money. For more honest indie game reviews, check out our Curator page: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/6481290-GTOGG/