Chillquarium

I like the art a lot, but I wouldn't call this an incremental game. Also, as far as Idler games goes the game system isn't very interesting at all. Very redundant: the loop is buy fish - feed fish - sell fish. No new mechanics are introduced to spice it up, and even within that loop there aren't really fun upgrades. I like the different fish rarities (painted, golden, rainbow) its fun, but when the reward is just a checkbox on the collection log and higher gold per hour than the normal varient, there's just not much incentive to keep them unless you like them. I think the game would benefit from focusing on what it wants to do- is it a casual collector where you actually want to fill a tank with your favorite fish? If it is, is it fun to watch your fish in the tank? Maybe focus on interactive decor and fish interaction over price gating fish over way too many hours of grind. Is it an incremental game where you feed 100 fish at the same time and sell thousands of fish to complete the game? Then add more upgrades, and automation to gamify that. Basically, it feels like these two directions are clashing a bit.

+++

I was really torn about whether to give this game a thumbs up or a thumbs down, because there are genuinely things I really like about this game. The art is super cute, the vibes are great, and I clearly have put a good number of hours into it. I bought the game on sale, and I don't regret it for the price I paid. However, I can't help but find the actual gameplay to be lacking. It's not bad, but it's not good either. There's not really much game, and it's also something where you can get so much more progress by "actively" playing than by letting it idle that i end up spending a lot of time feeding the fish instead of letting them grow up in real time. The lack of interesting gameplay (or any way to automate the game) is one of my issues. My other issue is that despite the wide variety of wonderfully designed fish, you end up selling the majority very quickly. There's an option to name the fish, which only makes sense for the absolute best fish, and even then, you'll end up with a million identical copies of them sooner or later, and even they are made obsolete as soon as you unlock the next level of fish. I wish there was a way for all of the fish to stay somewhat relevant. I want to have a pretty tank with my favorite fish, but I just end up with the ones who bring in the most money and selling the rest. There's such a massive disparity in the fish values, and no additional mechanics to incentivize keeping lower value fish. It just ends up being disappointing and a bit unsatisfying. Also, there were a few places where features were unclear. For example, I originally thought the "sell unlocked fish" button means selling all of the fish that you hadn't unlocked in the collection, rather than the locked/unlocked icon. I figured it out, but only after accidentally selling a fish I did not want to sell. If this review sounds harsh, it's not because I hated the game, but because there were parts I liked, so I can picture a much better version of the game if the mechanics were just a touch more complex, or had a few more features to separate it from other similar games. Even something like a free play aquarium, where you could make a tank with your favorite fish, unrelated to making money, would be a nice touch that emphasizes what I really did like about the game, which is the art and the vibes. I know there is a sequel in the works, and for the moment, I don't think I will be buying it, but I could still change my mind if I heard a good enough argument. Right now, it looks like the same game but with birds, but maybe it could be more.

The chance to pull the rare fishes needed for the achievements or to finish a collection is too low. With no automated processes, this is ultimately a frustrating experience.

I wasn't planning on spending too long with Chillquarium today. My intention was to play for around 30 minutes just to get a feel for the game, but before I knew it I'd spent closer to 45 minutes simply relaxing while watching my aquarium slowly come to life. That's probably the biggest compliment I can give it. It isn't a game that's trying to overwhelm you with constant objectives or fast-paced gameplay. Instead, it encourages you to slow down, collect fish, feed them, watch them grow and gradually expand your collection over time. The gameplay loop is very simple, but it works well. You buy fish, care for them, allow them to mature and then sell them to earn money for even more fish and larger aquariums. There are plenty of fish species to discover, which gives you something to work towards, and it feels like the kind of game you'll enjoy checking in on for a few minutes each day rather than trying to finish in a single sitting. One area where I do feel the game could be improved is the aquarium customisation. Having kept tropical fish myself for many years, I naturally found myself wanting to create aquariums that looked full of life. I was genuinely surprised by how few decorations are currently available, and even more surprised that there don't appear to be any aquarium plants at all. Whether they're real plants or decorative ones, they add so much character to an aquarium and give each tank its own personality. I'd love to see future updates introduce a much wider selection of plants, rocks, driftwood, caves and other decorations to make designing each aquarium just as enjoyable as collecting the fish themselves. Overall though, Chillquarium succeeds in what it sets out to do. It's a peaceful, cosy idle game that's easy to relax with and surprisingly easy to lose track of time playing. If you're looking for an action-packed aquarium simulator, this probably isn't it. But if you want a gentle idle game that lets you unwind while slowly building an ever-growing collection of fish, it's definitely worth adding to your library.

the game certainly lives up to the title as it is a very laid back game all about collecting fish. I really enjoyed how hands off it was as it allowed me to hop on every few days to check on the progress of my fishes growth, unlike in other games where you have to have it running in order for progress to happen.

原本以為把金色圖鑑收集完成就算畢業了，沒想到後面還有彩色，最後甚至還有彩虹圖鑑等著。 接下來的日子幾乎都是醒著就在刷卡包，只希望下一包能開到自己缺的那一隻。開不到？沒關係，再刷、再開、再期待下一包。不知不覺，幾小時就這樣過去了。 是一款節奏很放鬆的放置遊戲，但如果你跟我一樣有收集癖、喜歡解成就，就會發現它比想像中還容易讓人投入。看著圖鑑一頁頁完成、魚缸越來越豐富，真的很有成就感。 推薦給喜歡收集、放置，以及享受慢慢把圖鑑填滿的玩家。

I just play this to get all of the fish and the golden tickets. So far, I'm not finished. Did I get my money's worth? For the amount of hours, I'd say hell yeah. Perfect game to boot up once a day, for like 10 minutes, manage everything and come back tomorrow.

very chill very fish

Cute fishes and nice price but nothing more.