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Aqua Pals Review

3. I Like it, About Games, Genre, Indie, Rating, Review, Simulation, Steam review Leave a comment

Game: Aqua Pals
Genre: Fish Tank, Simulation
System: Steam (Windows)
Developer|Publisher: Matthew B, Linda F | Potato Stamps Limited
Controller Support: Full
Price: UK £4.29 | US $4.99 | EU € 4,99
Release Date: December 9th, 2023

Review code provided with many thanks to Potato Stamps Limited.

Aqua Pals is a relaxing aquarium simulation game. It gives you a plethora of fish, tanks, and decorations to ensure your aquariums are as unique and colorful as you want them to be.

Screenshot from the Aqua Pals video game, showcasing a pixelated underwater scene. The main interface includes a score indicator at the top displaying 2/6, and a series of selectable items arranged at the bottom. A large mug appears to the left with coffee inside. The central area features two pixel fish, one red and one grey, swimming near a green pixelated character who appears to be cleaning the ocean floor next to a large brown rock. The art style is reminiscent of classic 8-bit games, with a simple yet colorful palette. Published on: LadiesGamers.
You even get food to keep them as happy as possible.

The Gameplay of Aqua Pals

Aqua Pals is a simulation game. You start with a single tank, a couple of fish, a few rocks, and some other decorations. After you put the items and fish into your tank, you can show them off to viewers who will pay to see your fish. The more exotic the fish, the happier the fish with their surroundings, and the more decorations, the more money you will earn in order to make bigger and better tanks with even more fish.

n-game interface from Aqua Pals, depicting a close-up of a virtual arcade machine screen. The screen shows a pixelated blue curtain with a spotlight on it and a fiery explosion animation, with a small red pixel fish swimming above. Below the curtain, a green dollar sign is visible with the amount '7.28' next to it, possibly indicating in-game currency or points. The background has a gradient from light to dark gray, giving the impression of a spotlighted stage. To the right, a small, pixelated note with illegible text is attached to the machine, adding to the game's detailed environment. Published on: LadiesGamers.
Aqua Pals The display of the fish tank has won me a small cash prize to put toward more fish! The crowd liked this display of $7.28 worth.

When you purchase fish and decorations in the store, there are some items that don’t go well together and some items that particular kinds of fish either love or hate. There are a variety of fish that cannot be put in a tank together, just like in real life. Putting a girl fish and a boy fish of the same species in the tank together can net you baby fish if you aren’t at your limit for the number of fish that can be in that size tank.

Bigger tanks, plants, rocks, fish, and other items can be purchased in the little store location that looks like this:

Aqua Pals video game screenshot featuring an inventory management screen. The top portion displays various containers filled with items like rocks, corals, and starfish, suggesting resources or collectibles. On the upper right, there's a scoreboard with a shell icon and the number 17.44, perhaps indicating the player's current score or time. The bottom section shows an extensive empty hotbar, with one slot highlighted and containing an orange icon, which might be an active selection or tool. The backdrop is segmented into different shades of orange and green, mimicking shelves or sections in an inventory system. The graphics are in a charming pixel art style, adding to the game's retro aesthetic. Published on: LadiesGamers.
I require more rocks at the fish store!

Unpolished but Charming

There is something really endearing about Aqua Pals. Most of the time, you can feel how much love a person or development team has poured into a game, even if it has issues. Aqua Pals is not without issue for sure, but the way the team carefully rendered a whole bunch of fish and gave a lot of thought to those fish’s likes and dislikes, you can tell this project was made with love.

That being said, Aqua Pals does feel a little unfinished or undertested. The amount of money you generate during viewings is far too small for the cost of items; you should be able to purchase a bucketful of rocks and plants for your babies. It takes a long, long time to get a nice-looking tank, and even then, it doesn’t exactly rake in the cash. You also appear only to be able to show one tank at a time, so I’m not sure exactly what the point of having multiple tanks might be except for storage.

Also, the cutscene that plays every single time you show your fish off is like a 15-second, unskippable one that never changes in any way. Since it takes a lot of viewings in order to buy anything useful, I ended up reading web comics and just hitting the show button over and over again to build up some cash, which is most likely not what the developers envisioned.

This Aqua Pals game screenshot features a simulated arcade machine with a pixelated display. The screen shows a vibrant underwater scene with various colorful fish swimming above a seabed adorned with coral and rocks. Two notes with pixelated text, resembling handwritten notes, are attached to the front of the machine, suggesting additional context or instructions for the player. The machine is spotlighted by beams of light from above against a dark background, focusing attention on the gameplay area. The aesthetic is a nostalgic nod to classic arcade games. Published on: LadiesGamers.
A decorated fish tank with two kinds of fish in it.

The only way to see how happy the fish are is to hover over them while they are swimming around in their tanks. There was no way to zoom in or take a closer look that I could find, and I wanted to be able to name each fish and click on them to see how old they were, what they looked like up close, and how happy each one was. None of the buttons are explained either. There is no tutorial or about button, and all of the buttons are visual rather than written out. I love that you can change the music to several different songs, but I hate that if I mute the music, it also mutes the sound effects even if I don’t want it to.

Conclusion

Aqua Pals is a cute little sim with some heart but a whole lot of problems. I like where it is going, but it feels like it is not quite there yet. That being said, I hope to see some updates from this title soon.

Final Verdict: I Like it. 
I like it

 
           

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