I thought that I would just pop in here and say that Aquaria is going to be released soon. There will be a demo and an $30 price tag for Aquaria.
http://www.bit-blot.com/index.php
Having just tried out the music sample from the Day-2 post, I definitely like the music. You can't have an LaMetroidVania game without good music. Not much more for me to say right now.
Aquaria - to be released on December 7th.
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Sabin Stargem
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Lee
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Sabin Stargem
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One of the things I use for judging a game's quality is the atmosphere and setting it has. Perhaps it is just nostalgia, but Aquaria reminds me of various platforming games that I have played...in a good way. Symphony of the Night, La-Mulana, and Cave Story all have interesting graphics or music in some way, while being quite meaty. As such, Aquaria mostly caught me because of the graphical style and music.
Whether or not it meets my expectations is an different matter. The control system is going to be the biggest issue I expect, because it looked a bit slow to me. You probably should give the demo a spin, since actual gameplay tends to reveal the truth of the matter.
Whether or not it meets my expectations is an different matter. The control system is going to be the biggest issue I expect, because it looked a bit slow to me. You probably should give the demo a spin, since actual gameplay tends to reveal the truth of the matter.
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Lee
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knob
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Sabin Stargem
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It was the winner of this year's Independent Gaming Festival, which also means the developers managed to nab a cool $20,000. Aside from that though, one of the developers of the game is somewhat known - Derek Yu, apparently the guy who made "I am O.K." to accept Jack Thompson's challenge, and also the creator of Eternal Daughter. My guess is that having an known developer helped Aquaria with being hyped. Kind of like how Blizzard is associated with quality, but not as strongly.
As for why the game is different...well, I suppose the fact that it is set underwater with bit of an exploration vibe is what makes it unique. Not many titles come to mind that are like that. Ecco the Dolphin and Ikachan aside, it just wasn't done. I can't offer many more reasons than this, unfortunately.
As for why the game is different...well, I suppose the fact that it is set underwater with bit of an exploration vibe is what makes it unique. Not many titles come to mind that are like that. Ecco the Dolphin and Ikachan aside, it just wasn't done. I can't offer many more reasons than this, unfortunately.
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Peacedog
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What Sabin said. It has already won awards, it's got a known-developer-commodity attached to it, it's in a sub-genre that doesn't get much play (the worth of said sub-genre as a sub-genre is a debate I will leave for another time; sufficed to say, people remember ecco fondly, so perhaps that is enough).Lee wrote:I am very much looking forward to the demo, the music, graphics, and controls look quite good. I was just wondering what the big deal of the game is. How is it different? Why is it hyped?
Please post a link when it is released, and I would love to hear impressions.
The production values should be good, and lots of people have praised the art direction. But really, the prize the game won, and the fact that it is a little different from most stuff out there, are what are drawing eyes to the game.
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Hipolito
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Re: Aquaria - to be released on December 7th.
The game's out!
Actually, this game was sitting in some old bundle I bought a long time ago. I'd wanted to play it ever since I heard about it. After all, doesn't an underwater Metroidvania game in which you're a mer-creature sound really cool? I thought so, but it wasn't until recently that I finally played it. It turned out to be more impressive than I was expecting from an indie game, but it also had some problems.
If there's one thing Aquaria does well, it's atmosphere. It's great to swim through caverns and expanses filled with colorful and diverse flora and fauna. The game captures the wonders and dangers of deep-sea exploration. The ethereal soundtrack greatly enhances the experience.
It's a beautiful and inspiring game, but it's no pushover when it comes to difficulty. You'll have to wade through some intense 360-degree war zones and contend with tricky puzzles and tough bosses. The final stage of the game, known as the gauntlet, has a difficulty spike of nearly Psychonauts Meat Circus proportions. I gave up and watched the ending on YouTube.
And what I learned is that the game's story is ultimately not worthwhile. After traipsing through the depths for 20 hours and getting only little clues about yourself and the world around you, the game spills the other 90% of the plot in an exposition told by the final boss. There's not much suspense or character development along the way and the big reveals in the end are not entirely original. The game even promises a sequel that we'll probably never get.
The other problems I have with the game are mechanical. Over the course of the game, you learn songs that change your form so you can use various powers. It's crucial to master the singing interface so that you can defeat the bosses, and I was pretty frustrated with the task of selecting the right musical notes in the right sequence while dodging attacks. Another problem is the cooking system. You heal and buff yourself by combining ingredients into foods which you eat. You have to page through your recipe book to find the food you want, find the ingredients in your inventory, combine them to make the food, and then find that food in your inventory and eat it. It's a chore to do this again and again. I would have preferred hotkeys for instantly cooking and eating foods.
And, fundamentally, I find Metroidvanias (and Zelda-likes) annoying in how they make you repeatedly wander here and there through the same areas, fighting the same enemies, until you finally have the item you need to see just a little more of the world. Aquaria makes all this wandering even more annoying with its few save points and confusing automap.
I don't regret the time I put into Aquaria because of all the beautiful sights and evocative music that will stick with me. If you like Metroidvanias or underwater themes, I suggest trying this game, especially if you own it already.
Actually, this game was sitting in some old bundle I bought a long time ago. I'd wanted to play it ever since I heard about it. After all, doesn't an underwater Metroidvania game in which you're a mer-creature sound really cool? I thought so, but it wasn't until recently that I finally played it. It turned out to be more impressive than I was expecting from an indie game, but it also had some problems.
If there's one thing Aquaria does well, it's atmosphere. It's great to swim through caverns and expanses filled with colorful and diverse flora and fauna. The game captures the wonders and dangers of deep-sea exploration. The ethereal soundtrack greatly enhances the experience.
It's a beautiful and inspiring game, but it's no pushover when it comes to difficulty. You'll have to wade through some intense 360-degree war zones and contend with tricky puzzles and tough bosses. The final stage of the game, known as the gauntlet, has a difficulty spike of nearly Psychonauts Meat Circus proportions. I gave up and watched the ending on YouTube.
And what I learned is that the game's story is ultimately not worthwhile. After traipsing through the depths for 20 hours and getting only little clues about yourself and the world around you, the game spills the other 90% of the plot in an exposition told by the final boss. There's not much suspense or character development along the way and the big reveals in the end are not entirely original. The game even promises a sequel that we'll probably never get.
The other problems I have with the game are mechanical. Over the course of the game, you learn songs that change your form so you can use various powers. It's crucial to master the singing interface so that you can defeat the bosses, and I was pretty frustrated with the task of selecting the right musical notes in the right sequence while dodging attacks. Another problem is the cooking system. You heal and buff yourself by combining ingredients into foods which you eat. You have to page through your recipe book to find the food you want, find the ingredients in your inventory, combine them to make the food, and then find that food in your inventory and eat it. It's a chore to do this again and again. I would have preferred hotkeys for instantly cooking and eating foods.
And, fundamentally, I find Metroidvanias (and Zelda-likes) annoying in how they make you repeatedly wander here and there through the same areas, fighting the same enemies, until you finally have the item you need to see just a little more of the world. Aquaria makes all this wandering even more annoying with its few save points and confusing automap.
I don't regret the time I put into Aquaria because of all the beautiful sights and evocative music that will stick with me. If you like Metroidvanias or underwater themes, I suggest trying this game, especially if you own it already.
Gracias por estar aquí.
Books read, games played.
Avatar: my Shepard from Mass Effect 1.
Books read, games played.
Avatar: my Shepard from Mass Effect 1.