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Aquarist

Aquarist

by FreeMind S.A. · Published by PlayWay S.A., FreeMind S.A.

★ 86%
Price $15.99
Avg Players 6
Reviews 581
Released Mar 29, 2024
CasualEducationFamily FriendlyFirst-Person
View on Steam ↗

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Aquarist is a sandbox simulation where you design and maintain custom aquariums populated with fish, turtles, sharks, and other sea creatures. The game emphasizes decorating tanks and managing your aquatic inhabitants across varied challenges, though players note that lengthy tutorials and finicky placement mechanics can frustrate the creative experience it promises.

About this game

Players, last 72 days

Peak 22 · Low 2

Daily peak concurrent players, sampled once a night from Steam.

What players are saying

▼ Not recommended 5 hrs
At this point I don't recommend the game. First you start with a tutorial, and it's a long tutorial so be sure to have some time since as far as I can tell you can't save in between. Then when you've made it through and think this is the moment you can start building your own shop, the game just tells you some more of what to do. And then when you've finally made it through the tutorial and the starter phase of your own shop, the game throws in a timer. Which really takes any relaxing aspect of the game and just throws it out the window. Especially considering how short the time is you get.
You start your day at 6.00 and you open your shop at 14.00. In that time you have to do everything, build aquariums, clean existing ones, feed fish, sell/buy fish, restock your shop... You name it. And at 14.00, when you open the shop, your day is over. You can't keep working or doing anything when customers are there. Also, you have to walk to the door/computer and open the shop. At 14.00 you get a red blinking text telling you to open your shop RIGHT NOW because heaven forbid the poor customers have to wait 5 seconds.
It gets tedious. By the time you've finished your existing tasks and can finally start building an aquarium you wonder if it's really worth it to start building one at all.

When you progress you can buy an exhibition and later an ocenarium (or something? sorry for the spelling). I was hoping the exhibition would be like your 2nd shop where you can sell more and better aquariums but so far it seems to be mainly for showing them. Which means the basement shop is your one and only shop. And I'm sorry but when I earned 40k I'd much rather spend that on getting a bigger, better and prettier shop.

Because of all the tediousness, the short days, the endless tasks you need to achieve each day and the very limited options it doesn't really feel like you get a lot of freedom. Yes, you can build aquariums. As long as you follow the fishes demands (and they work like zootycoon, having demands in amount of plants, water temperature, amount of fishes and number of decorations) and only build basic ones.
There is no sandbox mode and the creative freedom you get is extremely limited.

It doesn't help the gamecontrols are pretty wonky too. It's pretty tricky to get something on the spot where you want it to be.

I hope the game will get better since I do think it has potential. So far from what I've seen the items and fishes are actually pretty fun and very colourful. I think the focus should be less on customer requests and like, making entire buildings/houses for those and more on the core aspects of the game. Having an aquarium store and creating aquariums.
133 found helpful Steam ↗
▼ Not recommended 4 hrs
While it's beautiful and kinda a little fun, the main appeal for me when I bought it was the idea of decorating beautiful aquariums (isnt that most peoples appeal?) and the difficulty in placing items in the tank has really turned me off of this game. I've played 4 hours, and I don't think I'll play any more. Accidentally place deco on the glass? your only option is to sell it for a loss. The placement system is extremely clunky.
85 found helpful Steam ↗
▲ Recommended 1 hrs
Fun game so far, biggest gripe with it early on is the game encouraging you to flush fish down the toilet, this should NEVER happen.
82 found helpful Steam ↗

Reviews are by Steam users, hosted on Steam.

Latest updates

🎮 Steam Next Fest Is LIVE! Play 3 FREE Demos from FreeMind!

15 days ago
🎮 Steam Next Fest Is LIVE! Play 3 FREE Demos from FreeMind!The wait is over! Steam Next Fest has officially begun! 🚀We're excited to announce that FreeMind is participating in Steam Next Fest with THREE brand-new playable demos!Whether you're dreaming of running your own factory, saving lives on a sunny beach, or managing a miniature hobby shop, we've got something for you!All three demos are FREE and AVAILABLE NOW on Steam!🏭 Factory Life — Build Your Industrial Empire!Ready to become a factory owner?Build and manage production lines, optimize workflows, and turn your growing factory into a successful industrial business!👉 PLAY FACTORY LIFE DEMO FOR FREE🌊 Lifeguard Simulator — The Beach Needs You!The sun is shining, the beach is crowded, and duty is calling!Step into the shoes of a professional lifeguard. Patrol the shoreline, respond to emergencies, keep visitors safe, and prove you've got what it takes to save lives!👉 PLAY LIFEGUARD SIMULATOR DEMO FOR FREE🎨 Warmace: Miniature Shop Simulator — Turn Your Passion Into a Business!Ever dreamed of owning your own miniature hobby shop?Manage your store, organize merchandise, and build a thriving business dedicated to miniature collectors and tabletop gaming enthusiasts!👉 PLAY WARMACE DEMO FOR FREE❤️ Play, Wishlist & Share Your Feedback!Steam Next Fest is officially underway, and all three demos are waiting for you!Here's how you can support our games:🎮 Play the demos — They're completely free!❤️ Add the games to your Steam Wishlist — Every wishlist helps!💬 Share your feedback — Tell us what you enjoyed and what we can improve.📢 Spread the word — Share your favorite demo with your friends!We're looking forward to hearing what you think!Which of our three demos are you playing first? Let us know in the comments! 👇🏔️ BONUS: Meet Our Newly Announced Game — GORAL: Highlander Simulator! 🐑And that's not all! We've also just announced GORAL: Highlander Simulator, a brand-new game set in the breathtaking Polish Tatra Mountains of...

🐑 Meet GORAL: Highlander Simulator!

18 days ago
🐑 Meet GORAL: Highlander Simulator! + 3 New Demos Coming This Saturday! 🎮A new adventure awaits in the Polish Tatra Mountains! 🏔️We're excited to announce GORAL: Highlander Simulator, a brand-new simulation game set in the 1930s!Step into the boots of a young shepherd and discover the challenging life of a traditional Polish highlander.🐑 Herd sheep across beautiful mountain pastures.🐕 Take control of your sheepdog and round up wandering animals.🧀 Milk sheep and make traditional mountain cheese.🐺 Face wolves, storms, and dangerous mountain terrain.💰 Start with nothing, earn your living, and build your own flock!From a hired shepherd to a flock owner — your mountain adventure begins here!❤️ Wishlist GORAL: Highlander Simulator on Steam!🎮 While You Wait for GORAL… Try 3 Brand-New Demos!And that's not all! Steam Next Fest is just around the corner, and FreeMind is bringing three new playable demos!The best part? You won't have to wait until the festival begins!All three demos will become available this Saturday, October 17, at 3:00 PM CEST! 🔥🏭 Factory LifeExperience the world of factory work and industrial production! 🏖️ Lifeguard SimulatorPatrol the beach, respond to emergencies, and save lives!⚔️ Warmace: Miniature Shop SimulatorStep into the world of miniatures and run your very own hobby shop!🐑 One new game to wishlist. Three new demos to play this Saturday!Don't forget to follow our games on Steam for more updates.See you in the mountains — and at Steam Next Fest! ❤️

🪸Seashells and 2 new-old locations!🐟

33 days ago
Hello, dear Aquarists!😌🐠 To celebrate the sale, we have the new Aquarist update 🐟 Check our trailer 🆕 What's NEW? 💠 A new mini-quest in the aquarium exhibition location, allowing you to obtain a new fish and 7 new items to decorate the location. Find the shells and claim your reward! 💠 We’ve added the last two locations – the Aztec ruins and the space location – to the tablet that lets you return to side-quest locations. You can now freely customise and decorate the aquariums found there. 🔹 More auto-save points have been added to the game. Every time a player ends a day in a given location, the game automatically saves. 🔹 Translations for the game have been significantly improved and enhanced in the following languages: German, Simplified Chinese, Japanese and Polish (we’ll be improving others in the future) 🔹 Players on Steam Decks will also be able to use filters in the shop just like everyone else. (Please let us know in the comments how we can improve this further on SteamDecks) 🔹 Fixed a bug where it was sometimes impossible to add soil to the aquarium and the game would get stuck in the adding mode. Everything now works correctly and such errors will not occur again ⤵️⤵️⤵️ How to contact us with bugs? Do it via discord 📢 https://discord.gg/76N77uHWkc Or via the Steam discussion📢 https://steamcommunity.com/app/1430760/discussions/ How to support the Aquarist? The easiest way is to share your opinion of our game with others on Steam or among your friends. Thank you very much💗 Aquarist Team

Posts come from Steam's official announcements feed.

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