Ever wonder what it would be like to manage an aquarium? Here's your chance to satisfy your curiosity in digital form!
Megaquarium is a tycoon 'park' management game from Twice Circled. Given the telling title, I'm going to assume you already know what the big reveal here is: you manage an aquarium! If you like throwing some fishies in a big tanks and watch them wiggle around then boy, do I have the game for you!
Megaquarium plays like you would think most management games do: you have money to spend, customers and attractions to make happy and well...keep alive. One of the more interesting factors of gameplay is in the placing of your fish: not all can go together. Of course, this is something most (hopefully!) know about in real life as well. Some fish tend to get territorial and cannibalize others and the nod and implementation to that in Megaquarium is a fun little twist.
In fact, managing the fish themselves is the focus of the game, rather than worrying about going bankrupt. The fish, in addition to worrying about their tank mates, have certain needs and some will even grow larger with time. You must make sure that you're thinking ahead and meeting these needs for a happy and healthy aquarium.
The music is relaxing, and tends to be a good counterpart to a game in which anything more dramatic might come to be distracting. It's a modern ambient feel, and goes quite well with the simple models and bright colours on screen. Having a good atmosphere outside of gameplay is a serious requirement -- most, if not all tycoon games, are meant to have the hours poured into them, so it has to be on the ball to keep the player interested and relaxed.
Tycoon management games are often either one of two things: very straight forward, or so complex and complicated that it'll make your head spin. Finding a nice balance between the two, you'll have a game that not only is fun to play, but will keep you coming back for more. The main campaign is gently challenging on the easiest difficulty, but you can bump it up, or play in sandbox mode which is a sure way to warm any tycoon-lover's heart. It's not too difficult to learn, and is challenging enough to spike interest in mastering.
Going to close this out with a big fat recommend for Megaquarium. If you like tycoon/management games, and you have a general interest in our friends that hang around in tanks, you'll love this title. It's wholesome, fun and good for all ages.