Megaquarium

Megaquarium is a contemporary simulation and tycoon game where players design, build, and manage a large-scale aquarium exhibit. The gameplay involves curating diverse aquatic life, maintaining optimal water conditions, constructing engaging environments, and handling business logistics to attract visitors and ensure the aquarium’s success, blending construction simulation with careful animal care.

Megaquarium: Review

Introduction: A Deep Dive into a Niche Masterpiece

In the vast ocean of video game genres, the business simulation/tycoon subgenre has always been a vibrant coral reef, teeming with life from RollerCoaster Tycoon to Planet Coaster. Yet, for all its diversity, one specific ecosystem remained curiously underserved: the dedicated, modern aquarium management sim. Sure, there were tangential experiences, but none that truly captured the serene beauty, intricate science, and unique logistical puzzles of running a world-class aquatic attraction. Enter Megaquarium, a 2018 indie release from Twice Circled, the studio behind the acclaimed pharmaceutical tycoon game Big Pharma. It did not merely wade into this niche; it plunged in with a confident, well-designed splash. My thesis is this: Megaquarium is a deceptively profound success story. It achieves a rare and delicate equilibrium—being simultaneously accessible to newcomers and deeply satisfying to genre veterans—by anchoring its complex web of systems in the universally appealing, tactile joy of curating living ecosystems. It is less a hard-nosed corporate simulator and more a “zen tycoon,” where the primary conflict is not market competition but the quiet battle against entropy, algae blooms, and a misjudged predator-prey relationship. Through meticulous design, it transforms the potentially dry task of fish husbandry into a compelling loop of observation, experimentation, and rewarding creation.

Development History & Context: From Pharma to Fins

Megaquarium emerged from the crucible of a specific indie development philosophy. Its creator, Twice Circled, was a small UK-based studio (often collaborating with Auroch Digital) led by developer Jonathan Mowat. Having found critical and commercial success with the intricate, puzzle-like systems of Big Pharma (2015), the team sought to apply their signature “systemic depth wrapped in intuitive presentation” to a new domain. The vision was clear: create a simulation that felt less like a spreadsheet and more like a living diorama, where the player’s primary role was that of a curious caretaker and designer.

Development spanned approximately two and a half years, starting around 2016. The team chose the Unity engine, a workhorse for indie cross-platform development. This decision dictated both opportunities and constraints. Unity allowed for the game’s clean, scalable 2D isometric aesthetic and facilitated the eventual ports to macOS, Linux, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch. However, as noted in some post-launch reviews (particularly the German PC Games critique and the Switch user review complaining about control issues), the engine’s porting challenges likely contributed to technical hiccups on consoles, such as UI problems and performance dips that required post-release patches.

The game launched into a 2018 PC market saturated with management sims but experiencing a renaissance. Titles like Two Point Hospital (released weeks later) and the enduring popularity of Planet Coaster showed an appetite for polished, personality-driven management games. Megaquarium‘s release on September 13, 2018, positioned it perfectly to capture players looking for something more specialized and contemplative than a theme park or a hospital. Its “aquatic twist” filled a conspicuous gap, leveraging the inherent visual appeal and biological specificity of marine life. The subsequent console release on October 18, 2019, was part of a common indie strategy to extend a game’s lifecycle and reach a broader audience, though the delay of the Freshwater Frenzy DLC on consoles until March 2022 highlighted the added complexity of multi-platform support for smaller studios.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive: The Unwritten Story of the Curator

Megaquarium presents a fascinating case study in environmental storytelling and implicit narrative. There is no traditional plot, no villain, no scripted dramatic crescendo. Instead, its “narrative” is the emergent story of the player’s own journey from novice curator to aquatic mogul. This is most elegantly delivered through the 10-level campaign mode, which functions as a structured tutorial and narrative arc.

The campaign’s levels—from “Sunnyside” to “Megalopolis”—are not just missions but vignettes in a career. Each introduces a new systemic layer (e.g., the first focus on basic tropical fish and filtration, later introducing cold-water systems, coral lighting, or visitor flow challenges). The locations, often repurposed buildings like an abandoned theatre, imply a world where aquariums breathe new life into failing urban spaces. The “story” is one of restoration, growth, and mastery. You begin with a handful of hardy damselfish and a simple tank; you end capable of housing a majestic whale shark or a colony of delicate leafy sea dragons. This progression is a classic power fantasy, but one rooted in knowledge and careful planning rather than combat.

Thematically, the game is a meditation on balance and stewardship. Every decision is a negotiation: between predator and prey, between the biological needs of fish and the aesthetic desires of guests, between the technical (hidden filtration) and the thematic (beautiful decorations). The theme of hidden complexity is paramount. Guests see a serene, beautiful tank; the player sees a web of pumps, heaters, skimmers, and behavioral traits that must all coexist. The game subtly champions responsible ownership—the fish are not mere commodities but living beings with specific needs. Neglect has immediate, visible consequences (starving fish, predator attacks, cloudy water). This aligns with a modern, more conscientious view of animal exhibit management, moving away from purely extractive theme-park models.

The DLC expansions deepen these themes. Freshwater Frenzy introduces concepts like water acidity and fish breeding, adding a layer of long-term genetic management and the joy of nurturing new color variants. Architect’s Collection focuses on architectural creativity with bridges, tunnels, and paintable assets, encouraging players to think of their aquarium as a cohesive, themed environment. Deep Freeze juxtaposes the abyssal deep with the polar regions, exploring extremophile life and reinforcing the theme of diversity and adaptation. The upcoming Invertebrilliant Collection (as noted on the Korean NamuWiki) promises to focus on corals and anemones, further emphasizing the intricate, often overlooked foundations of aquatic ecosystems. These expansions aren’t just content drops; they expand the game’s philosophical scope from “keeping fish alive” to “building and understanding complete biomes.”

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems: The Engine Room of a Fin-Tuned Machine

At its core, Megaquarium is a game of interconnected subsystems that must harmonize. Deconstructing these reveals the genius of its design: complexity is presented as a series of manageable, visually intuitive puzzles.

1. The Tank as a Biological Microcosm: Every tank is a custom-built habitat. The player selects from numerous tank types (Independent: Lagoon, U-Shaped; Built-in: Wall, Corner, Observation; Large: Tunnel, Belfast; Unusual: Krysel for jellyfish; Extra Large: Mega Tank). Each has viewing angles, depth, and equipment placement rules. The core challenge is populating it with fish.
* Species Needs: Each of the ~97 base game species has a stat sheet (expanded massively by DLC). Needs include:
* Basic: Water Temperature (Tropical vs. Coldwater), Water Quality (a percentage, requiring filters/skimmers), Tank Size (minimum and as they grow), Food Type (from pellets to krill to live shrimp).
* Habitat: Preferences for Plants, Rocks, Caves, Driftwood (Freshwater), Floating Plants, or Dark/Light (for corals).
* Behavioral Traits: These are the game’s most innovative and crucial systems.
* Predation/Prey: A predator will eat smaller, non-armored fish. This is dynamic—a fish grows, and its prey status can change.
* Bullying/Wimp: A bully will harass a wimp, causing stress.
* Schooling: Requires a minimum number of the same species (e.g., 6 bannerfish).
* Monogamous: Requires an even number.
* Communal: Must be kept with at least two other specific animal types.
* Armored: Predators perceive them as larger, offering protection.
* Explorer: Needs a minimum number of decorations in the tank.
* Plant Destroyer: Eats plants faster than they regrow, requiring over-planting.
* Requires Round Tank: For large, active swimmers like sharks and manta rays to prevent injury.
* Open Space: Needs a clear floor area.
* Land Area: For semi-aquatic reptiles (Freshwater Frenzy DLC).
* The game brilliantly communicates these via clear icons and color-coded warning bubbles that appear over a tank if a fish’s needs aren’t met (e.g., a red “schooling” icon means you have too few). This turns a complex database into an at-a-glance diagnostic tool.

2. The Technical Web: Pumps, Filters, and Heat: Water quality and temperature are managed by equipment (filters, skimmers, nitrate reactors, UV sterilizers, heaters, coolers). The key innovation is the pump and zoning system. Equipment can be placed in a separate “staff only” zone and connected via pumps to multiple tanks. Higher-level pumps have longer ranges, allowing for centralized, hidden machinery rooms—a crucial design puzzle to keep ugly equipment out of guest sightlines while ensuring accessibility for staff. Water quality is a nuanced stat; basic quality comes from filters, while “higher quality” (for demanding species) may require nitrate reactors or a combination of equipment, a system some reviewers found opaque but which rewards careful reading of tooltips.

3. Staff Management (The Autonomous Workforce): Staff (“aquarists”) are not directly controlled. They are hired based on five skills: Feeding, Repair, Guest Support (talks), Cleaning, and Stocking Souvenirs. They autonomously traverse the facility, performing tasks relevant to their skills. The player can set priorities (e.g., “Repair is most important”) and assign them to specific zones or tasks. Staff gain experience and level up, earning a skill point to allocate. Their wages increase with performance. The strategic layer here is in team composition: a jack-of-all-trades team is flexible but slow; hyper-specialized experts are efficient but can leave gaps. The constant promotion notifications, while a bit interruptive (as noted by PC Games Germany), provide a steady stream of micro-rewards.

4. Guest Experience & The Business Loop: Guests enter, pay an entrance fee (automatically set based on aquarium quality), and wander. Their needs are simple: Food, Drink, Toilets (which require periodic cleaning), Rest (benches), and Souvenirs. Fulfilling these generates Prestige Points (the primary metric for ranking up and unlocking new content tiers). Watching exhibits, buying items, and using facilities all generate Prestige. The player must strategically place amenities to maximize guest satisfaction and movement flow, avoiding bottlenecks and unsightly views of equipment. The gift shop is the final profit booster, directing guests at exit. Economically, the game is forgiving, especially on Normal difficulty, where cash flow is rarely a panic-inducing crisis. This design choice prioritizes creative building over financial brinkmanship.

5. Research & Progression Curves: Two separate research currencies are earned passively as guests enjoy exhibits:
* Ecology Points: Unlock new fish/animal species.
* Science Points: Unlock new equipment and tank types.
Ranking up (via Prestige) unlocks higher-tier fish and equipment. This creates a satisfying, multi-layered progression: you build a tank to house a new fish, which gives Ecology points to unlock more fish; you improve amenities to get more Prestige to rank up; you buy better equipment with Science points to support more demanding fish. The campaign masterfully tutorials this entire loop.

6. Modes & Accessibility: The campaign is a brilliant graduated tutorial, each level a focused lesson. The Sandbox Mode is where the game truly sings, allowing full customization of starting rank, fish availability, and finances. The random challenge generator adds longevity. A universally praised feature is the seamless zoom. Zooming all the way down from the top-down manager view switches to a first-person “guest” perspective, letting players walk through their creation and admire it from the waterline—a moment of pure, earned joy.

World-Building, Art & Sound: The Aquarium Aesthetic

Megaquarium‘s world is a charming, contemporary, cartoonified version of real-world aquariums. The visual style is 2D isometric, using simple, bright sprites and clean lines. It’s not a graphical powerhouse—some critics (PLAY! Zine, PC Games Germany) found it “overly simplistic” or unable to capture the beauty of real underwater worlds. However, this aesthetic is a conscious strength. The clarity it provides is paramount: fish are easily distinguishable, tank states (cloudy, clean) are readable, and the entire layout is scannable. The limitation in asset variety (a common critique) is mitigated by a flexible painting system (enhanced by the Architect’s Collection DLC) and the creative potential of tank shapes and pathways. The “cartoon look” grows on the player, becoming a functional part of the game’s relaxed identity.

The sound design is a standout triumph. The soundtrack is a collection of chill, lo-fi electronic tracks that perfectly underscore the game’s meditative pace. More importantly, the sound effects are profoundly satisfying. The glug-glug of a filter, the hiss of a heating rod, the clink of coins from the gift shop, the splash of a feeding bin—all are crisp, weighty, and provide constant positive auditory feedback. As Gold-Plated Games noted, these sounds are “amazingly gratifying,” turning mundane maintenance into a pleasurable sensory experience. The world feels alive and responsive.

The atmosphere is one of peaceful industry. There’s no chaos, no rushing. The slow, deliberate pace of fish growth (some take 60+ in-game days), the gentle hum of equipment, and the ambient murmur of virtual guests create a uniquely relaxing yet engaging “flow state.” It captures the real-world appeal of aquariums: a controlled slice of nature where you can observe ecosystems without the mess or unpredictability of the wild.

Reception & Legacy: A Cult Success with Staying Power

Megaquarium‘s reception tells a story of a niche game finding its audience.

Critical Reception: Scores were generally positive but mixed, ranging from 70% (Indie Game Website, PC Games Germany, Hooked Gamers) to a high of 90% (PC PowerPlay Australia) and 86% (PC Gamer). The Metacritic aggregates reflect this: PC 69, Switch 70, PS4 78. The criticism focused on a few key areas: the perceived “shallow” graphics, an occasionally obtuse UI (especially regarding water quality mechanics and connecting pumps), a limited asset pool leading to visual repetition, and the repetitive nature of staff level-up notifications. PC PowerPlay Australia summed it up well: “some of its systems are a little obtuse but that never got in the way of me properly losing myself in Megaquarium‘s little world.” The praise consistently centered on its perfect balance of depth and accessibility, its charming presentation, and its unparalleled ability to make fish care engaging.

Player Reception: This is where the game truly shines. On Steam, it holds a “Overwhelmingly Positive” rating (95/100 from over 3,500 reviews at the time of writing). The disparity between some critic scores and the near-universal player praise is telling. Players who sought out a specific, fish-focused tycoon game found exactly what they wanted: a deep, relaxing, and endlessly replayable experience. User reviews frequently mention putting in “100+ hours” and being captivated by the campaign. The Switch port received a specific user backlash (a 0/10 review citing a broken tutorial objective), highlighting the risks of console ports for complex management games without touch-interface optimizations.

Legacy and Influence: Megaquarium has not fundamentally reshaped the tycoon genre in the way RollerCoaster Tycoon did. Instead, it has carved out and perfected a specific sub-niche. It demonstrated that a simulation could be built around the biological needs of animals first, with guest management serving as the economic engine, rather than the reverse. Its success likely validated the market for more specialized life-sim management games. It is frequently listed alongside Two Point Hospital and Planet Zoo in “best management sim” roundups (like Rock Paper Shotgun‘s 2022 list), not because it’s bigger or prettier, but because it is peerless in its focus.

The DLC strategy has been crucial to its longevity. Freshwater Frenzy (2020) wasn’t just an add-on; it fundamentally altered gameplay by introducing new tank types (bogs, ponds), acidity management, and breeding mechanics, effectively doubling the game’s thematic and mechanical scope. Architect’s Collection (2021) addressed the asset limitation critique by adding bridges, tunnels, and paintable objects. Deep Freeze (2023) pushed the boundaries of environmental simulation with abyssal and polar biomes. This ongoing, substantial support from a small studio is a mark of a healthy, living game and a committed developer. The announced Invertebrilliant Collection suggests the ambition to fully simulate the entire aquarium ecosystem, from corals to clams.

Its legacy is that of a cult classic and a benchmark. For players who love aquariums, it’s the definitive digital experience. For design students, it’s a masterclass in information hierarchy and player-onboarding. It proved that a game could be both incredibly complex in its underlying math and remarkably calming in its presentation—a “breezy, upbeat management game that nonetheless gives you lots to play with,” as Rock Paper Shotgun perfectly phrased it.

Conclusion: The Curator’s Verdict

Megaquarium is not the most visually stunning or broadly ambitious simulation ever made. Its world is a cartoon, its assets can repeat, and some of its deeper systems remain stubbornly buried in tooltips. Yet, to dismiss it for these reasons is to miss the point entirely. Its greatness lies in its singular focus and empathetic design. It understands that the joy of a tycoon game comes not from endless optimization but from the tangible results of your care—the sight of a perfectly balanced tank, the growth of a rare species, the happy murmur of guests as they pass by your creation.

It succeeds by making the player feel like a curator and a biologist, not just a CEO. The act of researching a fish’s needs, building a custom habitat to meet them, troubleshooting when something goes wrong, and finally seeing that fish thrive is a uniquely satisfying gameplay loop. It turns abstract stats (“Water Quality: 85%”) into a visceral responsibility.

In the grand timeline of video game history, Megaquarium will not be remembered as a paradigm-shifting blockbuster. Instead, it will be remembered as a perfectly realized niche title—a game that knew exactly what it wanted to be and executed that vision with remarkable clarity and charm. It is a testament to the enduring appeal of systemic simulation and a love letter to a specific, fascinating hobby. For anyone who has ever stared in wonder at a massive aquarium tank, this game offers the next best thing: the power to build that wonder yourself, one carefully selected fish, one strategically placed pump, one delighted guest at a time. It is, in the truest sense, a fin-tastic achievement.