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0 Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping is a brand-new, chill idle game in which you get to create and take care of your very own dream aquarium. Hatch and raise fish, connect with your friends, and just enjoy the calm beauty that your little aquarium can bring. Developed by Lunheim Studios and published by Future Friends Games, the game hit the shelves on Steam on June 23rd and is currently 10% off as an introductory offer until July 7th, costing just £3.86.
Don’t tap the glass!
As much as I like this game, it may actually be one that my cat enjoyed more than me. She just loves to sit in front of my screen and loudly scream at anything that dares to move. She is a sucker for those Cat TV videos with the birds in them, so this is just such a perfect game to keep her, and me, of course, entertained. Also: This game’s fishing minigame doesn’t suck! I’m really picky about those, so that’s a big plus for me. Are there any fishing minigames that you particularly hate? Let me know in the comments!
Gameplay
If you are looking for a game to unwind and just kick back with after a long day, Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping may just be the perfect little game for you! If you like fish, that is. Then again, you did click on this article, so there must at least be something about fish that interests you.
In this game, you will get your own personal aquarium that you can fill with a large variety of fish! Whether you are hatching them from eggs, trying your hand at breeding them, or you can go out on your boat and catch some yourself. As you progress and level up, you’ll unlock even more egg types, which means even rarer fish to fill your tanks with! Your main goal is to collect every single fish to fill up your FishDex. There, you will find a little blurb about each fish you’ve collected, as well as a little icon which indicates its Red List status. Make sure to keep an eye out; you might stumble upon a very rare ‘unique’ fish! They are very special, different-coloured versions of the regular fish that you can find, and they also sparkle! How cute is that?
Of course, your fish aren’t just for show, they have needs too! So, remember to feed them and keep their tanks clean, else they might get sick. We really don’t want that to happen, do we now? As you play, you will gain EXP and eventually level up, which lets you unlock even more tanks and better gear, like some fancier fish food or a nicer fishing rod. You will also get access to plenty of special decorations, like different colours of sand, lighting and backdrops!
Social Fishkeeping
Speaking of decorations: you will obviously be able to decorate your aquarium however you like! Every day, you can grab some different décor from the shop, or maybe even find some cool driftwood and seaweed while you’re out fishing. If your aquarium looks cool, other players might leave a nice reaction after they visit! Yep, you heard that right – other people can come over and check out your tanks! Of course, the game lets you visit other people’s aquariums too, either a random one or a specific one if you’ve got its ID. There’s even a special daily showcase for the coolest aquarium, so let your creativity run free!
Another one of the game’s social features is fishing. You can go out by yourself, join up with friends or even meet strangers online to reel in some fish! Just cast your line, either using bait or trying your luck without it, and wait for a fish to bite. If something starts to nibble, get ready to reel it in with a fun little minigame!
A bar shaped like a fishing rod will appear at the top of your screen. Inside it, you will see a smaller, green bar and a fish. You can move the green bar by holding down your mouse button, while the fish will wiggle around and move all over the place. Your job is to keep the fish inside the green bar until it’s caught! If the fish stays outside the green bar for too long, it will get away, though it is not a very hard minigame to beat, which is perfect for the game’s relaxed vibe.
Graphics & Audio
Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping sports a cute, simple pixel art style that just really fits into the whole vibe of the game. I love the way the UI and shop menus look. You can tell that a lot of thought went into them. Your fish aren’t just adorable; they are also pretty accurate to their real-life counterparts. The decorations for your tanks are incredibly varied, vibrant and quite creative. It’s got all the cliché aquarium décor you can imagine, and so much more!
One of the coolest features the game has to offer is probably the Tiny Mode. It shrinks your aquarium down to a teeny tiny size so it can sit in the corner of your screen while you do your other tasks! Or, in my case, the little fishies can watch me doomscroll for 4 hours after I said I will totally go to bed soon. Anyways. Another fun option is Screensaver Mode, which disables all UI and lets the game act like, well, a screensaver. Really reminds me of the good ‘ol Windows XP days.
The game’s music is super chill, serene and just perfect for unwinding. All the sound effects are very charming, like little splashy sounds when you select a fish or the reeling in noise from a fishing rod when you open your inventory. It all adds so much life to the game’s already lovely atmosphere. Unfortunately, there is no option to mute the game while it is running in the background, Tiny, or Screensaver Mode, which can be a bit annoying when you are trying to focus or watch a video.
Longevity
Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping is a very open-ended game, so the fun never stops! Even after you have collected all the regular fish, there are still plenty of things to do to keep you busy. You can go on the hunt for the rare unique fish, or even try to snag some of the special seasonal ones. Even if you aren’t much of a completionist, the game does not force you to be. After all, it is meant to be a chill experience that you can enjoy alone or with your friends.
Still, to keep things fresh, the game also offers daily and weekly quests that reward you with coins, experience, and other fun rewards. And don’t miss out on the special seasonal events! They can give you a chance to earn unique decorations and special eggs! Right now, as of writing this, there is an event called “A-lotl Axolotl” happening until July 7th, where you can get special axolotl eggs and some sweet, themed decorations!
Need a break? No worries! You can freeze your aquarium to pause the game. That way, even if you step away for a bit, your fish won’t get sick or hungry. It’s perfect for when life gets busy!
Final Thoughts
All in all, Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping is a great, calm game to unwind or relax with. Its cute art style and charming sound design create a wonderfully serene atmosphere that just fits the vibe perfectly. I loved trying to discover as many fish as I possibly could, and I really spent a good amount of time trying to get a lot of the unique fish. Needless to say, I will absolutely keep playing this game to try and complete my FishDex (and for the seasonal events, of course). If you are looking for a nice little game to chill, or you just like watching little fishies swim around all day, this may just be the game for you!
But if you’re still unsure if the game is for you, there is a Demo you can play on Steam, and even better your progress from it carries over to the full game! Imagine my reaction when I saw all of my poor fishies that had been neglected for months waiting for me…
I give Tiny Aquarium: Social Fishkeeping the Thumb Culture Gold Award!
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
If you enjoyed this review, why not check out my previous article about the idle game Nanomon Virtual Pet?
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