Megaquarium

Megaquarium is an fantastic tycoon title with a surprising amount of depth. With far more fish, crabs, sponges, and spiny blowfish than I could have expected, it goes further than the usual “set it and forget it” model that most tycoon titles use. The team continues to hammer away at improvements, so here’s hoping that they can iron out the last few UI and tasking issues to make this one truly great.

As a tycoon game, Megaquarium strikes a very nice balance between having too much complexity vs. not having enough depth to remain entertaining. While micromanagement is not required, you do still have a lot of decision making to do. Fortunately, no in-depth knowledge of fish is required.

Megaquarium is everything you expect from a building sim the added bonus of camera movement that enhances your entire experience.

Satisfying the OCD urges will only get you so far. A bigger tank is just that - a bigger tank. It’ll fit more fish and more decorations, but I can guarantee your visitors won’t be the only ones that will get bored with those. And that is what this game is all about, filling tanks. Still, there’s fun to be had here. Do fish swimming in pretty environments get your adrenaline pumping like a filter in a million gallon fish tank? Then Megaquarium is destined to be your fix for a few rainy autumn weekends.

Interesting twist on a theme park management tycoon, with really good gameplay basics, but it lacks uniqueness and overall polish, especially in graphics department.

Altogether, Twice Circled has crafted a decent tycoon game that is fun and relaxing, if not a little unimaginative. It won’t thrill or challenge you like Planet Coaster but you’ll find yourself mesmerized by the simple joy of it. It feels like owning a hobby tank of fish…and people. It’s not a bad combination. If you enjoy tycoon games it’s worth picking up. Sit back, relax, and try not to think about eating seafood.

While Megaquarium is fun and challenging at times, it tends to become a little repetitive after a while. A few more different challenges would help, while at other points it would have been nice to see an overview panel to make it easier to organise things. The gameplay can easily get messy, which is a shame considering the idea and the colourful setup. Nevertheless, the game is enjoyable and relaxing, and a player may well find themselves playing for hours.

There are plenty of fish, yes, but there are also too many menus, along with repetitive music and odd sound effects. Twice Circled has some upward swimming to do to reach the surface of the title’s potential.