Aqua Corner Review (PC)

Thanks to Aqua Corner’s guppy-sized idler sandbox and all its nautical features, laying the foundations for an aquatic zen garden has never felt more rewarding. There’s something awfully therapeutic about it—the act of carefully submerging and nurturing plants and growing an aquarium that’s about as big as a thumb. It isn’t as extraordinary or as beautiful as an oceanic vessel, but it is effortlessly wholesome and palatable. The fact that it fits into a petite pocket beneath your desktop, too, makes it all the more accessible and easy to navigate. But it seems I’m already jumping into the deep end with this one, so allow me to dial it back a few ripples before we assemble the conclusion.

Aqua Corner, for those who’ve yet to add their two flakes to the sizable pond that is Steam’s nautical hub, is a simple yet elegant idler game in which players can both build and nurture their own bite-sized tanks. Located at the bottom (or wherever your heart desires it to be) of your desktop, users essentially have the option to latch onto exciting species of fish, unlock cosmetics, flora, and accessories, and nurture their unique qualities in exchange for various rewards—rarer species, better submersibles, and a surprisingly large array of underwater upgrades, for example.

The game itself works in an almost identical manner as most idler experiences, with the world itself acting on its own accord whilst simultaneously allowing players the option to alternate between tasks within the aquarium, and tasks in other areas of their PCs. In other words, regardless of how you choose to spend your time, the game weans, ripples, and evolves in a way that’s appreciative of your needs. There’s not a lot we can complain about there.

The Rippling Effect

At the inner core of Aqua Corner is an easy-to-digest, almost “middle child-like” idler that fuses the best of background simulation with minimalistic mechanical design elements. Combined, it bears the hallmark qualities of a traditional desktop back burner—a game that, although not technically impressive, much less teeming with extravagant features or revolutionary graphics, allows its users to dabble with a side project whilst simultaneously working on other tasks. The only major difference between this idler and the other hundred-plus titles on the market is the setting. Here, there are no customers to serve, nor is there an in-depth business model to enhance. Instead, what you have is a cartoon-like aquarium, a handful of fish, and a couple of nifty menus that offer extensive upgrades and other benefits for those who pledge allegiance to the graft.

For an idler game, Aqua Corner has a good selection of options, including an entertainingly wide spectrum of floral decor, aquarium colors, and unique species of tropical fish. To add, the game features a steady but often limited amount of progression-based milestones to chase, several of which allow you the opportunity to further expand your aquarium and adopt more fish. Like an actual fish-keeping simulator, then, only a lot smaller and more densely packed by comparison.

Fumbling For Flakes

The actual process of developing the aquarium isn’t the most invigorating thing in the world, I’ll admit. In fact, other than having to occasionally feed the fish and install a new accessory, there isn’t a great deal for you to actually see or do. But that isn’t a bad thing. Like its scaly kin, Aqua Corner presents a transparent composition that rewards its keepers just for sticking around to witness the events naturally unfold on their own accord. As time advances forward, perks, as well as a few small but significant improvements become available for you to enjoy and utilize in your own aquarium.

While Aqua Corner doesn’t boast the most realistic visuals in the pond, it does generate a cozy aesthetic with a whole lot of hearty textures and vibrant colors for you to marvel over as you gradually expand your collection. And the best part is, you don’t need to do much in order to enjoy these components; in fact, by simply displaying the aquarium in the corner of your screen, the most important features will automatically appear and transform without any major input. To that end, you could argue that Aqua Corner isn’t so much of a game as it is a therapeutic exercise for the senses. It’s sweet, slick, and in receipt of enough fishy friends and nautical cosmetics to keep you swimming back for another length.

Verdict

Idler fans and collect-a-thon enthusiasts are in for a real treat with Aqua Corner, not because it delivers a smooth and stress-free gameplay experience, but because it offers a cashless incentive for a hook that, if baited correctly, can leave you graciously rippling through a multitude of different biomes and aquatic environments for more hours than you could dare shake a stick at. Although there isn’t much to look at from a visual standpoint, the cartoon-like effects and sheer vibrancy of the nautical setting do make for a surprisingly appealing combination. With that, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll struggle to find enough to keep your toes wet in this shallow but satisfyingly warm feel-good aquarium.