Home aquariums are a special kind of geekdom – they involve intricate setups, specialized foods, and the delicate arrangement of species in order to maintain the serene sense of calm they impart on a room. So the jump to digital management sim is a fairly natural one, and Megaquarium is doing it on a theme park scale.
Megaquarium is a tycoon-style management game about running a public aquarium, and it’s been developed by Twice Circled, the studio responsible for the addictive puzzler-builder BigPharma. Instead of combining raw materials into prescription drugs, though, this time you’re constructing tanks, training staff, and acquiring new specimens to show off to your guests.
Naturally, as you work your way up to some of Megaquarium’s rarest species, you’ll have new factors to consider – it’s not just the up-front cost of buying a flashy new shark or sea turtle, but also the costs of the animal’s unique diet and the specialist staff you’ll need to take care of it.
Meanwhile, you’ll need to balance that against plans for expansions, and consider whether you’ve got enough money on hand to deal with any emergencies that crop up.
Megaquarium has a chunky, bright art style, which you can see in action in this trailer.
You can find out more about Megaquarium over at its Steam page. Twice Circled says the game will launch September 13. Just don’t tap on the glass, okay? They hate that.