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#Aqua Aqua is the sequel to the moist-maker Wetrix – Destructoid

Aqua Aqua is the sequel to the moist-maker Wetrix – Destructoid

Oh no, you’ll be able to’t skip the tutorial

Wetrix was an simply neglected little puzzler. Launched in 1998 for the N64 earlier than getting ported to PC and Dreamcast, it was unconventional, to say the least. Whereas the title might be purported to remind you of Tetris, there’s much more to it than attempting to wipe out a wall of tetrominoes. The aim is to wall up areas to carry water, and doing job rewards you with geese. I believe we are able to all agree that geese are a reasonably nice reward. They’re like chill geese that gained’t drag your little one away.

If Wetrix was simply neglected, its 2000 sequel blended in with the carpeting. Regardless of having fun with the unique and understanding the existence of a follow-up, I solely not too long ago acquired round to attempting it. That’s as a result of it’s not named Wetrix 2 in North America. It’s Aqua Aqua.

Aqua Aqua Rainbow
Screenshot by Destructoid

Uppers, downers, lefters, righters

To be clear, it’s solely Aqua Aqua in North America. In Europe, it was Aqua Aqua: Wetrix 2.0, which will get the purpose loads clearer. Alternatively, Japan had the stylized Aquaqua, which is barely extra enjoyable to say. “A-kwa-kwa.”

The field artwork was additionally terrible in North America. If the title wasn’t unrecognizable sufficient, the duvet appears to be like prefer it belongs on the backside of a cut price bin. The sport, then again, doesn’t belong there. I imply, so long as you want Wetrix, it doesn’t. And you must.

I outlined the fundamentals above, and that largely stays correct. In reality, I’m scouring my mind for any main variations between Wetrix and Aqua Aqua, and I’m developing with bupkiss. You make ponds. Apart from this time, your reward varies relying on the board you’re taking part in on. Typically it’s dinosaurs, and dinosaurs are practically as superior as geese.

You’re given a sq. of land to construct on, and also you create your swimming pools by setting varied block shapes on it that fall from the sky. These “uppers” aren’t the one issues that drop on you, nonetheless. There are additionally “downers,” bombs, fireplace, water, and ice. You need to handle all these varied terrain movers to create the largest, deepest swimming pools in your dinosaurs.

Aqua Aqua Shields Up
Screenshot by Destructoid

Rainbow!

Really, saying “greatest, deepest,” swimming pools is likely to be a bit inaccurate. Scoring is a little bit of a thriller in Aqua Aqua, even after taking part in the tutorial. Primarily, factors are scored for many actions you are taking, whether or not it’s fixing a gap within the panorama or dropping sufficient uppers. To get increased scores, it’s good to construct your multiplier, and there’s a slew of how to do that.

One of the apparent is just by having extra lakes. Whereas having one massive physique of water has its benefits, extra lakes will improve your multiplier. Having a certain quantity of depth in certainly one of these lakes may even appeal to the aforementioned “lake mates” like dinosaurs. They’re multipliers too. When you have sufficient water in your board, a rainbow will stretch throughout; that’s one other multiplier. Lastly, clearing water by dropping fireplace on it would land you with an merchandise in your bingo board. Finishing traces will do varied issues like… improve you multiplier.

Aqua Aqua is extra of an artwork than a science. It’s laborious to be actual with it, however the primary consider deciding your success just isn’t spilling lots of water. As you spill water, a gauge fills, and when it’s at most, the spherical is over. The gauge additionally depletes, so shedding a little bit of liquid isn’t the top of the world.

Aqua Aqua Early Stage
Screenshot by Destructoid

Geese and Dinosaurs

One of many principal new additions to Aqua Aqua is a narrative mode. Effectively, “Story” is slightly beneficiant, nevertheless it provides you a sequence of ranges to play via. 4 to be actual, which isn’t loads and gained’t take you very lengthy offered the fundamentals of methods to play. The fundamentals are one thing you have to know going into the story mode as a result of it’s not unlocked till you play via an excruciating tutorial. Nevertheless, there may be motivation to pursue increased scores on every of the phases.

The primary wrinkle right here is twofold. First, the matches aren’t limitless. Survive for sufficient time, and it ends. Second, there are monsters who will sometimes bombard your panorama. By getting sufficient factors within the time earlier than they present up, you’ll be able to block their assaults, however even when they do hit you, it isn’t the top of the match. Often, it should simply jazz up your panorama a bit.

Watch out, nonetheless, in case your aquascaping will get a bit too undulating, you’ll set off an earthquake. Whereas these are survivable, they’re fairly devastating. You’ll must pop some downers to stop your board from changing into too bumpy. It’s a reasonably good mechanic that rounds out the talent you’ll must preserve water held in.

Aqua Aqua Countdown
Screenshot by Destructoid

One other Wetrix

Aqua Aqua, and by extension, Wetrix, isn’t my favourite puzzle sport, nevertheless it’s a pleasant deviation from block stacking and bit matching. There’s a scarcity of precision in lots of its mechanics, nevertheless it’s easy-going sufficient to make up for these. Constructing ponds isn’t precisely as enjoyable because it sounds, nevertheless it’s enjoyable, particularly when you’ve got a second participant to hitch in.

Alternatively, Aqua Aqua doesn’t actually make a lot of a case for being a sequel. There have been some new options deliberate, like the power to broaden the dimensions of your board, nevertheless it was scrapped, and nothing was actually dropped rather than it. There are these disgusting goblin issues that roam across the display screen, however they’re higher off ignored. As an alternative, it’s principally simply Wetrix once more, which is okay as a result of it’s a reasonably respectable sport. I want there have been nicer, extra feature-packed trendy ports, however Aqua Aqua was the final we’d see of the sequence.

For different retro titles you could have missed, click on proper right here!

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