The Wii does not need screensavers...but still okay title
Maintaining an aquarium here is exactly how one does it in real life. Basically, you have an empty aquarium that can be decorated with different rocks, plants, and other typical items normally seen in an aquarium. There can be six aquariums going on at the same time. It presents you with a variety of ways to make it look how you want it, down to the type of sunlight and even the color of the water. Once that is set up, the fish are added. There are 40 types of fish that can eventually be chosen, but many of them have to be unlocked first. That can be accomplished by consistently checking on the fish and feeding them everyday. I suppose that is the closest thing to “gameplay” there is in My Aquarium.
The fact that there is no actual goal is somewhat of a let down. Something that might have been cool is starting out with baby fish and watching them grow depending on how you take care of them. But Hudson seems content on releasing a screensaver instead. Also, it is strange because in real life beta fish don’t get along with other fish and tend to try to fight them. I know because I have had to take care of beta fish in the past. But in My Aquarium, apparently beta fish are willing to chill with any type of fish.
My Aquarium looks pretty good for a WiiWare title. I wasn’t expecting to be blown away by the realism of the aquarium or the fish because after all, this is still for WiiWare. There really is nothing wrong with the way the fish move. The plants sway back and forth as they should inside an aquarium. The quality of what the food looks like as it drops down the water when the fish are fed probably could have been improved slightly. The food just looks kind of cheap looking for some reason. Also, the fish don’t seem to eat the food either. They just swim close to it, giving the impression that they are eating. But I’ve never seen the fish take a bite out of the powder or earthworms. That is a minor quibble though and I am most likely thinking about their lack of eating motion too hard.
The music is where this title really shines. There are 35 classical songs to choose from. When doing homework or just surfing the internet, it is easy to turn My Aquarium on and just listen to something great. That seems to be what Hudson was going for, they created something that anyone can relax to and just lay on their bed and think. I can imagine myself turning this on when it’s raining outside and I decide to take a nap. I’ll be dreaming of fish, instead of any nightmares I might have. But that is the point, to get you to be in a peaceful mindset. This is not about the realism of how the fish behave at all, but rather to take your mind into another world. In that sense, My Aquarium becomes acceptable by the slightest of margins. Personally, I recommend choosing the first song, which is Sonata No. 13. There are also some other familiar ones to pick, such as The Four Seasons and The Nutcracker.
On the one hand, it is frustrating to see titles like these exist on WiiWare. The fact that a screensaver can be one of the top sellers is frightening, to be honest. But for 500 points, it really isn’t that bad. Heck, the classical music this title comes with might be worth the 500 points in itself. This is worth a download for those that are interested, but be aware of what it truly is, an interactive screensaver for your television.
