Overview
Did you finish playing Aquaria, and wish there was more like it?Try some of these fan-made Aquaria mods which let you explore new maps!
Prerequisites and installation
Some of these mods require the “OpenSourceEdition” update pack created by False.Genesis, which is an unofficial patch for Aquaria that fixes engine bugs, adds features, and improves modding support.
The updatepack also adds an in-game mod downloader which knows about all these mods, so even for the ones that don’t technically need the updatepack to work, it is still recommended!
- Download the updatepack from here[www.bit-blot.com].
- Windows/Linux:
- Copy your Aquaria game folder to somwhere outside of Steam’s directory.
- Unzip the updatepack into the copied game folder, replacing existing files.
Mac:
- Open the dmg, start the updater app, follow the on-screen instructions.
- Then execute the Aquaria.exe in that folder to start Aquaria.
Then select the “Installed mods” tab, and click the adventure you want to play, and it will start.
1. Labyrinth Mod
This mod adds a whole new game world to explore. It is smaller in scope than the world of the main game, and the central map is a large labyrinth, but other than that it plays similarly. You play as Naija and start with nothing again, and need to explore the world in order to find some of the familiar songs and forms (Bind Song, Beast Form, etc.) to be able to open song plants, solve puzzles, beat bosses, find treasures, and advance the story – just like you’re used to.
Recommended for everyone who liked the original game!
2. Sequel Mod (only chapter 1 for now)
Because Aquaria’s developers split up and will never create a sequel to the game, a team of dedicated fans set out to create a sequel themselves. Working on it slowly but steadily ever since 2011, they published the first chapter in 2015 and continue to work on the remaining chapters.
Even though it is implemented as a mod, it adds several innovations and twists to the gameplay, like any true sequel should – for example:
- New weapons/forms.
- Playing as other people than Naija some of the time.
- Walking on dry land. (Yes, walking, not just frog-jumping.)
- Revamped inventory system.
- Difficulty levels.
The setting has evolved, too: Some of the civilizations (like the Krotites and Erulians) have recovered, so the world of Aquaria is no longer as lonely as in the base game where Naija virtually never encountered other sentient beings!
It’s done quite well, although between the interesting parts you have to go through segments with nothing but swimming and dodging and searching, which are a little too long for my taste, especially the parts where you swim in the dark. Chances are the next chapters will pick up the pace though!
The new environment graphics that were added are beautiful, and the only boss fight so far is pretty cool.
Recommended for everyone who liked the original game!
Note: Be sure to give feedback to the authors on the #bitblot IRC channel on EsperNet (web chat link[webchat.esper.net]) so that they know what to improve for the subsequent chapters!
3. Aquaria: Sacrifice
This is meant as a prequel to Aquaria. You play a Mithalan princess called Elena, at a time before the fall of the Mithalans, the last underwater civilization. The story explains what happened to them, and how young Naija ended up all alone and without her memories at the start of the original game.
What is interesting is that it adds some RPG elements:
- NPC dialogs
- quests
- money and stores
Other than that, it plays pretty much like the original game. (And also uses mostly graphics from the original game, though the maps have been re-imagined.)
Recommended for all who liked the original game, and aren’t put off by fanfiction dialog that can get a little cheesy at times… 😛
4. Meatymod
This mod plays completely differently from the main game. The author basically used the Aquaria engine to create a clone of the famous indie platformer Super Meat Boy. It consists of a series of levels of increasing difficulty, where you need to jump over gears (which with shred and kill you on contact) or other obstacles, in order to reach the end of the level and advance to the next. If you die, you respawn at the start of the current level and need to try again.
Beware that this mod is difficult. Like, really really difficult. It requires you to have fast reflexes, good eyesight, and become an expert at wall-jumping with Naija. You will die a lot. Most people should be able to beat the first few levels after a few tries, but I doubt that anyone except for the mod author himself can beat all the levels…
Try it and see how far you get, then come back to brag! 🙂
5. Big Energy-Form Battle
Ever felt like going really crazy with Naija’s energy form? Now you can. This mod puts you in a small area filled to the brim with the nastiest types of creatures from the main game. The goal is to make your way through the area and blast every last one of them to death without getting killed yourself – with nothing but healing plants along the way to restore your health.
In addition, the mod also times you so that you can practice beating the map as fast as possible.
Somewhat difficult, but not nearly as difficult as Meatymod… 😛
Recommended for everyone who liked the action-heavy parts of Aquaria.
6. Beauty of Aquaria
This mod puts you in a single large map where you can swim around as Naija, with nothing but pretty environments to look at and peaceful sea creatures to play with (all using sprites from the original game), and nothing can hurt you. There is no combat, no puzzles, no story, no goals. Just swim/jump around, and chill.
Recommended for all who need to relax after a stressful day… 🙂
7. Feral Beast (preview only)
A mod that is all about Naija’s “Beast Form” – the one that lets you jump really far, swim up currents, and swallow other creatures.
It’s a cool concept, but only chapter 1 has been released, and in the current state it feels more like a preview than an actual adventure because the beginning of the story-line is merely hinted at, and there isn’t that much to explore yet. What is there is nice though. While it uses mostly sprites from the base game, some new environment graphics were added.
Sadly, the authors haven’t been active in years, making it unlikely that it will ever be finished… 🙁
Nonetheless, if you are looking for some more content to satiate your Aquaria addiction, or you simply feel like virtually gulping up a bunch of fish and sea monsters, give it a go!