Game:

Columns (1989)

Duration: 18:47

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26

Aquarium is an obscure Arcade falling-object puzzle game that, by most accounts, was not an impressive display of what a mid 90s arcade cabinet could do, but it adds a few twists to fundamental mechanics that make it an addictive game nonetheless. Released in 1996 by Excellent System(s) who also made the bizarre (but intriguing) "Grand Cross Pinball" two years prior, The game puts you in the role of one of several creatures of the sea as they battle for submerged supremacy and bonafide bragging rights. There isn't really a plot of any kind and the game features two simple modes: Single and Versus play.

If you've played Puyo Puyo, Columns, or virtually any drop puzzler known to man, then you know the basic premise -- match three or more of the same object (in this case, fish) together to remove them from play and organize your drops to create chains which will create junk you can use to attack your opponent. If your field gets filled up, you lose the game. The thing that makes this game stand out is the options at your disposal to combat your opponent and "bubbles" which cover your blocks and get sent your way as junk. Many of your drops come encased in bubbles which prevents you from setting up chains outright, and they need to be freed by eliminating adjacent un-trapped objects. While this sounds tedious, the game compensates with a robust skill system utilizing gems and a big counter game.

As you play, you will come across pink gems which you can collect by freeing them from bubbles and you can stock up to four at a time. Every selectable fish has four skills based on how many gems you have which have a variety of uses from attacking your enemy with junk, clearing your field, hiding the playfield, speeding up or slowing down drops, and more. The other aspect of the game that helps make things interesting is that junk does not last forever; they are also bubbles and will eventually dissolve over time. This means that, with a little timing and luck, you can use this to your advantage to create huge chains and counter your opponent. Of course, you can also remove junk the old-fashioned way by eliminating objects adjacent to it.

By Arcade standards, the game doesn't look or sound particularly impressive and would've better served as a home console title than an Arcade game. The sound is probably more offensive than the visuals as there is a lack of diversity in the soundtrack and the music is bizarre in and of itself. In a bit of a surprising twist, the game is also considerably easier than your average Arcade title... while the game does introduce more fish varieties to make chains harder and increased A.I. as you progress, it scales slowly in difficulty and doesn't put up much of a fight until the last few opponents. While this definitely eases you into the game, I couldn't imagine this cabinet generating much money. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it for what it's worth.

This is a video of the game in action showing the tutorial and some gameplay. Enjoy.

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