Join up some friends on a couch and get ready to plunder the seas (and each other) in, Aqua Lungers, a new $12.99 Nintendo Switch and Microsoft Windows title from developer and publisher, WarpedCore Studios.
Aqua Lungers asks players to race against either each other in versus mode or against an AI monster in solo mode, to collect gold from shipwrecks and sea creatures, and return as much back as possible to their loot stash. Only so much gold can be carried at once and all of it is subject to being dropped from obstacles sent by the stage, NPCs, or other players.
Game-feel
Initially, the layers of complexity in Aqua Lungers was lost upon me, but that was before I dug deep into the campaign and before I played against some of my friends. Chief among mechanical choices allowing Aqua Lungers to surpass the sum of its parts is its old-school reliance on jumping mechanics to swim faster through the water.
Despite being a modern game developed around swimming, Aqua Lungers makes players rapid-tap the jump button to swim faster, shooting the player in any direction they are pointing. Hard to get a handle of at first, this method of movement opens up the skill-ceiling for both the player and the game design.
Dipping and dodging around bullets with a boss fire-storming you, your opponents spear promising doom at any wrong turn, jingling loose gold pieces while hightailing it away from the dynamite left behind you is some top-tier Bond-level action.
What does it promise?
- Frenetic, couch-co-op, competitive multiplayer good for short sessions in a social setting
- Aquatic Diving gameplay and aesthetics
- Standalone campaign with level challenges and boss battles
What does it deliver?
- The clear main thrust of development behind Aqua Lungers went to the versus mode, as every game mechanic comes to life when the main race to win is against friendly competition. Co-op is much less satisfying because racing against non-challenging AI isn’t fun.
- Combined together, the aesthetics and gameplay help boost each other. Existing symbiotically, the art and level design of Aqua Lungers reads itself to the players clear and beautiful.
- Solo play leaves much to be desired. The main appeal of loot racing is lacking and there are not enough boss battles or variance’s in win conditions to inspire single-player gameplay.
Conclusion
For its price point at $14.99, Aqua Lungers achieves much of what it sets out to accomplish. It is by no means perfect, without much potential for replayability or longevity–but for a good price, Aqua Lungers is good fun with some friends.
Score: 7.5/10
Check Out the Aqua Lungers Trailer:
Aqua Lungers is available for Nintendo Switch via the Nintendo eShop as well as Steam .
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Nintendo Switch Review
Recent Michigan State University grad and current Game Studies researcher who plays fantasy RPG's to escape, Smash to compete, and Stardew to chill. Also have a +1 to rage/toxicity resistance due to the many hours sunk into WoW, R6, and LoL.
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