Let’s Build an Aquarium!

So, you think you can create a thriving aquarium? Prove it! You’ll need plenty of fish, and food to feed them, perfect oxygen levels, a clean filter, and much more! Let’s have a little competition and see who can really turn an empty tank into an amazing aquarium!

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What Is It?

🥅The Goal of the game is score the most points
⚙️Variable Set-Up – The action board is set up differently each game and players start with different supplies depending on their starting tile
⚙️Worker Placement – Players will move their die each round to the action space they want to use. They can also get bonuses for moving adjacent to their previous action spot
⚙️Track Movement – Players can move up the encyclopedia and pet shop tracks for rewards. There is also a race to get to the end of the encyclopedia track as the earlier players get there, the more points they will earn
⚙️Tableau Building – Players will play various cards to their 4×3 board. Some have instant bonuses like turning their microflora dials, some give players income, some will need food to score points each round, and certain cards will score at game end in various ways depending on their type. Players will also score for completely filled rows and columns

Who Is It For?

👥1 to 4 Players – Solo has a bit too much upkeep for me. Multiplayer is fine at any count, but I think I prefer 2 players just for the game length
👥Ages 13 & Up / Mid-Weight Game Fans – Everything works pretty well together, which makes for smooth gameplay, but there are a lot of moving parts – lots of actions to choose from, paths to take – so it could be a lot for younger or less experienced players
👥Fans of mid-weight Euro games
👥Players who like having a lot of choices every turn

PROS

🟢Aesthetics – Looks great on the table
🟢Components – Good quality all around
🟢Smooth turns
🟢Rules are well-written overall
🟢Love the variable set-up with the actions
🟢The dial system felt unique
🟢I like that players don’t block action spots

CONS

🔴Can sometimes feel a bit long for what you’re doing
🔴Pet Shop Track did not feel super worthwhile because it seemed more valuable to try and play cards to your board
🔴Multiple ways you can lose points, which is never my favorite
🔴There was 1 rule confusion, about moving your token off the encyclopedia track when you reach the end, I just thought it was worded a bit weird

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Final Thoughts

Overall, I thought everything worked really well together. There’s a lot of balancing of your resources to avoid losing points, which can really influence what actions you take, and in what order. I like that because it adds to the decision of which actions you want, and whether it’s worth it to always move adjacent, because some of those bonuses can really make a big difference!

I did think the game was a little too long at times (though with more players most players seem to get a bit quicker). It also felt like it had one too many things going on. For me, it was the pet shop track; I think in future plays I might not move on it at all, because it just didn’t feel that useful. But, overall, I like most of the pieces of the game, and if you like mid-weight Euro games, you might too!

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Additional Information:
My Final Rating – 7/10

Designer – Tomáš Holek
Artists – Anežka Bělohoubková,
Roman Kucharski, Milan Vavroň
Publishers – Delicious Games, Capstone Games
MSRP – $69.95
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