/pic5477505.jpg)
Game Info
Year
2020
Collection
Mechanic profile
Not enough video data yet
Vibe profile
Not enough video data yet
Description
There's turmoil at the reef, with different sea animals forming swarms again and again.
Each turn in Aqualin, the active player selects one of six stones and places it on an empty field. One player is trying to make groups of the same color, while the other is forming groups of identical sea creatures, with players having the ability to move a stone before placing a new one to form new swarms. The larger the group, the more points it's worth, and whoever scores the most points wins!
Featured Videos
Ask a Rules Question
All mentions
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 8
This page: 8
Sentiment:
pos 7 ·
mix 0 ·
neu 0 ·
neg 0
Showing 1–8 of 8
Video Xf5f2ELPN8s
kovray Playthrough
video_pk 68802 · mention_pk 165093
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
none
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
Mechanics unknown.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
No quotes stored for this video.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video bgUnxj9tW9g
Rules Teach at 2:46 sentiment: positive
video_pk 67416 · mention_pk 163539
Click to watch at 2:46 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Enjoyed the adjacency puzzles and requirements.
- The adjacency requirements make players think several turns ahead.
- The iconography is mostly nice and simple.
- Liked the action selection mechanic.
- Liked the pearl resource that boosts actions.
- The incentive to go adjacent, but sometimes not wanting to, creates interesting decisions.
- The game fills the game with interesting decisions.
- Played it more than expected due to wanting to explore strategies.
- Thematic connection to fish tanks is appreciated.
- The vintage look of the game is appealing.
Cons
- The wording of some rules was a little odd.
- Some rules had frontloading of information.
- Unsure about the power of handing in three cards of the same color for an action.
- The numbers on the pet shop track may have no meaning or were perhaps development remnants.
- Struggled for oxygen at times.
- Some fish require a lot of food.
Thematic elements
- Aquarium management and fish keeping
- 1950s family style with an aquarium
Comparison games
- Sunscape
- Poncape
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- action selection — Players choose actions by moving dice to different action circles, with dice staying on the board for the rest of the game.
- Adjacency bonuses — Playing cards next to certain other cards grants bonuses or discounts.
- dice placement — Dice are used to select actions, and their placement dictates bonuses and the progression of turns.
- End-game scoring — Various elements like lionfish cards, schools of fish, and proximity to aquatic plants contribute to end-game points.
- engine building — Players build up their aquariums by playing cards that provide ongoing benefits, such as oxygen generation or income.
- Push Your Luck — Players might need to manage oxygen levels carefully, as running out can lead to negative points.
- Resource management — Players manage resources like oxygen, pearls, and food cans to play cards and take actions.
- set collection — Collecting sets of cards (e.g., three of the same color) is required for some actions.
- tableau building — Players build an aquarium by placing cards, which are themed as fish and plants.
- Track advancement — Players advance markers on tracks like the encyclopedia track and the pet shop track to gain bonuses or points.
- Variable player powers — Players start with different tiles which provide initial resources and setup.
- worker placement — The core action selection involves placing dice on action circles on the main board.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I think I enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
- There's I always like adjacency puzzles. Like that is a game type that I enjoy.
- The iconography is mostly nice and simple.
- It pushes you to go down the paths other people don't, which I like.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video tkzyD-z8kpQ
Meeple University Review at 0:21 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64850 · mention_pk 158427
Click to watch at 0:21 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Very interactive
- Simple rules
- Good starting point for casual gamers
- Tactile components
- Quick playtime
Cons
- A bit too random at times
- Scoring system can be difficult to track without external aids
Thematic elements
Comparison games
- Azul
- King Me
- Checkers
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — You get an increasing number of points for how many there are so a group of two is worth one point group of three is worth three points group of four is worth six ten fifteen.
- grid movement — It's a quick little design two player grid movement game.
- hand management — On each turn you first get to move one tile in a straight line... and then you have to take one of the six tiles that is placed here and put it somewhere on the board.
- set collection — Each player plays colors and one player plays animals and you're trying to create clusters... one player who's trying to like get all the purples clustered together and get all the reds clustered together and then there'll be another player who'll be trying to get all the turtles together or all the seahorses together.
- tile placement — So we'll be filling them up into this 6x6 grid so eventually the grid will be filled.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's really tight that you very highly interactive that you have to keep your eyes on your opponent not only on what you're gonna place but how to block that certain tile to move so that your opponent can't move it.
- The rules is really simple but then the depth of that strategy it's it's more like chess like that sort of not exactly chess but that chess style two players a lot of strategy and moving around.
- It's a little bit too random.
- The rules are so simple um people can just jump in as well for newbies as well um casual gamers people just get into board games it's a good starting point.
- And obviously the tactile elements of it yes the tactile part.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video VMXk1TURce4
kovray Top List at 21:24 sentiment: positive
video_pk 64824 · mention_pk 158378
Click to watch at 21:24 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Great two-player game.
- Easy to learn and teach.
- Simple core mechanic (move one tile, place one tile).
- Has very 'grindy' plays.
- Can be played frequently due to short playtime.
- Players grow and learn to get in their opponent's heads.
- Creates a crunchy feel.
Cons
- Two-player only.
Thematic elements
- Two players competing on a grid, one collecting colors, the other fish.
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- abstract strategy — A two-player game focused on grid manipulation and scoring.
- Pattern Building — Players group their assigned tokens (colors or fish) together while keeping opponent's tokens apart.
- tile placement — Players place tiles on a grid.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- We played over 120 different games, geez.
- It's an absolute presence on the table, holy moly, talk about taking up space.
- The deck is so big that it has that Terraforming Mars feel where the combinations are always really different.
- It really focuses on the conservation piece, environmentalism piece, and it really makes you not feel so bad for owning a zoo.
- This is your favorite game and you can't even say it right.
- This is your engine buildy dice manipulation worker placement game or a set collection game that was the other thing I was looking for.
- I feel like I fall in love again and again.
- It's just a lot and it's everything.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video u3loiQFYU2Y
kovray Rules Teach at 8:08 sentiment: positive
video_pk 63833 · mention_pk 157343
Click to watch at 8:08 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
none
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Sea life with corals, fish, sea turtles and current navigation
- Australas
- dice-based competition among sea creatures
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Blue dice: move along East Australian Current (EAC) — Blue dice move sea turtles along the EAC; positions affect scoring and food cube collection.
- Competition phase scoring — The round includes scoring for corals, fish schools, and sea turtles, with tie-breakers via turtle positions.
- Competition tiles (gold/silver) — Winners choose gold (pure points) or silver tiles (end-of-game points and a gray cube).
- Compound Scoring — The round includes scoring for corals, fish schools, and sea turtles, with tie-breakers via turtle positions.
- Dice competition and elimination — After rolling, players with the lowest numbers discard dice; repeats until a winner and runner-up are declared.
- dice drafting — Players draft dice from the board and place a die on their Cabo board to perform actions; drafting continues until each player has four dice.
- dice drafting and action selection — Players draft dice from the board and place a die on their Cabo board to perform actions; drafting continues until each player has four dice.
- dice placement — Purple dice cause coral placement on reefs; majorities determine points in the reef scoring phase.
- Final scoring — Scores are tallied after five rounds based on coral tokens, fish, and turtle positions, with special first-player bonus.
- Gold/Silver/Bronze Scoring — Winners choose gold (pure points) or silver tiles (end-of-game points and a gray cube).
- Purple dice: coral placement and reef majority scoring — Purple dice cause coral placement on reefs; majorities determine points in the reef scoring phase.
- Red dice: first player token and high-value faces for dice competition — Red dice give the first player token for the next round and have high values used in the dice competition.
- White dice: points and advantage cards — White dice grant points and provide optional advantage cards when drafted; choosing to add them to your board or use immediately.
- Yellow dice: fish supply and scoring via feeding — Drafting yellow dice yields fish tokens to feed; scoring depends on how many fish you can feed.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Ashalis, the dice tournament with turtles. So much fun.
- In Australas, your aim is to score the most points throughout the five rounds you'll play.
- If you could be an underwater creature, who would you be?
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video bkxY39O-VXQ
kovray Top List at 38:43 sentiment: positive
video_pk 60321 · mention_pk 152750
Click to watch at 38:43 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- very clever, clean design with accessible yet deep decision space
- clicky clacky tile interaction is a satisfying tactile element
Cons
- availability may vary; some versions are harder to find
Thematic elements
- aquatic life and strategic tiling
- underwater world with a triadic color/animal puzzle
- clever, elegant abstract with accessible puzzle
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection — collect groups of colors/animals to score points
- tile drafting — players draft tiles and place them to influence the board and scoring
- tile placement — you arrange tiles to create groups and influence scoring thresholds
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- top 10 two-player games of all time
- the top 10 were very difficult because I think there's a lot of factors that I had to consider
- the production quality really matters when a game feels like Parks-level polish
- the core of this game is adapting
- it's a cozy fun game you can play with somebody else
- we can open this game and play it immediately maybe not having played it in a while
- the clicky clacky of the tile H yeah good
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5EERv0BLvZY
Before You Play Playthrough at 0:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 11547 · mention_pk 33950
Click to watch at 0:00 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Elegant and simple mechanic core that is surprisingly deep for a short two-player abstract.
- Clear dual scoring that creates constant offense/defense decisions throughout the game.
- Drafting plus placement with a single mechanism for movement keeps tension high while remaining accessible.
- Compact footprint and quick playtime (~20 minutes) makes it great for a quick teach and repeat plays.
- Beautiful tile art and overall component quality make the game visually appealing.
Cons
- No default storage bag included in retail; you may need to source or improvise a bag to manage tiles.
- Animal color recognition can be challenging for players focusing on the animal side, depending on lighting and tile design.
- As an abstract game, it may not appeal to players who want more thematic or narrative depth.
Thematic elements
- Color versus animal species collection duel in an abstract, oceanic setting.
- Underwater reef where two players draft and place tiles to form contiguous color or species groups on a fixed board.
- Abstract
Comparison games
- Target
- Kahuna
- Duel
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- asymmetric scoring — Each player inherently competes for a different attribute (colors for one player, species for the other), creating a dual scoring objective.
- complete reef fill and scoring — The game ends when the reef is fully filled with tiles; final scores are calculated based on the size of contiguous regions for each attribute.
- Compound Scoring — Each player inherently competes for a different attribute (colors for one player, species for the other), creating a dual scoring objective.
- end-of-game scoring via contiguous regions — The color player scores contiguous color groups; the animal player scores contiguous animal groups. Regions must be orthogonally connected; maximum of six tiles of a given type yield the highest points.
- tile drafting — Players select tiles from a drafting pool of 36 unique tiles (six colors by six animal species) each turn.
- tile manipulation before placement — Before the next tile is placed, a player may move a tile along a straight line in the same row or column, up to the edge or until blocked by another tile.
- tile placement — Chosen tiles are placed on a central reef board; when tiles are placed, the draft pool is refilled from the bag.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- for such a cute simple game this is quite stressful
- this is a very fast game and space is very limited
- elegance and simplicity
- we've played it wrong the first time... but we liked it a whole lot better with the real rules
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 5Kry7ELGvsw
Before You Play Top List at 34:52 sentiment: positive
video_pk 3112 · mention_pk 9072
Click to watch at 34:52 · YouTube ↗
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- tight two-player abstract with great tension
- fast setup and play
Cons
- availability may be limited (out of print)
Thematic elements
- grouping and matching colors or species
- underwater world with colors vs. species
- abstract strategy with tile sliding
Comparison games
- Castles of Burgundy (dice/tiles feel)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- grouping and scoring — larger groups score more, with objective to arrange tiles in favorable patterns
- tile placement and sliding — place tiles with color/species and slide a tile before placing to disrupt opponents
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's basically discussing our top 10 games that were new to us in 2022
- this is like a podcast today
- Weather Machine ... would have made this list if it came out this year
- it's a pure Euro for sure through and through
- hirelings ... game changer for the two-player Root
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–8 of 8