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Description
Aquatica is a deep, but easy to learn family engine builder about underwater kingdoms.
In the game you will become one of the mighty ocean kings, struggling to bring glory to his realm. To win the game, you need to capture and buy locations, recruit new characters, and complete goals; each of these actions gives you victory points at the end of the game. To do so, you need to play cards from your hand (each with a unique set of actions) and combine them. Don't think it's simple! With a good strategy during your turn, you can take up to ten actions in a row.
You will encounter plenty of mysterious ocean creatures and take them to your hand. With their help you will explore the unknown locations and raise found resources from the ocean depths to your kingdom. Mechanically this is represented with the help of three-layered player board and the unique mechanism of card-rising.
—description from the publisher
Year Published
2019
Transcript Analysis
Browse transcript mentions, sentiments, pros/cons, mechanics, topics, quotes, and references.
Total mentions: 12
This page: 12
Sentiment:
pos 8 ·
mix 2 ·
neu 1 ·
neg 1
Showing 1–12 of 12
Video TZggzT_vokI
The Broken Meeple general_discussion at 8:55 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 13551 · mention_pk 39612
Click to watch at 8:55
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- gorgeous production and evocative artwork
- expansion offers meaningful additions and new end-game variety
- engaging hand-management core that can feel fresh with expansions
Cons
- rulebook can be hard to parse; requirement to reference external guides
- base game feels undercooked without the expansion
- iconography and shorthand can be non-intuitive at first
Thematic elements
- underwater exploration, resource management, and card-driven engine building
- Underwater world featuring guilds or tribes that drive actions and end-game scoring
- visually rich and thematically cohesive but mechanically complex to teach
Comparison games
- Abyss
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- hand management — A card-driven engine that requires players to balance timing and location choices.
- location-based actions with cards — Locations trigger actions when certain cards are played, and some cards modify how you pay or gain resources.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's one that I do like to bring out every now and again
- it's basically a hand management game
- the meat of the game is the fiddly rules
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video U4mbStneq6M
Going Analog general_discussion at 4:47 sentiment: positive
video_pk 12449 · mention_pk 36362
Click to watch at 4:47
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Beautiful theme and components
Cons
none
Thematic elements
- Resource management and location expansion
- Underwater world
- Oceanic exploration with conquest
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Area Control — control aquatica locations
- set collection/resource management — gather resources and upgrade locations
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- yeah i'm also working on this crazy fast 4x space game called last light that's gonna be coming out
- you can actually build residential buildings and double triple stack tiles to make them taller
- it's a spin-off of the katan series
- final score is 14 out of 20
- you are correct it is rising sun
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video xrFFy3uoBPM
Jungus Games general_discussion at 14:49 sentiment: negative
video_pk 10330 · mention_pk 30482
Click to watch at 14:49
Overall sentiment (raw)
negative
Pros
- neat aquatic theme and visuals
- plays reasonably quickly
Cons
- felt lighter and less deep than desired
- not prioritized in this collection
Thematic elements
- oceanic life and aquatics
- underwater/sea exploration
- theme-driven exploration
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- set collection / engine-building — Light-to-medium complexity game with quick setup and thematic water-world feel.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- it's a full-time successful job for me
- the newest macbook pro line is significantly faster
- i'm in a much better headspace about the numbers
- i'm not sitting there thinking that a three video per week plan is sustainable
- there's a lot of evidence to show that putting out more videos is not necessarily better for me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video YepzuLlZyBI
Unknown Channel game_review at 0:07 sentiment: mixed
video_pk 8933 · mention_pk 26365
Click to watch at 0:07
Overall sentiment (raw)
mixed
Pros
- Player boards are interesting and functional beyond mere storage
- Rulebook is compact and well-presented
- Single main action that unlocks many options through chaining
Cons
- Weak, uninspiring theme with generic undersea characters
- Core content feels slim; box content may feel short-changed
- Expansions appear essential for longevity and raise price concerns
Thematic elements
- Location acquisition and personality recruitment to influence the game state
- Underwater/ocean bed with underwater factions and locations
- Abstract, light on lore; thematic flavor exists but is largely incidental
Comparison games
- Abyss
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- achievements / goals — Specific achievement objectives grant points and shape end-game timing
- card play and placement — Playing character and other cards activates effects; cards move to the player's board to indicate progression
- discard/recycle and refresh — Top-row locations get discarded and refreshed to manage the market and hand size
- end-game triggers — End when a player achieves four goals or when the location or character decks run out
- location purchase and raising — Locations can be bought using coins or power; placed on the player board and can be raised to activate effects
- main action + chainable actions — On a turn a player must play a character card as the main action, then any number of additional actions enabled by cards and board state
- Resource management — Coins and power drive actions; coins are represented on cards rather than as a separate token pool
- set collection / deck interaction — Recruit personalities and acquire locations to build a hand/deck that yields prosperity points
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the player boards are kind of interesting
- the rule book is thankfully a manageable size
- there's only one main action that you can take
- it's like sitting in a massive washing machine and you're rinsing and repeating
- Aquatica is fine but it's largely uninspiring
- there's not really any limits as to how many actions you can take
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 0PCivhXQ2Vo
Board Gameco top_100_list at 3:00 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5960 · mention_pk 17666
Click to watch at 3:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- distinct economic engine
- expansion adds significant depth
Cons
- base game weaker than expansions
Thematic elements
- oceanic strategy and economy
- submerged empire with a floating city concept
- tableau-building with thematic flavor
Comparison games
- Concordia
- Century
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Resource management — balance economy, military power, and currency
- tableau-building — players assemble a personal engine of cards to generate resources
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Detective Club is going to be one where you have these different cards that are all different kinds of images that are really beautiful and very unique
- it's a clever timeline; accessible and easy to explain to anyone
- the expansion really elevates the gameplay on Aquatica
- it's the best slaughter game and it's very deep, but accessible
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HqJBlG0Rpyc
Dice Tower general_discussion at 56:20 sentiment: positive
video_pk 5547 · mention_pk 16494
Click to watch at 56:20
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Strong thematic cohesion
- Engaging puzzle with clear choices
Cons
- Some randomness can affect control, depending on setup
Thematic elements
- Oceanic exploration and gadgetry
- Undersea/archipelago exploration
- Mechanics-first with thematic veneer
Comparison games
- Gizmos
- Reef
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- engine-building / action selection — Choose actions to develop your underwater base and/or engine to acquire resources
- Resource management — Balance resources to activate gizmos and explorations under the sea
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- Gizmos is my favorite uncomplicated game.
- I want to understand why stuff works and how to pull levers in a game.
- I don't play to win. I'm playing to explore.
- Grow bold or die, my friends.
- There are so many games out there.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video f-roYHvUt3I
Chairman of the Board top_10_list at 14:42 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4777 · mention_pk 14005
Click to watch at 14:42
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- gateway-plus with depth
- visually appealing
Cons
- needs careful teaching to unlock combos
Thematic elements
- engine-building with location cards and bonuses
- Undersea city with divers and locations
- gateway-plus feel with depth
Comparison games
- Marcitor (engine-building with location cards)
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- location card drafting and engine-building — Acquire new characters and locations to trigger chained bonuses.
- personal player board notches — Slot cards into a personal board to activate bonuses.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- this was definitely the hardest to rank these games
- none of these games I thought were bad this month
- this is an absolute delight
- ultra smooth ultra fun
- this is a thinky filler game with a great weight and repercussions
- you can teach this one in 30 seconds
- very elegant and easy to teach
- the elegance of the system is amazing
- I'm absolutely hit for me
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video dVaso5Qv2pY
The Broken Meeple top_10_list at 1:23 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4518 · mention_pk 13271
Click to watch at 1:23
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Cool game design with good combo effects
- Expansion Cold Waters improves the endgame and scoring conditions
- Tribes from expansion add interesting special abilities
- Enjoyable to play after getting to know it better
Cons
- Artwork not as awesome compared to games like Abyss
- Rule book could be much better
- Had a slow player experience at initial demo at Essen
Thematic elements
- Exploring aquatic depths and discovering sea creatures
- Underwater ocean exploration
- Tableau building with combo mechanics
Comparison games
- Abyss
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card Combos — Characters generate actions and resources through combination effects
- Resource management — Acquire locations and manage resources to create power turns
- Sliding mechanics — Players tuck and slide locations down their board as they explore
- tableau building — Players build and manipulate locations on their board
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- It's that great banter game that's just great for like a good party setting
- The game needs to be quick and snappy and that's the way it should work
- When I got the game myself and finally got it out and played it with fellow gamers it was brilliant
- I don't see this really rising further up the top 100 though I think this is going to be its peak
- If there's a slight flaw at this game it's that the card system needs a little bit of tweaking it can get quite swingy
- The fans recommended this game and the fans were right
- It's kind of like that awesome experience that you only get to experience every now and again in a blue moon
- I found brian board to be a big surprise one of those big exceptions to the rule
- It's that great sort of climactic tension where throughout the game you're trying to figure out who is not on our side here
- It's a really clever system there's a decent amount of dice mitigation you know every time you roll those dice you are there racking your brains
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video DSdsJSLR-Zg
Our Family Plays Games general_discussion at 29:21 sentiment: positive
video_pk 4013 · mention_pk 11683
Click to watch at 29:21
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- strong thematic feel
- nice table presence
Cons
- setup can be elaborate
Thematic elements
- ocean exploration and city-building
- underwater city
- thematic, medium complexity
Comparison games
- Beacon Patrol
- Ulterior Aquatic titles
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- polyomino placement — fit custom-shaped pieces to maximize scoring areas
- tile laying — place ocean/underwater tiles to build habitats
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- "it's Mad Max on steroids where you just killing up folk in your car"
- "this is the addiction show"
- "Stone Age is my favorite worker placement game"
- "it's a trick taking game"
- "Unmatched Slings and Arrows... Shakespeare going to war"
- "be sure to check out moving out"
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video 9FX5z64eI_8
Jungit's Games rules teach at 0:00 sentiment: neutral
video_pk 2738 · mention_pk 8052
Click to watch at 0:00
Overall sentiment (raw)
neutral
Pros
- Rich, varied options for card selection and location management
- Multiple end-game paths via objectives and diverse scoring
- Dynamic interaction via scouting and market shifts
Cons
- Rule complexity and heavy setup with many mechanics to track
- Scouting/raising/actions can be intricate and slow for new players
- End-game scoring can be opaque without careful planning
Thematic elements
- Resource management, area control, card-driven actions
- Underwater empire building with manta-based mechanics
- Tutorial demonstration with playthrough
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Action economy - main action + free actions — On a turn, play one card as main action and then perform any number of free actions.
- Conquer vs. Purchase locations — Use resources to conquer or buy location cards to gain benefits and scoring.
- deck-building / hand management — Players acquire new cards, keep some in hand, recall others; used cards are discarded.
- End-game triggers and scoring — End game triggered by depleted decks or completed objectives; final scoring tallies cards, mantas, and locations.
- King cards — Special king cards grant unique abilities that can alter turn order and options.
- Manta tokens as resources and modifiers — Manta cards flipped to gain resources or abilities; some mantas unlock actions when fully risen.
- Raising / increasing location levels — Raise a location to unlock stronger benefits; raising uses coins/tridents and prerequisites may apply.
- Scouting and market refresh — Scout discards market cards and refreshes with new options; minus costs apply to top four spots.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- the only reason this video is being made is because aquatica won the poll that is voted on each month by the patreon supporters of this channel
- on a player's turn they're going to play a single card from their hand and then do whatever that card says
- as soon as a location is all the way to the top you can score it using specific actions
- end game triggers when the entire deck of character cards is depleted or the entire deck of location cards is depleted
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video HyfZjL2vicM
Board Gameco general_discussion at 4:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1834 · mention_pk 5291
Click to watch at 4:29
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Still in rotation, regularly played
Cons
none
Thematic elements
Comparison games
none
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- tile laying — Exploration and aquifer-based tile placement with aquatic themes.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I will not be going through campaign games in this.
- I want to be more cutthroat than I ever have before.
- Quad Heroes is going. I hate it. I hate it so much.
- Monumental. If Monumental is still here in a year and hasn't been played, if next year's Purge, if I haven't played Monumental, it's going to go.
- Last Light can go. I'm not thinking off the shelf.
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Video FMjAlu5F1WA
Tabletop Turtle general_discussion at 2:29 sentiment: positive
video_pk 1816 · mention_pk 5240
Click to watch at 2:29
Overall sentiment (raw)
positive
Pros
- Intuitive rules for a 3-player game
- Sea-themed and visually appealing
Cons
- Limited interaction compared to heavier titles
Thematic elements
- Underwater / sea fantasy
Comparison games
- Champions of Sea / other engine-builders
Mechanics (from transcript analysis)
- Card engine-building / dice-less engine — Rising cards trigger engines and complete objectives; thematic sea setting.
Video topics + discussion points
No key topics recorded for this video.
Quotes (from this video)
- I'm very bold in my opinions, I hate it but I'm still willing to give it a second and third try because it's better it's an expensive game
- America blue shell is when you brace Mario Kart and then if you're in last place you get rewarded the blue shell
- it's a shared objective, you really pay attention to what other people are doing
- canvas... what a stinker... you're a pile of poops I love that game
- Rise of X added ... I had the Dreadnought portion and it replaced the main board
- I'll take it from me, I think he's French no he's Jamaican
References (from this video)
No references stored for this video.
Transcript Navigation
Showing 1–12 of 12