I HATE this game! It says I've played this game for 8 hours...Nope not even, it's been running but 90% of this time is fighting the controls in this sad excuse of a game. You can't move forward in the tutorial if you miss a step, you have to start over. The saved file that I have just have me washing tanks (right after the tutorial. I've tried giving this game some time to get better and it has not. Got a bunch of DLC's but the core mechanics of this game is terrible. I thought it was me but when you have a tutorial that you 1. have to go through (no opting out), 2. Can not save (during tutorial) if you get stuck 3. Too darn long (tutorial), 4. You can't switch between controller and KB/Mouse while the game is running (I even tried turning off the controller), 5. you aren't really able to decorate, just dropping stuff in the tank and hoping it sticks and 6. I've got 8 hours in this game and I'm still in the tutorial. How in the heck is that even possible?

Truthfully, I don't know if I got out of the tutorial or not, I just know I didn't buy the game to clean tanks and that is all it gives me to do. I have 2 tanks for sale but no ones buying them. Heck I don't even see how you even get customers??? The only thing good about this game is that the tanks and fish are beautiful.

I would absolutely recommend Aquarist. It's like 10 games in one. On top of the gameplay, each area brings with it a mission to build the personal dream aquarium for someone. I do wish there were more of these missions. Are a couple of the missions adverts for their other games? Sure, but you still have a good time playing the mission and you get stuff you can use in your main aquariums, including fish and decorations.

I love how big each level is. There are so many opportunities to display what feels like 100s of types of fish, including sharks, sea turtles, and jellyfish. With the developer actively adding more!

There's enough realism to keep casual simmers hooked, pun intended. You have to adjust the pH level of the water, clean the tanks, and create little (and massive) aquarium homes for all types of fish. As you progress, you unlock more decorations and fish types. Make sure your plants can survive at the same temp as your fishes!

And the graphics! I can't say much about the people. They are pretty generic models with generic stiff-legged animations, but they make up for that by having quite a few distinct customers who come into your store. And their outfits always make me chuckle, but it keeps it interesting. But these fish? So realistic. I am terrified of sharks and they are so real in this game, I had my partner make sure they didn't react before I hopped in the water. You heard me right - hopped in the water. If you love the serene underwater world and have always wanted to explore some, this is the game for you, too.

Now let's talk about the devs for a moment. I am not a person to browse steam forums for answers. But for this game? I go nowhere else. The devs are hands down the most responsive and active dev team I've ever experienced. They respond everywhere, helping people play their game, giving hints, taking feedback like never seen before. They've even implemented suggestions from their players!

To sum it up: The game is fun, the DLCs are inexpensive for the amount of content you get and worth it if you don't own another game of theirs that already unlocks it (owning Aquatic Store Simulator unlocks the Aquatic Supermarket DLC - no paying twice to play both games in one convenient place), the devs are amazing, and the community has been great.

10/10 recommend