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==Reception== {{VG Reviews |IGN = 7.4/10<ref name="IGNreview"/> |EuroG = 7/10<ref name="EGreview"/> |PCGUK = 8.1/10<ref name="PCGUreview"/> |rev1=GameCritics |rev1Score = 9/10<ref name="GCreview"/> | |GR = 84%<ref name="GRreviews"/> |MC = 82/100<ref name="MCreviews"/> }} ''Aquaria'' was the [[Independent Games Festival#Seumas McNally Grand Prize ($20,000)|Seumas McNally]] winner of the 2007 Independent Games Festival, and was also a finalist in the categories of Design Innovation, Excellence in Visual Art, and Excellence in Audio. The festival praised the game's "fluid controls, unique, non-linear gameplay, and vibrant hand-drawn storybook-style graphics".<ref name="IGFAward"/> The game received praise from many different reviewers; Cam Shea of [[IGN]] called it "a stunning effort from such a small team",<ref name="IGNreview"/> Richard Naik of GameCritics called it "an extremely high-quality product" and a fine example of the [[side-scrolling video game|side-scroller]] genre,<ref name="GCreview"/> while Chris Dahlen of ''[[The A.V. Club]]'' termed it "not so much a retro adventure as a fresh take on everything that made the old 2D adventures great".<ref name="AVreview"/> Praise for the game was centered primarily on its visuals and atmosphere. ''[[Hyper (magazine)|Hyper]]''{{'}}s Tim Henderson commended the game for "a rare and genuine sense of exploration, wonder and discovery",<ref name="Hyperreview"/> and a review by Scott Colbourne from ''[[The Globe and Mail]]'' termed it "drop-dead beautiful" with a "deep and affecting story".<ref name="GAMreview"/> Colbourne summarized ''Aquaria'' as "a game you can get comfortably lost in".<ref name="GAMreview"/> [[File:Aquaria - IGF.jpg|thumb|left|Jenna Sharpe, [[Alec Holowka]] and [[Derek Yu]] accepting the grand prize at the 2007 [[Independent Games Festival]]|alt=Two men stand behind a podium marked Independent Games Festival, while a woman in a blue dress stands to the left.]] Other reviewers, such as Tom Bramwell of [[Eurogamer]] and Chris Holt of [[Macworld]] echoed the praises for the graphics and atmosphere, while Craig Pearson of ''[[PC Gamer UK]]'' added praises for the music and voiceovers and Suzie Ochs of [[MacLife]] praised the music and story.<ref name="EGreview"/><ref name="MWreview"/><ref name="MLreview"/><ref name="PCGUreview"/> Other praises for the game came for its control scheme and for the gameplay mechanics, with Holt calling out the cooking system as worthy of praise.<ref name="EGreview"/> Though noting that the visuals and presentation of the game would be the first thing that players noticed, Nathan Cocks of ''[[PC PowerPlay]]'' claimed that "from a design standpoint, ''Aquaria'' is a triumph," with the right amount of complexity and level design that is "spot on".<ref name="PCPPreview"/> Several reviewers, such as Bramwell and Holt, criticized the map system present in the initial version of the game as being confusing and difficult.<ref name="EGreview"/><ref name="MWreview"/> Other reviewers had different concerns, such as Henderson, who critiqued the initial release version for "lack of widescreen support and being occasionally fiddly",<ref name="Hyperreview"/> or Naik, who felt that the control scheme was not as intuitive when using an Xbox 360 controller.<ref name="GCreview"/> Shea and Pearson felt that the game could have used more puzzles or a wider variety of quests and objectives to balance out the exploration and combat.<ref name="IGNreview"/><ref name="PCGUreview"/> They did not feel, though, that these downsides compared to the game's positives, with Pearson stating that "the good far outweighs what are, essentially, niggles."<ref name="PCGUreview"/> {{-}}
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