Hidden Gem - Insaniquarium Deluxe

Insaniquarium Deluxe is an aquarium simulator… I think? It’s an incredibly odd title, and it’s very difficult to fit into any single genre, yet it is still somehow one of the games which defined my childhood. I would assume many people born within the early 2000s have played this, but aside from my generation, I haven't heard much talk about this gem.

Each stage within Insaniquarium begins with you looking after Guppies, periodically feeding them when they get hungry, collecting the money they drop, and buying more Guppies. You are also encouraged to upgrade your food, which increases the rate at which Guppies grow, which in turn makes them drop more money. It’s early on when the game takes a very bizarre twist, though: aliens. I still do not understand why or how these creatures appear, but periodically, they will come through portals and attack your fish. To repel these, you need to click on them to shoot them and keep them away from the Guppies. This also incentivises upgrading the gun, as more, stronger aliens will appear as you progress further through the multitude of tanks in which the levels take place.

As you progress, you unlock new types of fish, along with new pets who provide unique abilities. Some of these fish provide interesting trade-offs, such as the Carnivore, who eats Guppies yet provides more money than the Guppies, or the Breeder, which acts like a normal Guppy yet gives birth to baby Guppies instead of dropping coins. The pets add much of the depth to this game, as you can only take a few into each level, and each of their abilities can make or break a run. For example, pets such as Stinky the Snail and Clyde the Jellyfish will collect any coins you miss, while Prego (awful name, I know…) will periodically give birth to Guppies. There are others that have much more unique effects, however, such as Presto, a tadpole who can change into any other pet, along with their abilities, albeit on a long cooldown, or Amp the Electric Eel, who can occasionally be discharged, killing all but one fish in your tank, but turning them all into diamonds, the most valuable item.

While Insaniquarium is a very strange game, it does have its merits. The gameplay within later Tanks can become quite difficult; for example, the Breeder is only available in Tank 4, as you are locked out of outright buying Guppies, so they need to be prioritised more so than you would within previous tanks as supply is much more limited. Thanks to puzzles like these, you are forced to make better decisions as to which pets you choose, as their value can differ depending on certain factors. Alongside this, as you progress, you earn Shells, a type of currency that can be spent in two places: either unlocking additional pets which cannot be unlocked through adventure mode or customising your virtual tank, which is a fully customisable fish tank, safe from alien attacks.

Insaniquarium Deluxe is a mind-bogglingly strange game, yet it’s so utterly endearing and genuinely entertaining I would be remiss not to recommend it wholeheartedly.