Fish or old shoe on the hook? Test of the new simulation
08/06/2011 - This time, the editors have cast their line and landed the browser game Free Aqua Zoo from Upjers. Whether we managed to catch, train and breed rare fish or whether we abandoned the aquarium to algae, you can read in the editorial test.
- Understandable tutorial that explains basic functions interactively. Training mode while fishing
- Quickly accessible, well-structured text help
- You get the first sense of achievement right from the start of the game. This motivates
- initially quite fast level ups, which are rewarded with new features and coins (premium)
| | - The tutorial is a bit too short. The controls vary a bit in the many different areas of the game, here the tutorial could make it easier to get started
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- Smart menu design with mouseover help and icons that the user quickly internalizes
- The village and various temples are controlled via simple hot spots and are well labeled
- Fish survive even longer time without care
- An automatic log-out after 2 hours of play reminds the user to maybe take a break
- Whoever wants can invest a lot of time, but this is not necessary. With the number of actions such as fishing, the maintenance requirement of your own fish increases
- Regenerative point system to be able to go fishing
- High number of fish, items, tasks and small interactive game areas are typical for casual games from Upjers
- The scope of the title gradually increases with the level of the player
- Helpful "fish survey" tool in the aquarium shows what still needs to be done to make everything perfect
| | - Depending on the game area, the menu and controls vary, so the user has to get used to it separately
- The "Where am I" function in the ranking works by score, not by name. If there are multiple pages with the same score, the user may not see himself
- Danger of an occasional click orgy: pop-ups like fish details or quests overlay parts of the aquarium, obscuring fish
- The automatic log-out does not take into account whether you are fishing for fish, here the function can be strict
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- Colorful, cartoon-like graphic style
- A lot of animations liven up the game. The fish behavior can be influenced by own actions
- Numerous, partly funny animated decoration elements for the own aquarium. So each user can put together a unique aquarium with his choice of fish
- In sum extensive graphics, especially by the number of variant fish species
| | - The portraits of profile pictures as of NPC customers are quickly repeated
- When the fish change direction, the animations look two-dimensionally flat
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- Thanks to Flash interactive elements, fish cavort in the aquarium and fishing in the pond is fun
- Some location-sensitive music tracks and very fun sounds, especially in the aquarium and while fishing
- Principally very fast server response and loading times, only flash-typical occasional seconds delays when loading
| | - Unfortunately, music and sound effects can only be turned on or off at the same time. If you want to turn off the music track in the aquarium, you unfortunately have to do without the funny sound effects
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- The hunting and gathering instinct is addressed with over 50 different fish and objects. The funny and droll representation, motivates to try again and again his luck at fishing
- The collecting, caring, raising and the later breeding of the fish serves the typical Tamagotchi effect
- From level 3 onwards, the fish can learn tricks, which can then be shown in the aquarium
- Through the quickly accessible friends list, you can visit each other`s aquariums and also maintain them, so you can support each other and also get points for it
- Numerous Achievements that are rewarded
- A collection of minigames and game areas that are unlocked successively
- You can earn money for your aquarium through NPC Quest
- Special daily tasks give more money and experience points
- Users can trade fish at the market
- Waste like tires or shoes, which were pulled ashore by angler`s bad luck, can be made money at the mllmann
- via the rankings all aquariums can be visited, additionally the catch statistics of the player are shown
- Inherently coherent, humorous and relaxed appearance, which renounces conflict, dafr on own goals and cooperation aims
| | - After some playtime, the repetition of actions such as cleaning the aquarium every hour can be strict. The only remedy is the use of premium or friends who like to clean
- To unlock two special buildings from level 3 in the village, the user needs an immense number of stones, which can hardly be accomplished in level 3 without massive effort
- For intensive gamers looking for a great depth of play, less suitable
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FAZIT |
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84% | Free Aqua Zoo is a typical casual title from Upjers. Those who know and like the games of the Bamberg-based game developer will quickly find their way around and feel comfortable here. Due to its comic-like graphic style, the many small mini-games and rather simple game elements, Upjers once again targets casual gamers, families, children and certainly also some hobby anglers. Central elements are the Tamagotchi effect and the collector`s drive. There are a myriad of diverse, whimsical fish species to discover and care for. The colorful, humorous experience is underlined by customizing your own aquariums, nice animations and, later on, arts that the fish can learn: All in all, the result is a real aquarium experience with a lively scurry factor, brought to life by the nice sound effects and cuddly animations. Conflict is avoided except for some rankings. Everyone pursues their own goals, completes various quests and daily tasks, and spends their time as they see fit. Except for slight weaknesses in the tutorial and in some places in the ease of use, there is hardly anything to criticize. Free Aqua Zoo is light, humorous fare that takes the casual idea to heart and will therefore be less appealing to friends of complex game depth. All in all, we can recommend anyone who doesn`t value conflict and exaggerated competition to take a look at the game. With subtle humor, coherent appearance and wuseligem Knuddelfaktor wei Free Aqua Zoo casual players after a short time to convince. | |
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