An Open Letter To Yu And Holowka Re: Aquaria

Most “open letters” come as some kind of criticism, or at least as a petition. But I’ve always been a little different.

Then again, I do have a petition. We’ll get there.

To Derek Yu and Alec Holowka:

I don’t know how you did it. But you did. In fact, you did it a few years ago (2007). A two-person team made a game on par with some of my all-time favorite action adventures (including SUPER METROID). I’m ashamed that it took me this long to discover it.

"I can never remember the chorus, only the verse."

AQUARIA blew me away. And I’d like to tell you what, exactly, stood out to me.

1) sound design

Alec, you’re a genius. You wrote a full two disc soundtrack on or around the key of C so that when the protagonist, Naija, sings a song, her songs fit the key signature of the background music. Sometimes I’d just sit in a room and improvise against the pieces.

If you continue using this gameplay mechanic in the sequel, I’d be interesting in seeing key changes or modal shifts that fit differing songs with differing keys. Maybe that’s unnecessarily complex, but I know I’d enjoy it!

2) art

Especially environmental art. Sure I like the characters and the creatures. But the different areas were so beautiful. The various cities and ruins, interspersed with vibrant natural areas like Kelp Forest and The Veil, really brought together a whole world.

Of course, I finally thought I’d found a game without an ice area, when you went and included the optional “ice cave” area. Not that I mind. Just saying, “obligatory ice level.”

One thing I really appreciated with the environmental art is proper use of intensity (luminosity + saturation) variation to distinguish foreground and background. Or, in some cases, “fore-foreground” (background images that are always on top). I thought these were especially good in the final dungeon.

3) boss fights

Much as I love Super Metroid, too many of its boss fights are just “hit this thing now.” Because of the many new forms Naija gains, it’s not just hitting them, but what you use, and when to sing, etc. Their movement patterns eventually become predictable, which honestly is a good thing if you find yourself stuck on a boss (you eventually get better at dodging attacks). The boss fights were just the right amount of challenge for me, and the plethora of optional boss fights to increase health or gain new costumes was much appreciated.

4) story

To say that Aquaria’s story is back-loaded is an understatement. Yes, Naija’s narration alongside some cut scenes when visiting each new zone help enlighten. But I felt the game was intentionally light on story, especially the romance with Li. And then came the last two hours. Those were some of the most rewarding hours in gaming, my friends. You set me up. I thought I was just going to beat the bad guy and smile. But you had something much grander in mind. Mia gives me shivers.

——–

Why am I telling you all this? Why am I hoping you read it? Because I suspect right now you’re in the middle of development hell with the “spiritual successor” game, Marian. I don’t know whether or not this follows the “To Be Continued” story of Lucien. But I hope it does.

But even if it doesn’t, I’m writing this gush-post to encourage you. Both of you, actually. Derek, I know you’ve been doing a lot of other projects, and Alec, you’ve been hard at work establishing Infinite Ammo. Whatever happens, I’m only asking that the story continue, and the beauty continue as well. You two are a perfect pair of developers. I can’t wait to see more.