Aquatica: A Kingdom Beneath the Waves

Hello everyone!

Are you ready to dive into the depths of the ocean? Today I’m taking you to Aquatica, a game where you’ll raise treasures from the deep, one depth at a time, through a mechanism that is as tactile as it is clever.

Game Overview

Aquatica is a 2019 release for 1–4 players, ages 14+, with a playtime of 30–60 minutes. It was designed by Ivan Tuzovsky and illustrated by Irina Kuzmina, Andrew Modestov, Oleg Proshin, Artur Varenyev, and Marat Zakirov, and published by Cosmodrome Games. The French version is published by Gigamic.

Theme

In Aquatica, you take the role of a mighty Sea King ruling over one of the Great Kingdoms of Aquatica, an entire civilisation of Sea-folk living among sharks, whales, corals and creatures of the deep. The kingdoms have exhausted their resources and are now forced to explore the Ocean Depths in search of new ones. Each faction is vying to become the most prosperous realm beneath the waves, and to do that you’ll need to explore new locations, recruit powerful characters, and complete goals with the help of your loyal mantas. The underwater world is rich, mysterious, and beautifully illustrated, and it really pulls you into the theme from the first card you play.

How to Win

The winner is the player with the most Prosperity Points at the end of the game. The game can end in three ways: a player accomplishes all 4 Goals and places their mantas on the Goal Track, the Location deck runs out, or the Ocean Character deck runs out. When any of these happens, every player takes one more turn before counting points.

You score Prosperity Points from three sources: the locations in your Scoring Pile (each worth a different amount), the points shown above your mantas on the Goal Tracks (the earlier you complete a goal, the more points it’s worth), and 1 point for each character card remaining in your hand, not in your discard pile, so managing your hand wisely matters right until the very end.

Gameplay

On your turn, you play a character card from your hand to perform its effects, exploring locations, recruiting new characters, or using your mantas for bonus effects. The real magic is in the combos: with the right setup, a single turn can chain into a long sequence of actions that feels incredibly satisfying.

The heart of the game is the location mechanism. When you acquire or conquer a location, paying in Coins or Power depending on the action, you take it from the main board and slide it into one of the five slots on your personal board so that the top Depth appears in the circle. To exploit a Depth and gain its resource or trigger its effect, you slide the card up one step, which covers that Depth under your board and gives you access to the next one. Some Depths are empty and blocked, you can’t simply slide past them, you’ll need a specific Raise effect from a character card or manta to move through them. When all Depths are covered, the location is fully risen. You then use a Score action to move it to your Scoring Pile and claim its Prosperity Points at the end of the game. Note that a fully risen location gives you no points unless you score it!

Aquatica setup player — Player Board details

Components

The components in this game are a real treat. The character cards have original, atmospheric designs, and the stack of location cards is large enough to keep the game feeling fresh, and covers four distinct location types: Shark Bay, Sunken Ships, Ocean Volcanoes, and Decayed Civilizations, each with its own flavour. The plastic mantas, one set per player plus the wild ones available during play, are beautifully sculpted and feel satisfying to handle.

But what I love most are the personal boards. The three-layer design isn’t just pretty, it’s functional, supporting the card-sliding mechanism in a way that feels unique and tactile. Every time you slide a location card into your board and start raising it Depth by Depth, there’s a little thrill to it.

Solo Mode

The solo game follows the same rules as multiplayer, but you compete against a virtual rival called the Ichthyanders. The pressure mechanic is simple: every time you play the Matrona card or perform a Scout action, you place one of the Ichthyanders’ mantas on a Goal Track. Once all their mantas are placed, you take one final turn and the game ends. The Matrona allows you to recover all of your mantas and take all your discarded cards to your hand, a powerful tool, but one you have to use carefully since each use advances your rival. It’s a simple but effective mechanism that keeps you on your toes without overcomplicating the solo experience.

At the end of the game, the Ocean Council awards you a Sea Monster title based on your score, from the humble Blobfish at 30 points or less, up through the Sea Serpent and the Leviathan, all the way to the mighty Kraken at 91 points or more. It’s a small touch, but a charming one that gives you something to chase beyond just your own previous score.

My Experience

I’ve played Aquatica multiple times in solo mode, and it’s become one of those games I reach for when I want something engaging but not exhausting. The rules come back to me quickly after even a long break, setup is fast, and a game is done in around 30 minutes, which means I tend to play 2 or 3 games in a row before putting it away, because the repetition only starts to creep in after that. The location deck is large, but the character cards are more limited, so variety comes mostly from how you build your combos each run.

Aquatica turn details — During play detail

My Rating

Note: 8.5 out of 10

Aquatica is a relaxing, beautifully illustrated game with a pleasant tactile quality that makes it a joy to play. The hand management and open drafting are well implemented, the combo-building is satisfying, and the solo mode adds just the right amount of pressure without overcomplicating things. It loses a small fraction for the limited character variety, but it more than makes up for it in atmosphere and replayability in small doses.

End of game — Board at the end of the game

Final Thoughts

If you enjoy hand management card games with beautiful illustrations and enjoy discovering action combos, Aquatica is absolutely worth your time. It’s not an expert game, I’d place it firmly in the family and gateway category, and I can easily imagine introducing it to someone who enjoys games but doesn’t play very often. It’s accessible, quick, and genuinely lovely to look at. Don’t let its lightness fool you though: there’s real decision-making here, and a well-executed turn feels very rewarding.