Bit Blot

Aquaria for iPad Released!

At long last, Aquaria for iPad has been released.

This version of the game has been development in some time, mainly because we wanted to make it the best version of the game yet.

To that end, we employed the generous talents of Andrew Church - the programmer behind the homebrew PSP version of the game. I was impressed that he could get a heavy game like Aquaria running so well on that portable device that I knew he’d be able to squeeze every last ounce of performance out of the iPad1 and iPad2.

Andrew reprogrammed a lot of the lower level parts of the game engine, greatly improved the way the game loads and stores scripts, came up with crazy algorithms to generate polygons for sprites, so that they could be drawn more efficiently… and much more. The game runs at a beautiful, silky smooth 60fps with all the water ripple effects and plant movement on iPad2. On iPad1 the game runs at a solid 30fps without the extra visual effects.

In terms of the game design, we’ve added a few things to make the game more accessible. The mini-map now displays your progress through an area, which makes it much faster to figure out where you’ve been. There’s a new “guide glow” that hints at the next area of importance around the edges of the screen. There are a couple different ways to fire off shots, either by tapping with a second finger while swimming, or using an onscreen button. There is also a button that provides easy access to the help screen from the main game screen. And most of these new features can be completely disabled if you’d like to play the game like a purist.

The new save system kicks in when you travel between areas and at various other points, so you won’t have to worry about finding a save crystal as much as you used to. You can feel a bit more relaxed, not having to freak out about when you last saved. We’ve also tweaked a ton of other minor details that never got cleaned up in the PC version.

The game also features a Japanese translation by the fine folks at 8-4.

I also want to tell you folks about a new trailer we made. I wrote a new arrangement of “Traveller” for this one and Jenna Sharpe recorded a couple new lines of voice over for us. I hope you enjoy.

Stop by the new Aquaria for iPad subforum to let us know how you’re getting along! You can also find a number of wallpapers for your iPad’s home screen on there…

Special thanks to Adam Saltsman and Eric Johnson who helped us publish Aquaria for iPad. They made the release process very smooth and relaxed, which is unusual for us.

You can find Aquaria for iPad on the App Store. It’s a steal at $4.99 USD. Tell your friends, your loved ones, your pet hamster and your Mom! She’ll knit you an extra special xmas sweater if you do.

App Store Link
SemiSecret Blog Update

P.S.
It is also Jenna Sharpe’s birthday today! Wish her well.

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011 at 8:58 am and is filed under Aquaria, General Bit Blot News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

FrozenCow Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 10:55 am

Great to see it on a tablet. The controls seem very fitting. And awesome to see this cooperation after opensourcing Aquaria and the PSP port!

Now it seems obvious to ask:
Will it come to Android too? If not, will the optimized code also be opensourced?

Aquaria now out for iPad | DIYGamer Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 1:30 pm

[...] More here. [...]

anon Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 3:09 pm

Hey, haven’t played the PC version yet… Does it have a mini-map? If not it would be cool if it was added in an update.

Hiro Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 4:33 pm

Woah! Very very awesome to see. Now I wish I owned an iPad. xD

Happy birthday Jenna! Tee hee

@#3: Yes the PC version has a minimap, though if you want to see progress through an area then you have to open up the full map.

PS. Dammit Alec, every time you compose something new its beautiful. Can has download link for new Traveller composition?

Someone Says:
November 3rd, 2011 at 11:51 pm

Are the new futures going to be released for the PC version as well?

Mike Says:
November 4th, 2011 at 8:09 am

Hi Alec and Derek at Bit Blot!

I was really impressed with Aquaria. It’s a great game!

I compose and produce music and sound effects for animation, games, film, tv, audiobooks, and iPhone/iPad applications.

If you’re in need of original music, sound design/effects or audio editing for any of your apps, or know any other developers that are looking for such services, please let me know! You can check out my online portfolio here:

http://www.mikeweisermusic.com/mikeweisermusic/soundtracks.html

Nice job on all your application development so far! Let me know if I can be involved with future apps as well as updates of current software.

Hope to hear from you soon.

Thanks!

Mike Weiser

Antonio Says:
November 4th, 2011 at 11:35 am

Aquaria is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. Even after more than 20 hours spent exploring the world of Aquaria, I didn’t want the adventure to end.

I hope the IPad release will be a success, and that the story of Aquaria will continue.

Thank you for this game.

Stargazer Says:
November 4th, 2011 at 3:23 pm

Any chance that some of these new features could be pushed to the PC Steam version?

Jurassic Hour #21: All Alone In Aquaria | Gameosaurus Says:
November 4th, 2011 at 9:35 pm

[...] and and!! – you’ll want to check out the Bit-Blot blog for some trailers for the new iPad version of AQUARIA. The list price is a ridiculously low $5. [...]

ChiggenWingz Says:
November 6th, 2011 at 4:53 pm

Please keep us up to date with sales trends and your experiences on the App Store! It would be interesting to learn how it all went for you guys.

I’m keen to see how big the Xmas sales spike will be for you guys compared to launch week

mtseo Says:
November 8th, 2011 at 10:51 pm

Please keep us up to date with sales trends and your experiences on the App Store! tens/ems,tens electrodesIt would be interesting to learn how it all went for you guys.

thanks

DangerMouse Says:
November 9th, 2011 at 8:04 pm

Sweet jebus! Awesome sauce! I’ve been waiting for this for a long time!! Man wish my Ipad 1 was a 2 after reading those frame-rate difference with visuals! :/ Kudos on making it to an iDevice Alec!

GMMan Says:
November 11th, 2011 at 1:26 pm

Hey Alec, will you release the new arrangement of “The Traveler”?

panzi Says:
November 26th, 2011 at 3:47 pm

Today I tried to beat the end boss again. Has anyone who isn’t a computer game obsessed maniac ever defeated the end boss? I’m seriously thinking about cheating and adding a god mode or something (the engine is open source and I compile it from hg anyway) so I can finally see the ending.

James Says:
January 23rd, 2012 at 11:56 am

I played this game last year it is was awesome; specifically the soundtrack, I absolutely loved it.

———
SPOILERS
———

Any word on a sequel? I know at the end after collecting all of the memories, it hinted towards there being something more. Feel free to shoot me a message about any updates, it was such a great game I would love to play any additions in line.

Thanks!
–James

TamaskanLEM Says:
August 17th, 2013 at 3:20 pm

I don’t want to bother you, but I really hope you were to port this game over to android. I’d love to play this on my Nexus 7.

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regi Says:
November 18th, 2017 at 5:22 am

Sweet jebus! Awesome sauce! I’ve been waiting for this for a long time!! Man wish my Ipad 1 was a 2 after reading those frame-rate difference with visuals! :/ Kudos on making it to an iDevice Alec!
Today I tried to beat the end boss again. Has anyone who isn’t a computer game obsessed maniac ever defeated the end boss? I’m seriously thinking about cheating and adding a god mode or something (the engine is open source and I compile it from hg anyway) so I can finally see the ending.

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