is an

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme spo ...

video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...

developed by

Artdink is a Japanese video game developer based in Tsukishima, Tokyo. While Artdink had released a large variety of games, they are best known in Japan for the '' A-Train'' series. They are closely associated with Sony Computer Entertainment since t ...

for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...

. It was released by Artdink in Japan in June 1995 and internationally by

Sony Computer Entertainment Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (SIE) is an American video game and digital entertainment company that is a major subsidiary of Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. It primarily operates the PlayStation brand of video game co ...

in 1996. The game is an

underwater An underwater environment is a environment of, and immersed in, liquid water in a natural or artificial feature (called a Water, body of water), such as an ocean, sea, lake, pond, reservoir, river, canal, or aquifer. Some characteristics of the ...

simulation A simulation is an imitative representation of a process or system that could exist in the real world. In this broad sense, simulation can often be used interchangeably with model. Sometimes a clear distinction between the two terms is made, in ...

in which the player assumes the role of an overworked marine explorer who returns to the water for pleasure after having brought harmony to the world's oceans. ''Aquanaut's Holiday'' was followed by two sequels on the PlayStation and '' Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories'' on the

PlayStation 3 The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE). It is the successor to the PlayStation 2, and both are part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. The PS3 was first released on ...

, all of which are exclusive to Japan.

Gameplay

Gameplay in ''Aquanaut's Holiday'' takes place in a

first-person perspective A first-person narrative (also known as a first-person perspective, voice, point of view, etc.) is a mode of storytelling in which a storyteller recounts events from that storyteller's own personal point of view, using first-person grammar suc ...

and consists primarily of the player exploring vast stretches of ocean, occasionally discovering underwater ruins or treasure, or communicating with underwater creatures. The game has no time limits, enemies, or other obstacles. The game's objective, aside from exploring, is to build a large

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...

to attract a wide variety of fish and other marine wildlife.

Development

''Aquanaut's Holiday'' was developed by the Japanese studio

and directed by Kazutoshi Iida. The game designer was also behind Artdink's '' Tail of the Sun'' and later headed development of '' Doshin the Giant'' for the

GameCube The is a PowerPC-based home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, in Europe on May 3, 2002, and in Australia on May 17, 2002. It is the suc ...

. The game was first revealed untitled in 1994."Sony PlayStation". ''

Edge Edge or EDGE may refer to: Technology Computing * Edge computing, a network load-balancing system * Edge device, an entry point to a computer network * Adobe Edge, a graphical development application * Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...

'' issue 11 (August 1994), page 40.

Reception

On release, ''

Famicom Tsūshin , formerly , is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the form of special to ...

'' scored ''Aquanaut's Holiday'' a 24 out of 40.NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: アクアノートの休日. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.342. Pg.32. 7 July 1995. The game won a Japan Software Award in 1996. Critical reception has been mixed. USA magazine '' Next Generation'' reviewed the game as an import prior to its release in North America. The magazine commented that "Seen from a first-person perspective, AH's exotic sea life and realistic landscapes soon have you believing you really are exploring the floor of the ocean. And though the gaming aspect is a little on the subtle side, it's enjoyable just swimming around." They scored it four out of five stars. Their later, much briefer review of the domestic release lowered the score to two stars and said "Points for effort, but most gamers will be bored."

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

stated that ''Aquanaut's Holiday'' does not truly qualify as a game, but instead "a fun and immersive 3D underwater sim of the most relaxing kind". Shawn Sackenheim of

Allgame RhythmOne , a subsidiary of Nexxen, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel. Blinkx was founded in 2004, went public on the Alternative Investment Market, ...

likewise called the game to be a great stress-reliever and complimented its "beautiful" presentation and "rewarding" gameplay model. Victor Lucas of

The Electric Playground ''EP Daily'' (formerly ''The Electric Playground'') is a daily news television show that covers video games, movies, TV shows, comic books, collectibles and gadgets. Created and executive produced by host Victor Lucas, and his Vancouver, British ...

agreed that the graphics were most impressive, but ultimately found the combination of exploration gameplay and atmospheric music extremely boring. NowGamer was also unimpressed, summarizing, "Unless you’ve got more money than sense, our advice is to save your pennies and spend them on a title that truly pushes the PlayStation to its technical limits without relying on the contents of Captain Birdseye’s pantry." The game sold more than 200,000 units in Japan.

Legacy

''Aquanaut's Holiday'' was followed by a few Japan-exclusive sequels. ''Aquanaut's Holiday: Memories of Summer 1996'' and ''Aquanaut's Holiday 2'' were released on the PlayStation in 1996 and 1999 respectively and were later made available for download on the

and

PlayStation Portable The PlayStation Portable (PSP) is a handheld game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on December 12, 2004, in North America on March 24, 2005, and in PA ...

in 2008. Another game, '' Aquanaut's Holiday: Hidden Memories'', was released for the PlayStation 3 in 2008.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aquanaut's Holiday 1995 video games Artdink games PlayStation (console) games PlayStation (console)-only games Simulation video games Sony Interactive Entertainment games Submarine simulation video games Video games developed in Japan Video games set underwater Single-player video games