Aquanaut
- Adventure
Mouse
Flash
HTML5
Aquanaut is an adventure game released on February 14, 2008[1]. The player controls a submarine on the search for treasure avoiding enemies and hazards. This game was one of the launch titles for the App Store and Google Play Nitrome Touchy, launched on October 31st, 2012 for on the App Store, and November 21st, 2012 on Google Play. An HTML5 port of the game was released between November 4, 2021 and January 25, 2022[2].
Controls[edit | edit source]
Computer[edit | edit source]
Mouse - Click and hold to make submarine follow the cursor.
Space bar - Drop a bomb
Touchy[edit | edit source]
- Twist/Touch blue core - move submarine
- Press bomb buttons - lay bomb
Tilt smartphone - increase acceleration
Levels[edit | edit source]
Incomplete section
This section is incomplete. You can help by adding the missing info.
There are twenty levels in Aquanaut. In each level, the player has to navigate a submarine through water, with many stone pillars, hazards, and enemies around. The water sometimes rises, the player having to roll on dry land to a spot until the tide comes back to lift them up. Treasure is found throughout the game.
1: Training Day[edit | edit source]
This level is very short, it is very basic and only has two enemies. This level mostly just teaches how the game is played.
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2: Bomb Training[edit | edit source]
This level has multiple enemies as well as a tide. It is mostly for teaching how to use bombs.
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3: Up Down Up[edit | edit source]
This level features multiple enemies and tide again, bombs are needed to complete the level.
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4: Trek Through the Stars[edit | edit source]
This level features many rotating starfish and pufferfish that make surviving difficult.
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5: Give It a Whirl[edit | edit source]
This level features many obstacles including long barnacles coming out of coral and piranahas that dive to hit the submarine. Multiple whirlpools will pull the Submarine into bad positions like directly underneath a piranha.
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6: Temple of Trouble[edit | edit source]
This level has multiple dangerous enemies including many starfish. The Tide returns with the Tide going from extremely low to extremely high.
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7: Little Nippers[edit | edit source]
This stage is loaded with enemies all over it.
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8: Get Lost[edit | edit source]
This stage is a large maze with multiple paths must of which lead to enemies or treasure. Only one path leads to the treasure chest.
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9: Tongue Tied[edit | edit source]
This stage has two paths that both lead to the same path eventually. The path to the left is longer and has less barnacles and more jellyfish. The right path has more barnacles than the left path. Both paths force the player to get past a starfish.
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10: Huff n Puff[edit | edit source]
This level features the return of many enemies from older levels including star shooters and pufferfish and has a small tide.
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11: High and Dry[edit | edit source]
This level requires the player to go over long, dry expanses of land covered in hermit crabs. After getting past the dry area, the player has to go through multiple enemies to get to the treasure chest.
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12: Under Pressure[edit | edit source]
This level has many jellyfish among other enemies. By squeezing through a narrow gap early on in the level (damaging the player slightly on spikes) the player will arrive near the treasure box.
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13: Tide and Tested[edit | edit source]
This level has very extreme tide going from very low to very high in a matter of seconds. The player must avoid hermit crabs and starfish while the tide is right to avoid damage to the submarine.
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14: Jelly Heaven[edit | edit source]
A level completely comprised of a maze of jellyfish.
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15: Killer Calamari[edit | edit source]
This level features many squid that shoot homing squids, there is also an extremely varied tide. A few crabs also appear.
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16: Underground Overground Wobbling Free[edit | edit source]
This level starts with two paths the above with two hermit crabs the lower with two pufferfish. Following is a starshooter and a path with two more hermit crabs and three barnacles. The current must then be used to jump a pillar with a squid and starshooters guarding the treasure chest.
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17: Round The Twist[edit | edit source]
This level has at least one of every enemy and many corners and narrow paths of spikes.
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18: Bite The Bullet[edit | edit source]
This level has every enemy and requires doing things the 'other way'. Great speed is needed.
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19: Go Against The Flow[edit | edit source]
This level requires going through spikes and enemies by going through currents and whirlpools.
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20: Kill The Serpent[edit | edit source]
This level has the Sea Serpent and has to be killed with a lot of bombs.
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Ending[edit | edit source]
This collapsible box contains a spoiler! Use [show] to reveal.
Aquanaut also has a Nitrome Touchy version of its ending, which is shown when the player completes the level using Nitrome Touchy. It is basically the same, except without gems, coins, and pearls falling. When the player touches the ending screen of their smartphone, gems, coins, or pearls on the computer screen will disappear and bubbles will be made.
Enemies[edit | edit source]
- Jellyfish - They may move or simply be still in a level, and can be destroyed by two bombs.
- Hermit crabs - They can walk on walls and the ceilings as well as on the ground, and can be destroyed by three bombs.
- Starfish - It remains stationary and rotates on the spot. Cannot be destroyed.
- Pufferfish - Periodically, they will expand to take up more space in the level before shrinking back to a smaller size. They can be destroyed with one bomb when they are not inflated.
- Barnacles - They have a tongue that sticks out, hurting the submarine on contact. Can be destroyed with three bombs by hitting the bomb on the tongue.
- Lionfish - When the submarine is underneath one, the submarine will be chased until it moves out of the way. Can be destroyed with 3 bombs.
- Starshooters - They remain in one place and throw little starfish at the player. Can be destroyed with two bombs.
- Squids - Attack the submarine with homing squids. Can be destroyed with three bombs.
- Homing squids - Will hurt the submarine on contact.
- Sea serpent - As the last boss of the game, the player needs to defeat it successfully in order to pass the level.
Hazards[edit | edit source]
- Spikes - Cover certain areas of the game and hurt the submarine on contact.
- Currents - Push the submarine in one direction if still.
- Whirlpools - Draws submarine towards it, often towards hazards and enemies as well.
Beta elements[edit | edit source]
These beta elements were found outside the game's code. Two beta elements of Aquanaut were discovered on Simon Hunter's website: the beta logo for the game and beta squid. The beta logo had the words Aquanaut underwater with the water coloured sub jumping out of it.
The beta squid looked different than the final squid in the game, the beta squid had its tentacles outstretched as if it was trying to catch the player, while the final one has the squid's tentacles down in a kind of arrow shape.
Beta logo
Beta squid
Nitrome Touchy version[edit | edit source]
Aquanaut was one of ten games to be Nitrome Touchy compatible upon the release of the Nitrome Touchy application. The player moves the submarine by touching and holding in the direction they want the submarine to move within the encased blue bubble. Two grey buttons on the bottom of the control display allow the player to deploy mines.
Upon its compatibility with Touchy, the submarine was also given a doubled health boost that allowed it to withstand six hits before breaking instead of three.
The controller for Aquanaut as seen on the Nitrome Touchy website
Control display
Development[edit | edit source]
Aquanaut was heavily influenced by games from the Lunar Lander genre[3]. The game was completed in 2007[4] and the music was composed in January 2008[5]. The game was released on February 14, 2008[1].
Credits[edit | edit source]
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Trivia[edit | edit source]
- The player can highlight the text shown on walls in levels.
- A few level names are references to other media:
- Level 4 Trek through the Stars is a reference to Star Trek
- Level 6 Temple of Trouble may be a reference to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
- Level 18 Bite the Bullet may be a reference to one level in Hot Air 2 with almost the same name, being Biting the Bullet.
- Upon the release of the Nitrome Touchy, the player's health was increased from three hits to six.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Evac - Miniclip Games - Play Free Games on the Wayback Machine (archived 14 Feb 8 ) (no Aquanaut)
Jay Is Games: Aquanaut - Walkthrough, Tips, Review, 14 Feb 8, retrieved 10 Aug 17. (a link to Aquanaut is present) - ↑ This tweet was posted on November 4, 2021, and was the latest news about Nitrome's HTML5 games. At this point, Aquanaut and Cheese Dreams had not been released in HTML5. This page cache from January 25, 2022, shows the games had been released.
- ↑ Robotacid: Nitrome Games on the Wayback Machine (archived 13 Oct 8 from the original)
- ↑ Aaron Steed: Robotacid, 14 Feb 8, retrieved 26 Jan 21.
- ↑ Lee Nicklen: Kayotix, ?, retrieved 26 Jan 22.
| v • d • eAquanaut | |
|---|---|
| General | Aquanaut • Submarine |
| Enemies | Starfish • Jellyfish • Pufferfish • Lionfish • Starshooters • Hermit crabs • Barnacles • Squids • Serpent |
| Hazards | Homing squid • Spikes • Currents • Whirlpools • Starfish projectiles |
| Items | Treasure chest • Treasures • Bombs |