Let’s Build a Zoo Aquarium Odyssey DLC Switch Review

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Let’s Build a Zoo Aquarium Odyssey DLC Switch Review

Let’s Build a Zoo is such a wonderful game, as a matter of fact, it’s one of the highest-reviewed games on our site. Behind the cute, 2D sprites there’s so much depth in this Zoo management sim that somehow caters to both casual gamers and hard-core sim fans. Let’s dive beneath the surface of The Aquarium Odyssey DLC and see what’s new…

Let’s Build a Zoo Aquarium Odyssey DLC expands on the already intricate Zoo building mechanics by overhauling how you play. You start fresh on a new Zoo regardless of your previous progression and work your way to making a profitable and entertaining Zoo. The morality system is in play yet again which allows you to do amazing things like reduce plastics in the oceans and manage conservation of species, or evil things like farming blue blood from shoe crabs and making a profitable fish finger factory.

Your research progress starts fresh as well, and despite there being some standard things you need to unlock again like buses and subways, there’s a plethora of new research options and aquarium-themed buildings that give your Zoo a completely different look. Unlike most add-ons or expansions, The Aquarium Odyssey DLC doesn’t just add minor changes to enhance the game, rather, serves as a completely new game with a large amount of content like the base version. Sure, the mechanics and gameplay follow the same style, but there are over 50 species of new animals to collect, over 100 new shops and decorations to use, as well as all new mechanics to learn about.

Animals are collected via fishing ships which can be sourced from morally good fishing industries, or fast-tracked via morally corrupt ones. You can also fund charities or organisations that help speed up the variations of species on offer, such as a parody of the FBI which rescues animals from nefarious captors. Farming makes a return, allowing you to grow your own crops to stock your shops and increase profits, as well as sell excess stock into the market. The Crispr also makes a triumphant return which will not only see you create new and exciting sea creatures but will prove to be invaluable should you try your hand at conserving species’ survival in the wild. None of this is mandatory, however, and the depth of your involvement outside of the Zoo purely depends on how in-depth you want your game to be. I liked the freedom of choice to focus my first 10 or so hours establishing my profits, before focusing on reducing pollution in the oceans and helping return species back into the wild.

I did notice there have been many quality-of-life changes and improvements as well, such as animal and keeper pathfinding, the ability to switch tank environment types, and tracking of specific stats just seem to work better across all 3 content packs. Building is still easy and the intuitive control scheme and ability to move and place existing structures make reorganising the Aquarium of your dreams a simple and straightforward process.

There is a downside to the Switch version, unfortunately, which sees some horrible framerate issues when fully zoomed out to admire your zoo. This can be mitigated by turning off visitor icons, and most of the time you are zoomed in for construction and tweaking but it is worth noting the performance seems to struggle, mainly due to enclosures being able to feature more animals in this DLC pack (I have about 30 Blue Tangs in one tank for instance.) For me, it didn’t really take away from anything, as I rarely played zoomed out, but it is very noticeable when moving to new zones of your zoo.

Despite spending an offensive amount of time on the base game, Let’s Build a Zoo Aquarium Odyssey breathes a soft oceanic breeze into the gameplay which still hasn’t worn off for the 15 hours I have put in so far, considering the price point of around $12, it’s well worth the price of entry. If you haven’t got the base game, the new Let’s Build a Zoo with both Dinosaur Island and Aquarium Odyssey DLCs is also well-priced, and sure to provide you with countless hours of fun.

There is an incredible amount of content to discover and build in Let’s Build a Zoo Aquarium Odyssey. For fans of the base game, it’s another essential purchase, and for those looking to dip their feet into the Zoo Building World, there’s plenty of gameplay to keep you busy. It’s clear that this expansion is not a rushed minimal afterthought, but rather an almost entirely new game in itself. The morality system, splicing of species, and decoration variety mean that your imagination is your only limitation, and making the world a better (or worse) place depends on how in-depth you want to dive under the surface. I highly recommend playing this great game series.

 

Let's Build a Zoo Aquarium Odyssey DLC Switch Review

92% Score

Another fantastic addition to an already great game

PROS

  • Amazing new mechanics
  • The amount of new content is incredible

CONS

  • Framerate chugs when zooming out on your zoo

Review Breakdown

  • Graphics and Visuals 0%
  • Sound and Ambiance 0%
  • Gameplay 0%
  • Content and Features 0%
  • Value 0%

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