Ambrosia Software has taken to the seas and released Aquaria for the
Mac (http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com/games/aquaria). It's a 2D,
side-scrolling underwater adventure game offering puzzles,
exploration, and combat.

Here's how the game is described: "Aquaria is centered around Naija,
an undersea dweller seemingly alone in a vast ocean world teeming
with life -- some friendly, some not. Players seek to unlock the
myriad secrets that comprise Naija's past while defeating or
outwitting the various ancient and powerful creatures she encounters
in the azure depths of Aquaria.

"As players navigate through Aquaria's richly textured surroundings,
they learn that one of Naija's gifts is that of "The Verse," the
ability to sing combinations of musical notes to invoke her latent
abilities. At first defensive, Naija's songs later give her ability
to transform herself for combat, stealth, speed, and more, assuming
players can survive the perils of the deep.

"There are dozens of areas to explore containing new dangers and
opportunities. Naija develops more skills and makes new discoveries
about her past, often leading only to more questions. The player
easily adapts to the game's innovative mouse-only style of
navigation, so that when the time comes to defend and attack, Naija
is swift, agile, and her opponents are in for a world of hurt.

"But the creatures lurking in Aquaria's depths have been there for a
long, long time. Aquaria comes with a custom level and animation
editor, allowing technical gamers to modify game play and share
information on the developer's thriving wiki and online forums."

Developer and composer Alec Holowka and illustrator and developer
Derek Yu comprise Bit-Blot, LLC, Aquaria's two-man development team.

Aquaria for Macintosh is available today for US$30 from Ambrosia's
online store, with a 30-day free trial version available for
immediate download.