Hidden Gem Insaniquarium Deluxe

Insaniquarium Deluxe is an aquarium simulator… I think? It’s an incredibly odd title, and it’s very difficult to fit into any single genre, yet it is still somehow one of the games which defined my childhood. I would assume many people born within the early 2000s have played this, but aside from my generation, I haven't heard much talk about this gem.

-  Jacob Sanderson

Each stage within Insaniquarium begins with you looking after Guppies, periodically feeding them when they get hungry, collecting the money they drop, and buying more Guppies. You are also encouraged to upgrade your food, which increases the rate at which Guppies grow, which in turn makes them drop more money. It’s early on when the game takes a very bizarre twist, though: aliens. I still do not understand why or how these creatures appear, but periodically, they will come through portals and attack your fish. To repel these, you need to click on them to shoot them and keep them away from the Guppies. This also incentivises upgrading the gun, as more, stronger aliens will appear as you progress further through the multitude of tanks in which the levels take place.