Oxygen Not Included: The Aquatic Planet Pack Review Summary

Dupes can swim and the DLC adds substantial content with gorgeous new biomes, though Pacu were nerfed for non-DLC, the aquatic care station is locked behind DLC, and bugs and instability persist.

Dupes can now swim: A major new mechanic allows Duplicants to swim instead of drowning, fundamentally changing liquid traversal. Players widely praise this as a game-changer that makes the DLC worth it.

DLC offers substantial content: Reviewers consistently describe the DLC as beefy and full of new content to explore, offering good value. It adds more content than previous DLCs like prehistoric and ice planet packs.

Beautiful new biomes and visuals: The new biomes, flora, and fauna are frequently praised for their stunning beauty and aesthetic appeal. Liquid graphics have been reworked and look mesmerizing.

Best DLC among concept packs: Many reviewers consider this the best-made DLC among Klei's concept packs, with good ideas and strong execution. It is a wonderful addition to a beloved game.

New mechanics enhance gameplay: The DLC introduces new mechanics that make a big difference, such as the 4kW wire and swimming skills. These additions help new players and change how the game is played.

Pacu Nerfed for Non-DLC: The Pacu fish has been severely nerfed for players without the DLC, removing reproduction and happiness from feeders. This makes fish farming unviable in the base game.

DLC Locked Aquatic Care Station: Players without the DLC cannot use the aquatic care station, which is required to raise fish. This forces a purchase for a core base game activity.

Many Bugs and Instability: There are numerous bugs, including crashes, memory leaks, and pathfinding issues. The game becomes unstable and often requires restarts.

Poor DLC Value and Monetization: The DLC is overpriced and feels like a paid mod with limitations. Monetization tactics force purchases for basic functionality.

Lack of Late Game Content: The DLC offers little endgame content, with vague goals and no lab scenario. Progression feels unrewarding after early game.

DLC adds diverse life forms: The DLC significantly expands the game's biodiversity by introducing new plants, critters, fish, and minerals. This includes new biomes, flora, and fauna that enrich the overall ecosystem.

Pacu farming and breeding: The game involves raising and breeding Pacu fish, a mechanic present in the base game and rebalanced in the DLC. This is a key part of aquatic farming.

DLC adds new aquatic buildings: The DLC introduces specialized buildings for aquatic life, such as an aquatic grooming station and other aquatic farming structures. These are essential for managing the new fish and critters.

Oxygen generation from aquatic sources: New mechanics allow for oxygen production using aquatic plants, such as blowter and flue coral. This provides alternative oxygen generation opportunities.

Duplicants can perform CPR: A new feature allows duplicants to revive suffocating colleagues by performing CPR, including heart massage and a final slap. This adds a layer of emergency response.

Performance issues and lag: Many players experience lag, low FPS, and slowdowns, especially in late-game or with many entities. The optimization is widely criticized as poor.

DLC causes constant crashes: Players report that after installing the DLC, the game consistently crashes and cannot run for more than a few minutes. This affects even the main screen, making the game unplayable.

Specific entities cause lag: Certain in-game elements like Lamprey fish cause blinding brightness, bubble fish cause lag in large numbers, and water packs cause severe lag.

Memory leak causes freezing: A memory leak fills up memory over time, leading to freezes after several dozen cycles. Players must restart the game periodically to mitigate this.

Frequent crashes and errors: Besides DLC-related crashes, the game frequently crashes with errors or more often than normal. This suggests stability issues beyond the DLC.

Recommended for Experienced Players: The DLC is strongly recommended for both semi-experienced and very experienced players. One reviewer also finds little value for experienced players, but overall it appeals to veterans.

Worth the Price: Reviewers agree this DLC pack is definitely worth its price, with some calling it 100% worth it and others saying it is worth getting. The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive regarding value.

Best DLC in Years: Some reviewers consider this DLC among the best they have played in years, highly recommending it. They express no regrets and call it absolutely the best DLC so far.

Highly Recommend All DLCs: Multiple reviewers strongly recommend buying all DLCs for the game, with one noting this particular pack is especially good. They suggest that if you enjoy the game, the full DLC set is worth it.

DLC Bundle Better Value: Several reviewers note that the complete DLC bundle offers better value than buying individual packs. One specifically implies this DLC is not worth it compared to others, while another calls it a bargain.

Community fair range: $20.00 - $30.00.

Players report the DLC makes the early game smoother and more enjoyable with new oxygen, power, and heat-management options, but several note a lack of compelling late-game content, so fun begins early and then drops off.

Veteran Systems Optimizer: Theorycrafts around heat, fluid, and resource mechanics, tracks meta builds, and reacts sharply when balance patches or DLC gating constrain established designs. Motivation: Preserving deep, open-ended mechanical mastery and the freedom to engineer their own optimized colony builds without being pushed toward a single forced playstyle. Stance: sale.

Franchise Loyalist Collector: Buys every pack on release, plays broadly across all DLC content, and treats each purchase as an automatic addition to their ongoing ONI library. Motivation: Supporting Klei and ONI as a beloved long-term game, and keeping a complete collection of all released content. Stance: buy.

Chill Ocean Explorer: Plays at a leisurely pace focused on building, decorating, and discovering new environments rather than optimizing for maximum efficiency. Motivation: Relaxing, low-pressure exploration and aesthetic enjoyment of new biomes, materials, and ocean-themed content. Stance: buy.

For Windows systems in the <8GB VRAM cohort, feedback is mostly positive, with users generally able to run the game, but some report slowdown, map generation issues, or crashes.

Windows <8GB VRAM: positive. Mostly positive; users report the game runs, though some experience slowdown, map generation problems, or crashes.

Monetization: The reviewed feedback centers on the price and content value of a paid DLC, with some players claiming DLC-only content is required or that base-game balancing suffers without it. There is no direct evidence of in-game microtransactions, real-money gacha, loot boxes, battle passes, paid convenience, post-purchase currency, or a cash shop. Positive reviews confirm one-time DLC purchases and bundle discounts. Because the only monetization evidence concerns traditional paid DLC and pricing, the score is capped at 20.

Aquatic Care Station DLC Exclusive: The Aquatic Care Station is a building exclusive to the DLC and not available in the base game. This locks aquatic farming behind the paid expansion.

Bundle Discounts and Unwanted Content: The complete bundle offers a better deal than buying DLCs individually, but it includes unwanted items like skin DLCs. Players must purchase the bundle to get discounts on desired DLC.

Comparison to Other Planet Packs: The DLC is compared unfavorably to a prehistoric planet pack and to Spaced Out styled DLCs. Prehistoric was better at creating a cohesive environment.

Praise for Developer Klei: Klei is praised as an exemplary game company that treats its players well and stays true to its fanbase. The developer shows dedication to making fun content.

DLCs Sold as Paid Expansions: The game's DLCs, including the Aquatic Planet Pack, are sold as separate paid expansions. Some players note the DLCs are purely expansion gameplay.