Overview

Aquatika is a two-player abstract strategy game published by Jeux FK. Each player commands 9 sea creature pieces with three distinct types, each possessing unique movement abilities. The goal is to be the first to move one of your pieces across the board to the opponent’s goal box. Despite simple rules, the game has deep strategic depth thanks to the interplay between the three piece types and their special powers.

Components

• Game board (grid with goal boxes at opposite ends)
• 9 pieces per player (18 total, in two colors):
  • 3 Sharks
  • 3 Octopuses
  • 3 Flying Fish
• Rules sheet

Setup

1. Place the game board between the two players.
2. Each player places their 9 pieces on their starting row: 3 Sharks, 3 Octopuses, and 3 Flying Fish.
3. Determine the first player.

Turn Structure

On each turn, a player must:

1. Move one piece according to that piece type’s movement rules.
2. Apply any special abilities triggered by the move (eating, covering, jumping).
3. Check for victory: If one of your pieces occupies the opponent’s goal box, you win.

Actions

Shark Movement

• Sharks move to adjacent spaces.
• Eating: A Shark can eat (remove from the board) any piece it moves onto — including your own pieces. The eaten piece is permanently removed.
• Sharks are the primary offensive weapon, capable of destroying both enemy and friendly pieces.

Octopus Movement

• Octopuses move to adjacent spaces.
• Covering: An Octopus can move onto a space occupied by any other piece (friend or enemy) except another Octopus. The Octopus “covers” the piece underneath.
• The covered piece and the Octopus move together as a unit.
• The Octopus can release the covered piece at any time, leaving it on the current space.
• Covered pieces cannot act until released.

Flying Fish Movement

• Flying Fish jump over one or more pieces (friends or enemies) in a straight line.
• The jump must be linear (not changing direction mid-jump).
• Flying Fish land on the first empty space after the jumped piece(s).
• Flying Fish provide rapid mobility across the board.

Scoring / Victory Conditions

The first player to move one of their pieces into the opponent’s goal box wins the game immediately. There is no scoring — it is a single win/loss outcome.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Sharks eat friendly pieces: Be careful — a Shark can eat your own pieces, permanently removing them.
• Octopus stacking restriction: An Octopus cannot cover another Octopus.
• Covered piece immobility: A piece covered by an Octopus cannot move or use its abilities until the Octopus releases it.
• Linear jumping only: Flying Fish must jump in a straight line — no turns or zigzag jumps.
• No draws: The game continues until one player achieves the goal crossing.
• Chess-like depth: The game is described as a chess-like abstract with simple rules but deep strategy.

Player Reference

Piece	Count	Special Ability
Shark	3	Eats any piece it moves onto (friend or foe)
Octopus	3	Covers a piece; they move together; can release anytime
Flying Fish	3	Jumps over pieces in a straight line

Victory: First to reach the opponent’s goal box with any piece.