Micro Marine

Micro Marine

Micro Marine is an ocean food chain sandbox inspired by the classic 1984 Wa-Tor simulation. Sit back and watch fish hunt, hide, and naturally change over time.

Population Cycles

Fish populations undergo natural cycles. “Booms” in populations lower down the food chain increase the amount of energy available, and the amount of fish. With less energy to go around, populations cascade downward, affecting the entire food chain.

Inherited Traits

Each fish inherits traits as they spawn, some are better suited to the environment than others, and with the right combination, some species will win out, for a little while. Random mutations ensure that every species participates in the food chain.

Color Tracking

In Micro Marine, colors can mean different things. For most fish, colors are assigned at random to “progenitors”, or fish that spawn when populations are low. You can use the colors to track which generations have the right combination of traits, when a color becomes dominant, that means it's winning!

Sharks are different. Progenitor sharks are assigned traits based on three profiles: fast, bold, and energy-conserving. When new sharks spawn, they also get traits from their parents but the colors reflect the levels of traits inherited.

Gameplay

Food Chain Manager

Don't like sharks? Get rid of them! Want to see turtles take on jellyfish, their natural enemy? Control populations directly by removing different species, or changing what each species eats. See how herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores adapt to their environment.

Aquarium Mode

Just like the classic 1984 Wa-Tor simulation, populations replenish when near extinction, guaranteeing that the sim never stops. Right click to feed the fishes. Can you find the secret code?

Missions Mode

Learn more about aquatic life by completing special research projects. Increase your funding to unlock more research opportunities.

Adaptation Mode

Fine-tune your starting variables for each species and see how long you can make your ecosystem last.

Minigames

Play fun games with fishes.