Summer in Mara

Summer in Mara gets a lot right in a game that can be enjoyed by narrative adventure players and farming sim players alike. It might be a bit overly ambitious in that regard, not perfecting or catering to one single genre more than the other. However, for those willing to be patient in the early game and look past its lack of directions and slight technical issues, Summer in Mara is a game that will provide plenty of charm and easy-going fun this summer.

Chibig Studio have managed to create a magnificent story with incredible, charismatic and endearing characters. All this added to an artistic direction and an impeccable soundtrack. However, Summer in Mara fails in the gameplay, which is repetitive and unsatisfactory.

On its own, Mara in Summer is the perfect game if you have plenty of time and are not looking for a challenge. The main protagonist, Koa, is a very charming protagonist and the idea of sailing from Island to Island while meeting new residents and saving your own Island is a pretty neat concept. However, with stagnant characters, quality of life issues, and strange platforming issues, Summer in Mara feels like it's in desperate need for a quick tune up much like Koa’s boat!

Summer in Mara was a game I wanted to love, but its core designs around crafting and questing left me wanting. It’s a shame, as I think it could’ve been something truly magical with more time to cook and less reliance on fetch quests.

Even with simple agriculture and without offering complex navigation, Summer in Mara is a refreshing title that, if it improves the experience of its hours and a few more worked mechanics, would be an excellent adventure for this summer.

So I’m a little disappointed, but there’s definitely something that perhaps could evolve into an adventure that’s tighter and faster. Summer in Mara feels loose and slow. There’s rightly no urgency in the world of Mara nor they should be, the zen of it all is what appeals but, could there have been just a little more tempo? Koa and the charming world of Mara is enough to keep an eye on this one, but it’s too big with not enough depth and that makes Summer in Mara far from essential.

Summer in Mara certainly looks great and tells a heartwarming story, but players will soon realize that the game consists of nothing but chores, chores, and more chores. It’s enough to make you take up gardening.

Summer in Mara is as charming as it is frustrating. The game has a lot of potential but it feels rushed and unpolished. Hopefully, future updates will fix many of its issues. It has an instantly likable visual and a well-crafted world but the overall experience is blemished by awkward game design choices.

With a giant storyline and a huge map, Summer in Mara is a perfect game for a quiet vacation, enjoying the inhabitants of Mara as long as we don't take some issues into account and don't look for something intense and active.

Summer in Mara is farming and crafting sim with a lovely message around sustainability. It features some beautiful Ghibli-esque visuals and strong character writing, but ultimately descends into endless, over-lapping fetch quests with a lack of direction that make it more of a chore than the relaxing experience it promises.

It’s a real shame that Summer in Mara subjects you to such monotony, because it’s a beautiful game. Its characters are delightful and its world is a joy to explore. The music, too, is wonderful, if slightly repetitive; some of those tuns will get well and truly stuck in your head. But there’s no looking past the fact that its core gameplay makes Summer in Mara a chore to play. It’s enjoyable in short bursts, at least to begin with, but being little more than everyone’s lackey doesn’t stay fun for long.

Summer in Mara can be endearing and sometimes evokes the spirit of better games like Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, and Wind Waker, but poor UI, confusing mechanics, and repetitive quest design harshes the game’s mellow vibe. Perhaps Summer in Mara can be improved with updates, but for now, I’d only book myself on this island cruise at a discount.

Summer in Mara may not stand as high as its life sim peers but it's not without its charms, thanks to a lovely visual environment, quality dialogues and an enjoyable plot. Where Summer in Mara does less well, however, is when it comes to the way it works - several technical flaws that end up making the experience less involving and some of the tasks are mostly redundant, for example.

Summer in Mara has the workings of a breathtaking and chill farming adventure that feels like it should be perfect for the summer, especially now. Instead thanks to everything from fetch quest repetition to a muddled interface, it’s more of a wistful addition to the Switch library. The pleasant vibe of Koa’s undiscovered world can’t carry the whole game despite the best of intentions. If tweaks and improvements can clean up some of the menus, Summer in Mara could be better, but I worry even that won’t make the repetition more enjoyable.

Summer In Mara does a well enough job in helping you fall in love with the Koa and the plethora of colorful characters. The underlying mystery of Mara and its inhabitants as well as the depth of lore leaves the player yearning for more. Unfortunately, in order to get the momentary tasty bits of story, the player must go through grueling and nearly infinite fetch questing. On top of that, several mechanics don't intermingle well with each other and often times make no sense whatsoever. Constant backtracking and waiting around plague an otherwise vibrant and compelling game.