Summer in Mara

 Switch
User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 37 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 37
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 37
  3. Negative: 6 out of 37

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  1. amyann99
    Sep 16, 2020
    10
    I almost didn't buy this game because the critic reviews in particular were pretty bad. I'm glad I didn't listen to their inane complaints. I got it for $20 on switch and it's worth every penny. This game is such a relaxing distraction in these difficult times. It's totally charming and beautiful and funny and the story is sad and uplifting at the same time. I can't speak for the mechanicsI almost didn't buy this game because the critic reviews in particular were pretty bad. I'm glad I didn't listen to their inane complaints. I got it for $20 on switch and it's worth every penny. This game is such a relaxing distraction in these difficult times. It's totally charming and beautiful and funny and the story is sad and uplifting at the same time. I can't speak for the mechanics on other platforms but I've had no issues. Complaints I've heard that made me wtf: you're sending a little girl on tasks, oh but y'all were fine with the countless games with boys of a similar age fighting ancient evil where you repeatedly die. Like god forbid a female protagonist not be a super sexualized adult for once. Or they loved the game but their computer crashed at cut scene so hate it? Can the game be a bit tedious? Sure it you're looking for action packed shoot-em-ups this is not the game for you. If you're looking for a heartwarming tale with Studio Ghibli type graphics and light humor and heart, this is an excellent way to distract yourself from existence, ha.… Expand
  2. Sorsha
    Jun 23, 2020
    8
    Summer in Mara surprised me in the best way possible. The tutorial in the beginning was incredibly boring, I could not bring myself playing more after it. Long dialogues, stupid island, annoying gameplay. I mean, who kicks trees or bushes so that one orange or berry falls out of it? And the fishing? Very odd way of catching a fish I would say. A few days later I decided to try playing theSummer in Mara surprised me in the best way possible. The tutorial in the beginning was incredibly boring, I could not bring myself playing more after it. Long dialogues, stupid island, annoying gameplay. I mean, who kicks trees or bushes so that one orange or berry falls out of it? And the fishing? Very odd way of catching a fish I would say. A few days later I decided to try playing the game again and I now I am hooked! I accepted the gameplay, got to travel with the boat to different islands and I decorated my island with whatever I wanted to craft or plant. So for every new player out there: the journey begins when you get to travel with the boat!… Expand
  3. jackevmat
    Jun 20, 2020
    10
    The game is relaxation station. They are in early stages and announced a patch to fix the glitches. The gameplay is fun and the story unique
  4. SuperkenGaming
    Jun 25, 2020
    5
    Summer in Mara
    More of a summer job than a vacation
    Summer in Mara a farming exploration game where you play as koa who sets out to discover the mysteries of the ocean and its islands. and there isn’t much to discover… Summer in Mara seems as though this might be a stardew valley or animal crossing type game but its not… every mechanic of this game is equally kinda just there… This is    Summer in Mara
    More of a summer job than a vacation
    Summer in Mara a farming exploration game where you play as koa who sets out to discover the mysteries of the ocean and its islands.
    and there isn’t much to discover…
    Summer in Mara seems as though this might be a stardew valley or animal crossing type game but its not… every mechanic of this game is equally kinda just there…
    This is more of a fetch questy game.. that’s the hook.. you talk to characters, they tell you what they need, you go find it, buy it, grow it, or create it… on paper this sounds like a relaxin time.. I love me some trading quest games, go get this so you can get that to trade it for this to get the quest item you need… I love that kind of stiff.. but in summer in mara this is the entire game and it’s a chore from start to finish, everything is really fueled by your garden back in your home island one way or another.. you need money if youre going to buy items, you need plants to craft items.. so you have to have a little garden going to have recources to sell or craft with… but its quite exhausting to constantly get quests that require you to travel back and forth between two islands just to craft something.. you cant craft on the go, oh you need some juice? Let me run all the way back to my boat, sail to my island, run uo the hill, and craft some, run back down, sail back across the ocean.. run to you.. oh wait im exhausted… the game automatically throws me back to the beginning of the island, let me eat some food real fast.. run to you again.. heres some juice, quest complete.. oh now I have seeds I need to go plant and come back with them… it’s a constant back and forth from island to island.. its not relaxing and calming.. it’s a time wasting drain… not only that there is just so much about summer in mara that keeps this game from being enjoyable.. the game feels stiff and awkward.. the music awkwardly just disappears for long periods of time, and you have a hunger/energy system… you cnt just explore these tiny little islands at your will.. you have to make ur youre not hungry or exhausted while youre gathering items and completing quests.. otherwise the game will waste more time by pulling to back to the start of the island.. this mechanic has no business exhisting in a game like this… its unrewarding enough.. now you want me to waste my resources on myself just to make me grind that much longer to afford an item I need in the shop to craft something else…
    Summer in Mara I went into hoping for a little mental vacation, I breath of fresh air and destressing..
    but instead im running around doing chores, and punished for wanting to explore inbetween these chores…
    I give summer in Mara
    a 5/10    … Expand
  5. Becauseimwolfit
    Apr 7, 2021
    8
    If you're looking for a Stardew Valley clone, this is not your game. While on the surface the game looks like another relaxing farming life sim, it actually provides a very different experience. Yes, it is relaxing. Yes, it is beautiful. But Summer in Mara is also a linear, story based experience with farming sim elements. Summer in Mara follows Koa, a young girl raised by her Yaya on anIf you're looking for a Stardew Valley clone, this is not your game. While on the surface the game looks like another relaxing farming life sim, it actually provides a very different experience. Yes, it is relaxing. Yes, it is beautiful. But Summer in Mara is also a linear, story based experience with farming sim elements. Summer in Mara follows Koa, a young girl raised by her Yaya on an island. It's all about her journey making friends, growing up, and finding the best ways to care for others. It features some really beautiful story telling and some really fun characters that make this little world of Mara feel alive. While it was not the experience I went in expecting, Summer in Mara is a game I'm so glad to own and have played.… Expand
  6. InTheMood
    Jun 28, 2020
    4
    Story is too heavily scripted with unintuitive controls and quests. Only complete actions when the quests come up or you could end up doing a future quest by accident and get stuck in the game. I did this twice and had to restart both times to fix the issues. It’s not really a farming sim, you only farm to feed yourself really. It’s mainly a fetch quest with a heavy script along the way.Story is too heavily scripted with unintuitive controls and quests. Only complete actions when the quests come up or you could end up doing a future quest by accident and get stuck in the game. I did this twice and had to restart both times to fix the issues. It’s not really a farming sim, you only farm to feed yourself really. It’s mainly a fetch quest with a heavy script along the way. It’s supposed to be relaxing but I found myself getting frustrated with tedious tasks and excessive button clicking. I don’t think the game is worth the price really.… Expand
  7. Capnhuggy
    Jun 25, 2020
    2
    Played the game through, and finally reached the end, only to have a crash that robbed me of the ending cutscene for what was an otherwise fascinating game, the game is continuable, but unless you play the game through a 2nd time diminishing all of your work, you won’t see this cutscene if it crashes, do not bother messaging them with this issue as they will provide you with a link onPlayed the game through, and finally reached the end, only to have a crash that robbed me of the ending cutscene for what was an otherwise fascinating game, the game is continuable, but unless you play the game through a 2nd time diminishing all of your work, you won’t see this cutscene if it crashes, do not bother messaging them with this issue as they will provide you with a link on YouTube showing the lost cutscene, and a half hearted explanation that you will be able to access the cutscenes through an update in the future, very disappointing considering the game is backed by Square Enix, it is not worth paying the release price in its broken state, if you’re adamant to play it check other reviews, otherwise the switch release is broken.… Expand
  8. julevi
    Aug 13, 2021
    9
    Given the reasonable price of 20€ this game surprised me a lot. The performance is very well executed and it has a very lovely, relaxing, warm atmosphere that simply makes me happy whenever I feel like needing a little break. I loved the possibility of planting and building freely around the huge own island. The story might be a bit childish, missing depth and has very simple dialogues.Given the reasonable price of 20€ this game surprised me a lot. The performance is very well executed and it has a very lovely, relaxing, warm atmosphere that simply makes me happy whenever I feel like needing a little break. I loved the possibility of planting and building freely around the huge own island. The story might be a bit childish, missing depth and has very simple dialogues. Also, it has a pretty long and boring dialogue which you just need to get throught. For 20€ you´ll get more than you could expect. If you´re in need for a relaxing getaway, give this game a chance and you will not regret it.… Expand
  9. Gantelmann
    Jan 30, 2021
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Eintöniges von A nach B gerenne.
    Grafik ist schön aber auf der Switch sehr geringe Renderdistance.    … Expand

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 30
  3. Negative: 7 out of 30
  1. Cubed3
    Oct 28, 2020
    80
    Although there were a few faults and issues in the game, none are game breaking, and updates have removed some faults and added quality of life improvements. Anyone who likes mostly calm games involving lots of quests and some farming will enjoy being Koa in Summer in Mara. With multiple backpack designs and clothes to collect through quests, and finding all the crabs with messages from early game supporters, there is plenty to do in Mara before the game ends, and afterwards too. There aren't extra quests post game, but fulfilling all the quests is satisfying in itself, and the varying environments with some items to harvest are memorable enough to return to for fun.
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  2. Digital Chumps
    Sep 3, 2020
    65
    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!
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  3. GameCritics
    Aug 11, 2020
    45
    When it works and the quests follow a natural flow, Summer in Mara can be wonderful. At its best moments, I found it to be relaxing and effortlessly charming. Sadly, the horrendous backtracking, time-wasting filler content and frustrating resource management make it less of a vacation and more of a job.
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