Summer in Mara Reviews

Summer in Mara is ranked in the 19th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Lee Mehr
Top Critic
4 / 10.0
Feb 1, 2021

Summer in Mara slowly morphed into a winter of discontent.

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TheXboxHub
James Bentley
Jan 19, 2021

As a natural conclusion to an ever-expanding and ever-growing world, the draw of primitivism made its way into gaming with force. Farming games and small simulators offer the experience of running away from it all to feel the true freedom of a new world. This freedom always comes at a price and the tutorial-focused hands of Summer in Mara on Xbox are where things stumble, offering a game that is unwilling to let you go outside of the strict parameters set before you.

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75 / 100
Dec 10, 2020

Summer in Mara is a beautiful indie game, full of interesting mechanics but gets too repetitive and it has to be enjoyed at a slow pace.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

Cubed3
Top Critic
8 / 10
Oct 28, 2020

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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Cubed3
Top Critic
8 / 10
Oct 28, 2020

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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Sep 24, 2020

Summer in Mara has a story behind its development that is not too rare anymore: funded by a Kickstarter campaign in 2019, the simulation game with RPG elements is beyond beautiful. The colourful and fresh environment burst with rich and appealing visuals at the first glance.

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7.5 / 10.0
Aug 12, 2020

A beautiful piece of nature, islands of Mara is in danger and the only hope to save it is a little farming girl Koa. And she is funny.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jul 22, 2020

Summer in Mara reminds me of a mash-up between The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and My Time In Portia. It has a charming mixture of bright colors and whimsical music that encapsulates the world you are immersed within, in all of its child-like wonder.

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7.3 / 10.0
Jul 21, 2020

I enjoyed my time with this adventure farming simulator and it comes at a perfect time when people are on the lookout for more games of that type with peak Animal Crossing popularity happening right now.

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8.5 / 10.0
Jul 20, 2020

Quiet, pretty, and entertaining.

Review in Spanish | Read full review

5 / 10
Jul 20, 2020

I can see talent in this team and this project, and even though Summer in Mara disappointed me, I still look forward to other projects by the team and hope they don’t stop creating.

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3 / 10.0
Jul 16, 2020

All that glitters is not gold, I don't think I will find a more suitable quote to describe Summer in Mara, the game looks like really charming and beautiful but the actual gameplay is repetitive, boring and has no fun at all... no, worse than that, it's just painful to play.

Review in Arabic | Read full review

3.5 / 5.0
Jul 15, 2020

While Summer in Mara has a wholesome atmosphere that’s rarely broken thanks to an overwhelming effort placed towards style and presentation, there isn’t anything wholesome regarding the content consumed.

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Jul 7, 2020

While the game is supposed to be a calming and relaxing experience, it ends up just being frustrating due to all the repetition. There is some enjoyment to be had if you are a fan of farming games and will be playing this very casually, but otherwise there are better titles available.

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6 / 10.0
Jul 6, 2020

Summer in Mara makes a great first impression with its pleasant visuals and laid-back music but ultimately fails to remain engaging for long due to repetitive quests, a hollow world and plenty of tedious mechanics

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6 / 10
Jul 6, 2020

Summer in Mara has real potential to become a strong indie game with an addictive element. However, it still lacks too many nooks and crannies to be really fun all the time. At the moment Summer in Mara is something for those players who are looking for a very simple adventure game, which can be played on the side and doesn't demand too much attention.

Review in German | Read full review

Geeks Under Grace
Adam Mueller
6 / 10.0
Jul 1, 2020

I wanted to enjoy Summer in Mara, but with gameplay consisting of little more than trading quests, I was led disappointed with such a mediocre performance at best.

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6.5 / 10.0
Jun 30, 2020

While Summer in Mara is a game with a lot of heart; its gameplay is a bit too monotonous to be enjoyable for even diehard fans of games like Harvest Moon.

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Recommended
Jun 29, 2020

While Summer in Mara won’t be enjoyed by those looking for thrilling action, there is plenty of charm in this tropical tale of a girl and her boat.

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3.5 / 5.0
Jun 29, 2020

Summer in Mara is a nice chillout game you can take totally at your own pace, even if the lack of challenge and excitement will surely frustrate many players. It’s very much an ideal game for children or those who want to take a break from the stresses, fears, and pressures of modern life, which right now is very much understandable! Though I certainly didn’t feel thrilled or captivated playing it, I do anticipate returning periodically returning to the sweet, summery world of Mara from time to time when the cold cruel world is grinding me down under its relentless wheel!

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