Summer in Mara Reviews
A pretty but average experience, Summer in Mara fails to set the world on fire due to some major gameplay flaws that fail to guide the player in even the most basic ways.
It looks and plays like it is far from ready for wide release, even for your typical early access title. The bad part is that Summer in Mara is not marked as early access, so I don't think I can be forgiving of its half-baked mechanics, presentation, or UI. 5/10 underwater chests
Colorful characters alone can't wake up this sleepy sailing and farming adventure.
I really wanted to like Summer in Mara for what it attempts to do, but having played it enough to find out how it goes about trying to deliver a relaxing time, it ended up doing the exact opposite.
Summer in Mara started off with a strong first impression through it's presentation and art but began to sink by trying to squeeze in both farming and adventuring, while not doing either brilliantly.
While it’s meant to be a relaxing adventure, Summer in Mara is more often tedious than not.
When you compare this to titles like Minecraft of Stardew Valley, Summer In Mara fails to match up to its predecessors that stand tall in this harvested field. Sure, it looks pretty and for some of the younger kids this may even be a good stepping stone to get into this genre, but the gameplay loop and repetitive quest design wears thin long before the end of the main narrative.
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.
Summer in Mara has a lot going for it, however, this doesn't save the lacklustre gaming mechanics that lead to the game becoming more tedious than it is relaxing.
Summer in Mara manages to instill joy. It connects you with likable characters and weaves a narrative into its gameplay loop in ways that many other similar titles do not. Ultimately, though, the simplicity of its mechanics too often turns the game into a chore.
For the rest of us who have been playing crafting and survival games for 10+ years, there is nothing in this game for us. For almost everything this game does well, there are other more complex games that do it just as well or better. I can tell lots of love was put into Summer in Mara, but there are some tweaks that need to be made to support the audience they seem to be going for.
Summer in Mara is an adorable, thoughtful game that approaches spaces we’re very used to from a different angle. Animal Crossing thinks it’s a chill game, but it buries you under tasks, goals, and timely events. Harvest Moon slaps you with a time limit to make a great, booming farm. Dragon Quest Builders will freakin’ kill you. Summer in Mara just wants you to take care of yourself, be thankful to nature, and have a good time exploring. But it also wants you to accomplish a million tasks along the way, and that gets tedious. A shorter runtime or more variation in questlines would have done this game wonders, but as it is, it’s still a fun, relaxing adventure propelled by an endearing message.
Overall, Summer in Mara has an incredibly strong narrative with character art and light music that only strengthens it. It’s youthful and vibrant, but it also has more somber notes that aren’t always found in farming sims. The only downside is that music and a character driven plot aren't enough to get through all the tedious parts.
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.
Summer in Mara is a beautiful game for the eyes and the ears, but spends too much time on fetch quests and not enough on story.
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 is a beautiful yet frustrating effort that fails to live up to its massive potential. Despite its masterful storytelling, Chibig fills the game's remaining hours with repetitive fetch quests and an empty world not worth exploring. It makes me sad but for the wrong reasons.
"My sweet summer child."
Review in Finnish | Read full review
Summer in Mara is a title whose art captivates visually and musically. With interesting characters and teachings to convey, Chibig offers us a game that will keep us hooked for a long time. Its repeatability when carrying out orders and a not especially inspired interface are the main flaws of a game that, if you have enjoyed Animal Crossing or My time at Portia, you should not miss.
Review in Spanish | Read full review