Rating
Summer in Mara
Take care of your own island. Summer in Mara is a single-player summer adventure, with an easy-RPG system and exploration elements. The spirit of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker and the farm from Stardew Valley, with the visual aspect of Studio Ghibli's films.
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Summer in Mara Reviews
Professional reviews from gaming critics
Farming sim meets narrative-driven RPG meets long-distance boat rides.
While even the simplest quests can take a grueling amount of effort to complete, they’re also hampered by the poor UI and system performance. Playing the game on the Nintendo Switch means weathering a lackluster resolution and fluctuating framerate. There were even a few game-breaking bugs I experienced which required me to restart the game. An added frustration to the poor quest system is that the music (one of the best parts of Summer in Mara) becomes grating due to the repetition.
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.
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.
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.
The release of Summer in Mara couldn’t have been better timed. Given the uncertainty and social strife currently gripping the world, many are turning to gaming for a bit of escapism. Summer in Mara looks to provide exactly that, combining the gentle drama of life sims like Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley with the sunny exploration of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. Heck, Mara even takes place on a series of islands like recent megahit Animal Crossing: New Horizons. No wonder Summer in Mara amassed nearly $300,000 from Kickstarter backers – this sounds like the ultimate chillout game.
Summer In Mara has come to us at almost the perfect time. With everyone still stuck inside and looking for any way to escape to the great outdoors, this seafaring farming sim was at the top of my games to play list. The game started its life as a successful Kickstarter project before its arrival on Steam and the Nintendo Switch in June of 2020. I myself have been following the game for a while, as a fan of any farming sim on the market, it piqued my interest right away with its promise of far...
A new farming simulator is always a tantalizing aspect to dive into. Summer In Mara is no exception to what looks like an upbeat experience unlike most gloom and doom games around it. In many respects, Summer In Mara hits the mark, but not without a few downsides.
Gradually became a winter of discontent.The world of game crowdfunding seems to net two exclusive results for me: potential GOTY/Indie GOTY or depressing [...]
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.
We won’t mince words here, Summer in Mara has absolutely nothing to offer that hasn’t been done much better in other games that are easily available right now. If you want a cozy farm sim with a pleasant atmosphere, get Stardew Valley or Rune Factory 4. If you want a thrilling adventure you can take at your own pace, get Minecraft or The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Even if you’ve played those and are looking for something new, please don’t waste your time or money here. This is not a 'hidden gem'; the alluring presentation of Summer in Mara only acts as a pretty mask for a much uglier...