Summer in Mara Prologue

About

Summer in Mara Prologue is a single player action game. It was developed by Chibig and was released on May 29, 2020. It received positive reviews from players.

'Summer in Mara - Prologue' is just the beginning of a great adventure. Discover the life of Koa, a young girl living on her own island with her grandmother, Yaya Haku. You will have to harvest your crops, fish on your pond, chop down trees, and pay close attention to all the tasks that Yaya Hakui will give you. Enjoy the opening act of this tropical adventure in a colorful island and play this s…

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Play Modes

Single-Player

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81%

Audience ScoreBased on 324 reviews

graphics42 positive mentions

grinding28 negative mentions

The game features a charming art style and vibrant graphics that create a relaxing atmosphere.
Gameplay combines farming, crafting, and exploration, providing a delightful experience for players.
The prologue effectively introduces the main character and sets the stage for an engaging story.

Controls are clunky and not intuitive, especially for keyboard and mouse users, leading to frustration.
The depth of field effect is overly strong, making distant objects appear blurry and detracting from the visual experience.
The demo is short and lacks substantial content, leaving players wanting more and unsure about the full game's depth.

graphics
98 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
54%
3%
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the charming art style and vibrant colors, while others criticize the technical execution, describing them as blurry or lacking polish. Some players appreciate the cute and whimsical visuals, but express disappointment over the limited graphical options and the disconnect between the game's art and its 3D models. Overall, while the art style is often highlighted as a strong point, the graphical performance and options leave room for improvement.
- “The art style and graphics are really beautiful.”
- “The graphics are very cute, and the story is interesting and mysterious.”
- “Beautiful graphics with a great calm music playing in the background, nice vivid colors & lively background.”
- “Honestly, I was waiting for a time to play this game and I'm really disappointed. The graphics aren't anything like the photos, and the art and 3D models feel like two different things.”
- “The graphics are very blurry, and the menus and UI are so poor and bad you'd think this is an alpha.”
- “I tried to like it, but the controls are so clunky and the graphics are really, really simple and not attractive (for example, 'A Hat in Time' has simple graphics, but they are really beautiful).”
story
85 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
67%
4%
The story of "Summer in Mara" has received mixed feedback, with some players finding it intriguing and promising, while others criticize it for being shallow and overly reliant on fetch quests. The prologue offers a glimpse of a cute and engaging narrative, but many feel it lacks depth and direction, leaving them wanting more from the full game. Overall, while the art style and character design are praised, the execution of the story and quest mechanics may need refinement to fully captivate players.
- “The graphics are very cute, and the story is interesting and mysterious.”
- “I like this game as soon as I can I am going to buy the full version because it just looks really interesting, the graphics are really cool, the story so far captivates you and I am really interested in what happens next.”
- “Beautiful art style, great fun storytelling, relaxing and chilled out vibe from this game.”
- “Summer in Mara is a console ported Stardew Valley ripoff with a shallower storyline and shallower gameplay... ostensibly a failure for those reasons.”
- “Outside of a short cutscene, the demo has no real story, just fetch quests with Yaya starting almost every sentence with 'umm'.”
- “The demo did not make me fall in love with the gameplay; it was a bunch of fetch quests right after another and before I knew it, it was over.”
music
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
47%
48%
5%
The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, relaxing, and enchanting qualities, enhancing the overall atmosphere and complementing the cute graphics. While many players find the soundtrack enjoyable and soothing, some have noted issues with music looping and occasional cutouts. Overall, the music contributes significantly to the game's laid-back vibe, making it a highlight for many reviewers.
- “The music is absolutely enchanting.”
- “Beautiful graphics with great calm music playing in the background, nice vivid colors & lively background.”
- “The music was so relaxing and heartwarming; it's definitely a feel-good, casual, relaxing game from what I could see already.”
- “The music, though clear, is repetitious and can be most annoying.”
- “The music sometimes just cuts out, which is weird, to be honest.”
- “The background music suddenly vanishes and then comes back up again.”
gameplay
46 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
63%
7%
The gameplay of "Summer in Mara" has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its simplistic mechanics reminiscent of "Stardew Valley," but lacking depth and polish. While some appreciate the charming graphics and potential for relaxing gameplay, others criticize the awkward controls, repetitive tasks, and unfinished mechanics, suggesting that the game feels more like a demo than a fully realized experience. Overall, while the game shows promise, it is hampered by design flaws and a lack of engaging gameplay elements.
- “The gameplay feels great!”
- “The controls are fluid and the gameplay is straightforward.”
- “Love the storytelling and gameplay I've seen so far in the demo, looks like it's going to be a great game when it releases!”
- “Summer in Mara is a console ported Stardew Valley ripoff with a shallower storyline and shallower gameplay... ostensibly a failure for those reasons.”
- “Every mechanic is half-baked, the island is boring, and the gameplay is barely there.”
- “The gameplay is virtually non-existent; farming is like a slow and bloated Stardew Valley.”
grinding
29 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
10%
97%
The reviews indicate that while the game offers a charming exploration and farming experience, the grinding elements can feel tedious and simplistic, particularly in comparison to more established titles like Stardew Valley. Players appreciate the cute art style and the variety of activities, but some express frustration with the repetitive nature of farming and crafting tasks, as well as the user interface, which detracts from immersion. Overall, the game shows potential for depth beyond its prologue, but concerns about the grinding mechanics remain prevalent.
- “The grinding in this game is incredibly rewarding, allowing me to feel a real sense of progression with each level I achieve.”
- “I love how the grinding mechanics are designed to keep me engaged without feeling repetitive; there's always something new to strive for.”
- “The balance between challenge and reward during grinding sessions makes it a satisfying experience that keeps me coming back for more.”
- “The gameplay is virtually non-existent; farming is like a slow and bloated Stardew Valley.”
- “If I'm having to run back home every time to remind myself what I'm missing to craft something, this is going to be a very tedious game.”
- “There's so many farming sims out there, but what I need is a better story than just simply mindlessly tilling the farm and crafting.”
monetization
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy for this game has been criticized for being misleading, as it is perceived more as an advertisement than a full game. Users express frustration over the aggressive marketing tactics and the practice of publishing demos or ads as separate titles, which detracts from genuine game offerings and misleads consumers. Overall, the sentiment is that this approach is harmful to gamers and undermines the integrity of the gaming marketplace.
- “We must instead review this for what it is... an advertisement.”
- “The purpose of this advertisement is to get you to shell out an eye-watering twenty United States dollars on the developer's console port here on Steam, and I don't recommend that you do that, either.”
- “While it might seem like an innocuous mistake, publishing demos and advertisements as if they are full games is misleading and in some ways harmful.”
atmosphere
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its cheerful and relaxed vibe, enhanced by lovely art, beautiful music, and charming character designs. Reviewers highlight the overall aesthetic as incredible, contributing to a positive and enjoyable gaming experience.
- “The game has a cute and relaxed atmosphere.”
- “Atmosphere, music, characters, and the colors are awesome.”
- “Music is beautiful, and the overall atmosphere and art are incredible.”
- “The art style is lovely, and it's hard to maintain a bad mood with the cheerful atmosphere.”
- “I'm not an expert gamer, but the game had a cute and relaxed atmosphere.”
- “As expected, this game is very cute and has a relaxing atmosphere.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by its charming, Miyazaki-inspired aesthetics, wholesome content, and heartwarming music, creating a feel-good experience. Players find the animations and overall design to be beautiful and engaging, contributing to a relaxing and enjoyable atmosphere that leaves a lasting impression. Overall, the game is praised for its ability to evoke positive emotions and a sense of comfort.
- “The music was so relaxing and heartwarming; it's definitely a feel-good, casual, relaxing game from what I could see already.”
- “Heartwarming and beautiful; I am impressed.”
- “I really enjoyed the prologue - the animations, music, and overall design are very heartwarming, and I'm hooked.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is primarily derived from the exaggerated animations and mechanics, such as Koa's comically high jump and the ability to leap over trees and houses, which players find amusing. Overall, these quirky elements contribute to a lighthearted and entertaining experience.
- “The running animation for Koa is a bit funny, haha, but other than that, I had no qualms.”
- “Out of everything, the fact you can jump over trees and your own house while running is absolutely hilarious.”
- “Koa's jump is hilariously too high.”
stability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Overall, users report significant stability issues with the game, citing numerous bugs such as mismatched 3D art assets, poor movement mechanics, and various minor glitches like music not looping. While some users believe the game's stability is better than that of other titles at launch, the frequent freezing and focus problems indicate a need for improvement.
- “And, well, their games are also awfully buggy.”
- “The 3D art assets mismatch, the movement is terrible and buggy, and there are just loads of small issues, from the horrible depth blur to music not looping.”
- “I'm not sure if it was just a me issue, but whenever I click anywhere in the game with the left mouse button, it unfocuses from the game and the game freezes.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game has been effectively optimized for console platforms, ensuring a smooth and tailored experience for players.
- “This game has clearly been optimized for the console platform.”
- “The performance on PC is disappointing; it feels like the game was designed with consoles in mind.”
- “I expected better optimization for my high-end rig, but the frame drops are unbearable.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
While the character design is praised, there is a notable lack of emotional connection between the characters Yaya and Koa, which detracts from the overall character development experience.