Summer in Mara Review
"Summer in Mara"
Review by: Carless Yen
Developer: Chibig
Publisher:Chibig
Platforms: XBOX, PC, Switch, Playstation
Release Date: 01-05-21
Price: $24.99
Description
Take care of your own island and explore the ocean in this farming adventure. Summer in Mara mixes farming, crafting and exploring mechanic in a tropical archipelago with a colorful style and strong narrative.
Features
An open ocean with over 20 islands to explore.
Customize your own island with buildings, crops and farm animals.
Over 25 characters to meet and befriend.
More than 300 quests to make Mara a better place.
Day and night cycle that have an effect on the world with climatic events.
My Review
Summer in Mara was a quite relaxing experience where you play as a little girl on a island with her grandmother. You dream of big adventures with or as a pirate sailing the beautiful blue oceans. How ever your grandmother wants to keep you on the island and teach you the ways of it. She wants to make sure you can fend for yourself by fishing, cooking, gardening, mining for materials, just everything you need to survive on the island alone. This is basically your tutorial, and the real adventure begins when she passes, and the island is yours alone to manage. When the entire island becomes yours to manage. You will have to make it all your own. It's really fun planting trees and veggies that you want to see around your landscape. I loaded mine up with beautiful Cherry trees to be honest. You will be able to mine materials and craft useful items as well like fences, wells for water, and so much more. You will also come across useful tools and items to make it even better like Furnaces and Fridges for Ice. These will also help with making new food items as well. You will learn so many more dishes as you advance, and have a really good time finding the ingredients as well. You will have a blast customizing your island until the day you meet a special friend you want to help get home, and you have to leave the island. Your dreams finally come true of heading out into the world on your boat to see what is out there.
What you find out it out there is a beautiful city full of tons of comical and interesting characters. Full of personalities and funny stories. Oh yeah and fetch quests. Fetch quests galore. You start to wonder how this city lasted this long with out you. They literally can't do anything on their own. This will start your adventure of over 300 quests to improve your relationship with all of these people. Remember kids you have to do everyone's work for them to make them like you lol. Just joking, but you will certainly start to feel a little repetition if you over do it. I really recommend taking your time with this, and relaxing and enjoying it. Just sit back and take in the beautiful island and music. there is no rush. The missions aren't timed really, and you can explore any time you want. The only thing you have to watch is your energy and hunger, and you'll have so many apples and oranges that won't be a real issue. There is also plenty of places to sleep, like your boat if night comes upon you and you can't return your quest because stores are closed. Time flies so that will happen a lot. Just don't get caught in the junkyard when it closes because you can't jump the fence. I found that out a couple times. Most the quests are just making recipes, crafting things for people, or finding ingredients. Some times you will get easy ones like just running a item to some one. The thigs are pretty easy to find. Most times just laying around the city or islands. Some times can sell things to vendors, and purchase the item. If it's hard to find usually you just don't have something that's required to craft it yet.
There are over 20 islands so you will be sailing a lot. It might not be for every one honestly. Some people might not like the whole grind of it all and the repetition. If you enjoy things like Stardew Valley, Yonder, and Animal Crossing where you are thrown into a peaceful environment with no real threat, you should enjoy this as well. I don't really enjoy these all that much, but I did enjoy Yonder "A LOT" I had a relaxing good time with this as well. I'll admit I didn't completely finish everything. I wanted to get this out review out, but I did get about 80% done, and will return to it as well. I already seen it to completion in videos though to make sure I knew about it 100% before covering it. It's going to take you around 30 hours to finish everything, but I wanted to get this out in a timely matter so i went ahead, and got to work on it with about 25 hours in it. The things I really loved was the music. It's so peaceful and happy. The characters all have hilarious stories before sending you out to grab things for them. Really great writing for them. The cutscenes are all really well thrown together. Some delightful animation that feels like pro anime quality. The customization. You can customize yourself by earning new clothes, as well as your island by planting and crafting it just how you want it. You can even rescue animals, and provide them with a new home. Feed them and make them happy, and they will provide you with items as well. I like the exploration as well. It's really cool to discover new islands and their materials. The pros so outweighed the cons in my opinion. most the cons were repetition based. Some people will enjoy the time though they can put into it. To me though it kind of runs on a little long. I can overlook that though, because I can step away from it and come back and enjoy the beautiful Mara. It's one of those simple games that you can come back to it after a month, and not feel lost or frustrated.
So is this one for you? I think if you own a Switch, and enjoy the simplistic type games on the Nintendo platform you will be pulled in by this. If you have enjoyed any of the previous titles mentioned earlier you will as well. Achievement and Trophy hunters this is pretty simple Achievements, but you won't get them quick. It's a real grind to and will require around 25-30 hours to 100% it. Maybe a lot more if you get into customizing and exploring like I did. I think if you have small children they might enjoy it as well, but advancing might be a struggle for some as some items can be hard to find. To me though at $24.99 it's loaded with hours and hours of content so people who buy few games, and like a bang for their buck this one is going to keep you busy for some time. If your looking for something to just play and not get frustrated, or something to relax and chill to I can't think of many better options.
Beautiful Islands to explore.
Wonder and hilarious characters.
The music is so good and relaxing.
Just a cute overall experience that doesn't frustrate much.
Customizing your Island is so much fun.
Tons of hours of gameplay at affordable price.
Repetitive if you play it for to long.
These characters are so lazy, can they do anything for themselves?
No real challenge ever presents itself.
Overall Impression:
Yes it can be repetitive and simple, but a lot of people are looking for that type of relaxing feel. I was looking for it at the time I played it I guess, because I had a good time with it. It feels like an escape most of the time. Your on your own Island without a care in the world except helping a few new hilarious friends out. If that sounds like a good time to you as well "Summer in Mara" might be just what you are looking for.
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