Developed by indie studio Chibig (Deiland), Summer In Mara started its life as a successful Kickstarter project before its arrival on Steam and the Nintendo Switch on June 16, 2020. Part Animal Crossing-style farming sim, part Minecraft-like crafting game, and part Studio Ghibli film, this happy little title is set in the same shared universe as the developers’ other works, though it still serves as a standalone story in its own right.

Summer In Mara puts you in the role of Koa, a young girl who was found as a child and raised on a remote island on the titular Sea of Mara. Her peaceful existence is changed when a strange fishlike creature named Napopo appears in the water, leading her to the city of Qu and a quest of self-discovery as she works through the mystery of her adoptive grandmother. Throughout her journey, Koa will make several new friends and uncover the plot of a sinister group of aliens named the Elits, who wish to exploit Mara for profit. The theme of Summer In Mara’s story is the connection between people and the environment, as well as the struggle between progress and maintaining the balance of nature.

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On their private island, players control Koa as she harvests crops, tends to her growing assortment of livestock, mines for minerals, and makes her own equipment. This is all done with simple button prompts and menu selections. Koa also fishes from Mara's waters, which is performed with this odd sort of minigame where the player moves a slider along with a fish indicator until a meter representing the creature’s stamina runs out. While all of this is happening, Koa will need to occasionally recharge her health meter by eating the food she prepares or resting at certain locations. Finally, the world has its own weather cycle, including rain that causes plants to grow faster and fills a player's wells.

Summer In Mara Farming

Koa’s journey eventually takes her away from her island home, requiring her to sail the waters of Mara in her trusty boat. Sailing is a lot like driving in most open-world games, using the triggers to go forward and backward and the joystick to steer. While out at sea, players will occasionally need to play a side-scrolling diving minigame to acquire various treasures from the depths of the sea. Using the trigger button to dive takes some getting used to, and the whole minigame is only essential a small handful of times throughout the game.

Throughout Summer Of Mara’s story, players will come across many fun and quirky NPCs, as well as some small references to things like the classic Lucasarts game Monkey Island and One Piece. As she travels, Koa will meet people she can buy or sell resources from, as well as requiring help in Summer In Mara’s numerous sidequests. Completing these tasks can help move the plot along, as well as provide Koa with new recipes or building plans to help on her journey.

Summer In Mara Sailing

The art style is similar to The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker, featuring 3D models rendered with colorful cell-shading. Dialog in Summer Of Mara also borrows from the Zelda series, consisting of text after a mumbling noise. The game’s music is appropriately soothing for a quiet tropical adventure, with nearly each important side character getting their own leitmotif, although it tends to cut out at random moments.

Summer In Mara isn’t perfect, as while the plot is generally well-written it can be slow at times, and requires a fair bit of grinding to progress. Still, it is a beautiful game, and there is a calming feeling in ferrying seeds, animals, and supplies from one of Mara's many faraway islands to the player's farm. Overall, Summer In Mara is a nice, quiet farming sim with plenty of warmth and charm, perfect for those who wish to get away from it all for a brief session or two.

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Summer In Mara releases on June 16, 2020 for PC and Nintendo Switch. Screen Rant was provided a Steam download code for the purpose of this review.