Review: Summer In Mara (Steam)

Take care of your own island and explore the ocean in this farming adventure. Summer in Mara mix farming, crafting and exploring mechanic in a tropical archipelago with a colorful style and strong narrative

Pros:

• Beautiful bright graphics.
• 1.51mb Download size.
• Steam achievements.
• Full controller support.
• Opening tutorial tasks.
• Beautiful cartoon cutscenes.
• Enchanting soundtrack.
• Crafting survival gameplay.
• Learn new recipes as you play.
• A constant stream of quests will come in.
• Crafting-tools/kitchen/workbench.
• Sleep to regain stamina and health and move to the next game day.
• Day/night cycle and weather like rain.
• Tools-hammer, axes, hoe, water buckets.
• Harvesting materials is a case of holding a button-down.
• Fishing- timed initial mini-game then move the bar to reel the fish in.
• Kick trees to get pine nuts, fruit, etc.
• Can plant trees and plants.
• Boat-use to travel the seas and visit new lands.
• Quest givers are shown in each new area and you get a brief description of the quest on the menu screen.
• Food will grow when the game is switched off.
• Starred items on seller lists mean you get a higher price.
• Pay to fast travel home.
• Crab mail-collectibles scattered around.
• Build your own farm, plant trees where you like and fish and grow plants to your own content.
• Bright fresh atmosphere.

Cons:

• Real slow pace.
• Missions are basically growing this then take it here to get this then take it here. It’s all long-winded.
• Getting upgraded weapons takes an age, not getting the upgrades means you get the whole I need a better weapon to do this pop-up.
• The jump is very immediate and whilst it’s fine it does feel weird at first.
• There is a limit to how many trees you can plant.
• The game presents itself as an almost open-ended do as you like engagement, but in doing so I found and used items that then became mission items and I had to wait hours for it to respawn or to find an alternative.
• The mission structure as a whole is not that great.
• Stamina is not well defined and you can find yourself passing out a lot of the time.
• Invisible walls.
• Constant roadblocks.