Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge Review - It's Not Easy Building a Sanctuary

Everyone loves a good frog. Kermit, Hypnotoad, and Keroppi are just a few amphibians that have captured our hearts over the years. Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a farming sim game where the player's main goal is to tame and raise frogs on a farm. With a game like that, you could never be unhoppy. (No, that is not the only frog pun in this review.) 

I’m Newt to the Area

In Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, you play as Cleo, a young woman who moves back to her childhood home for a chance to relax and take a break from her draining desk job. She meets up with her friend Axel who has been working on building up a frog sanctuary near her home. When you arrive, naturally things are a bit dilapidated and empty, but it’s up to Cleo to really hop to it and start getting things going at the sanctuary.

Players that are fans of casual, cozy games will get sucked in quickly here. The gameplay is simple enough and, guided by the game’s tutorials, everything is pretty easy to learn. Your overall goal is to get frogs to visit the sanctuary by putting out different frogs’ favorite items and feeding them. You can also breed frogs to create new types. You’ll also raise money by harvesting different plants and creating products like jam to sell. 

Warts and All

There’s nothing particularly challenging about collecting all of the frogs. Unlike other creature collecting games where players have to meet very specific criteria in order to get certain creatures to visit, Kamaeru makes it pretty easy to get visitors and tame them. The fact that it’s so easy to get frogs to visit makes this entire aspect of the game a bit of a let down and there’s no real incentive to get particular types or colors. Still, Kamaeru boasts over 500 types of frogs to collect so players that like collecting, will definitely have their work cut out for them. 

One of my favorite parts of the game is decorating the area. Only the wetlands area is available at the beginning of the game but, as you progress, you’ll be able to expand and enjoy three total biomes. It’s a pretty large area to decorate and players are sure to love the variety that can be unlocked including a great number of frog-themed items. 

Getting the Whole Gang Together

Additionally, the more you progress, the more people you’ll meet that want to help your project. Each new character has their own purpose in the sanctuary including characters like Djena and Annabelle. I did find myself wishing that there was a bit more story with the characters apart from their initial introduction. After meeting each character, they’re always there on the farm for you to interact with, but you don’t learn much more about them. I think a little more backstory would have added a nice bit of motivation for the characters.

When it comes to each new character’s addition to the sanctuary, each character is there for a particular purpose. Djena, for example, helps to create new furniture pieces and Anabelle assists with breeding. I found Annabelle’s breeding mini-game to be pretty confusing. You’re meant to use a type of tic-tac-toe board to try and create new species of frogs by combining certain attributes together, but the whole thing feels unnecessary. You’ll be lucky to get what you’re trying for, and it costs money to do it, so I found myself spending my money more often on other things rather than bothering with trying to master this breeding mechanic. 

Overall, Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge isn’t one of the best cozy farming sim games out there, but it’s certainly fun for the first few hours. Decorating the farm with adorable froggy furniture is the best part along with some of the more fun mini-games you can play to upgrade your sanctuary. Some elements of the game can be a little confusing and unnecessary, but at the end of the day, it’s a game about creating a lovely home for frogs and it does just that. 

Breakdown

Game: Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge

Developer: Humble Reeds

Publisher: Armor Game Studios

Availability: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X/S

Reviewed on Nintendo Switch

Pros: 

+ Adorable art style with dozens of cute frogs and froggy furniture

+ Super cozy

+ Teaches cool lessons about biodiversity

Cons: 

- Some gameplay mechanics are confusing and get repetitive the more you play

- Wish there was a bit more story to add motivation to the game

Final Thoughts

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a cute, simplistic game that allows players to relax, unwind and hang out with some lovely frogs. While gameplay does get repetitive after a while, for those that are looking for something chill, it’s a good time for a few hours. You might not find yourself trying to collect every frog or bothering with some of the more confusing elements of the game, but overall it’s a lovely little title with loads of adorable hoppy lads.

Review by Becca Smith

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