“Nights can never be real and enjoyable without the croaking of frogs and the chirping of crickets.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
Overview
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a casual creature-collector and farming sim in which players hop into the role of Cleo and help restore and manage a delightful frog sanctuary.
Developer: Humble Reeds
Released: 8th June 2024
Price: £16.75
Gameplay
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge sees protagonist Cleo bringing the delightful sanctuary back to life. This entails restoring the nearby wetlands to improve biodiversity so that bugs can be gathered to feed and tame frogs. Additionally, crops can be planted and their produce harvested to make food in the kitchen and other goods such as paper cups and notebooks in the mill; these can be sold for money that will be used to equip the refuge. Resources replenish at a decent speed and crafting items is fairly straightforward. Each crafting attempt features a mini-game in which the player must click 2-3 times at the right moment, giving the opportunity to create extra items without using more resources. This means that while it is possible to craft several items at once, making each item individually will grant more chances for extra loot and is therefore much more efficient and profitable.
Money can be spent both on the wetlands, and the refuge. In the refuge, different items of furniture such as chairs, paddling pools, wishing wells and more can be bought to attract frogs and keep them entertained and comfortable. Some of these can even be customised with paint that is bought from a separate vendor. Levelling up and buying blueprints will increase the range of items that are available. There are other items available as well such as insect hotels and bee hives, these produce extra resources such as more bugs/frog food, and honey to sell.
There are several species of frogs, each with a different pattern, and they all come in a range of colour schemes. There are over 500 frogs to catch in total and upon finding each one, it can be tamed (with the right combination of food) and photographed. Images can go in the frogdex, and also in limited journal space. It is possible to breed frogs at a cost, for a chance to get new colour combinations, and even entirely new colours, meaning there are multiple ways to collect all the frogs available.
The game has a comprehensive tutorial and plenty of help throughout as well as the ability to go back and look at key information. This helps the game feel relaxing and stress-free, especially alongside the casual gameplay and cute aesthetics. A further area called the billabong also unlocks later in the game, this is similar to the wetlands and adds some more space to manage biodiversity and cultivate resources.
Narrative
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge follows Cleo who, after wrapping up a work project, decides to go home and visit her childhood friend Axel. Axel has recently decided to build a frog refuge and needs Cleo’s help. As things progress, more characters are introduced, including a scientist who will help breed different, a farmer to help replenish the wetland, and a crafty character who sells blueprints and can paint the various items of furniture for extra customisation. There are extra story elements that crop up, mostly tying into the advancement of the refuge and the various objectives that the player is set.
Styling
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge features a charming illustrative art style that boasts a painterly style and a calming but colourful pastel palette. The artwork uses delicate linework to add to the soft overall feel. The frogs, and their various designs, are a highlight as far as the aesthetics go. They are all incredibly cute and their poses and expressions are really quite charming. The relaxing music consists mostly of light piano tracks and is a soothing addition to the experience and matches the visuals and gameplay very well.
Summary
Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a charming game, full of cute frogs and fun farming and management gameplay that avoids being too taxing or stressful. The aesthetics are lovely, with the soft pastel visuals and delicate piano soundtrack really emphasising the relaxing tone of the game. Playtime can vary, and players can expect to spend anywhere from 6 to 20 hours in the game depending on the level of completion they wish to achieve. It is a compact but entertaining farming and management game with plenty of cute creatures and a light but fitting narrative that helps with immersion and increases the player’s level of engagement. Overall, this is a great game and I’d highly recommend it to anyone looking for a farming sim and collectathon that doesn’t insist on meticulous attention to detail or massive time commitment. I’d also recommend it to anyone who loves frogs!
Want more froggy-tastic games? Check out these reviews:
Frog Detective 1: The Haunted Island – Short, Silly, and Spooky! – 2 for Free by Anatoliy Loginovskikh: Mushroom Cats & 100 Hidden Frogs! – Teacup – A Charming Tea-Themed Adventure in Little Pond
