Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge

If you’re looking for a new cozy game that involves saving frog’s habitats, this game is definitely worth a hop. It was relaxing and fun to discover all the different frogs. Not only that, I got to make the game my own with endless possibilities and customizations of the wetlands. Lastly, the story and visuals complemented each other in this cozy world that made me want to keep coming back for more.

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is a delightfully charming, remarkably in-depth eco-management sim. I figured it would be a pretty chill game with some intense parts of difficulty for me because that’s where I’m at these days. What I got was better than anything I expected. It’s not confusing, there is very little stress involved, and it is easy to get lost spending hours at a time meeting new frog friends and saving the wetlands. The expansive help section is especially appreciated. The game goes at the pace you choose. It was actually so overwhelmingly chill it was a bit easier to overlook some of the parts I did struggle with.

If you enjoy games like Neko Atsume, are a lover of frogs, or are interested in wetland conservation, Kamaeru offers an enjoyable, adorable, and meaningful experience. One can appreciate the diversity of the characters and the way they interact with each other, as well as learn more about the mechanics of paludiculture and how to raise carbon capture. While there are some features that can be expanded upon, Kamaeru is without a doubt a worthy creature collector title.

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge combines cute frogs and wetland development to create a refuge management experience you will never forget. The frogs are adorable and collecting them all is enjoyable. Customising your frog refuge and the extremely low chance of failure let you pursue your goals as you wish. While the game is not at all challenging and doesn't have the best UI in late-game areas, it's still fun to play. By far the cosiest frog simulator you will ever encounter, Kamaeru is perfect if you're wondering how you can save our planet.

The game feels like an escape into nature where players are also able to make meaningful change at their own pace, and is a lovely way to wind down at the end of a long day. It's certainly not a cozy game that can be played indefinitely - or, in truth, even for more than perhaps 10 hours at the very most, depending on how fast players opt to progress - but the time that is spent is overall quite endearing. With charming visuals, calming music, and a bevy of adorable frogs to be adopted and given silly names, Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge offers a fun, amphibious twist on a well-trodden format.

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge isn't a bad game, it's a disappointing one.It tries to be just another relaxing field management title, however, it ends up committing the same sins as others, and doesn't innovate enough to justify its own existence. It's not the first to use frogs, and it certainly won't be the last.

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.

While it has charm on its side, there are simply too many engaging life sims out there that offer more

While cute and cozy, Kamaeru can definitely become frustrating if played for longer periods of time with little variation in gameplay.

I left the demo at PAX East eager for the completed game, and now that I’ve played it, it delivers well on the idyllic simplicity of building ponds and befriending frogs, even if the simplicity is a bit too simple at times. I’ve never seen a game put so much effort into making an actual statement on ecology and biodiversity, but Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge shows a cute game about photographing frogs can be so much more than that.