An early personal highlight of Summer Game Fest has landed: an adorable frog sanctuary sim called Kamaeru, which has hopped into release and right into my Steam cart.
Sometimes, a cozy new game catches my eye and I absolutely need it - right now is one of those times. Humble Reeds just released its whimsical indie sim Kamaeru, a wholesome experience in which you oversee a completely customizable sanctuary for frogs. As the kind soul looking after the sanctuary, it's up to you to transform the surrounding wetlands into a safe haven for the colorful little creatures. From decorating to playing mini-games, there's a whole lot to do to accomplish that in Kamaeru.
You can breed, raise, and even photograph frogs of all flavors - though, not literally (please don't eat the lil' froggos). There are over 500 variations total to collect, making Kamaeru the perfect go-to when you have a lot of time to unwind. To complete your collection, you'll have to learn how to attract different frogs to your sanctuary and play Kamaeru's special breeding mini-game. It kind of reminds me of Neko Atsume, the cat-collecting mobile game that went viral while I was in high school; you try to gather all the differently colored animals, then you photograph them, and so on.
When you're not collecting rainbow frogs or customizing your decor, you may find yourself working to restore the wetlands through a process I only learned about thanks to Kamaeru - paludiculture. You dig ponds to let their water run more freely through the land and plant native flora that you can later harvest. It's sort of like farming in Stardew Valley but with a lot more frogs (and science) involved. Just like in Stardew, you can also transform anything you farm into sellable goods, and more earnings equals more to spend on adorable amphibians.
You don't have to wait long to build the frog sanctuary of your dreams either, as you can grab Kamaeru right now on Steam. Whether you just want to catch 'em all or snap some shots of frogs chilling in inflatable pools, Humble Reeds' debut sim is worth a look. Now if you'll excuse me, I've got furniture to place and big-eyed babies to take care of.
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