What if we just quit our jobs, moved home, and started a frog sanctuary with our childhood friends? That’s the premise of developer Humble Reeds’ creature collecting game Kamaeru: A haven for frogs. And it’s a joy. If you played Neko Atsumeyou will understand the basic gameplay of Kamaeru – Attract frogs to your wetland frog sanctuary. They place furniture and toys on the refuge site, build buildings and plant reeds, attract beetles to feed the frogs, and anything to entice them to stay. Kamaeru
Aside from bringing frogs into the yard, Kamaeru builds on collecting creatures to add management sim elements: you will also harvest reeds and berries to make jam and paper cups to sell, the proceeds of which are important for building the sanctuary. There is also a biodiversity meter, meaning you need to pay attention to what types of nature you put down and to ensure you remove invasive plant species quickly. Finally, you’ll also breed frogs to create unique, colorful combinations – like a frog with leopard spots. While it may sound like a lot, it’s actually quite simple: you can simply take photos of your frogs as they come and go. (However, the way frogs come and go is probably the worst part of the game. They disappear pretty quickly, meaning you kind of have to rush to feed them and photograph them, which usually gets my heart racing relaxed game a little.)
I’ve played for several hours at this point and collected a lot of frogs. What I enjoyed most, however, was decorating my sanctuary, appreciating all the little details Kamaeru
Kamaeru isn’t the kind of game I’m likely to spend a lot of time in, but rather something I pick up here and there when I need a little dopamine hit. Who doesn’t love frogs?
