Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge

The frog farm management game Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is currently free, for Windows — 100% free to keep — for a limited-time Epic Store’s giveaway event! Don’t miss out, as Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge normally costs US$19.99!

Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge is an indie management game with a cute aesthetic, where the goal is to create and run a frog sanctuary and players collect, feed, catalog, and breed frogs to generate new ones. The game was developed by Humble Reeds and initially released on June 7, 2024.

The title offers considerable freedom for customization and features a system based on selling recipes, which allows players to acquire decorative items to revitalize the sanctuary and attract visitors. The game lets players either follow the narrative or focus solely on the relaxed management of the refuge.

Published by Armor Games Studios and available for Windows, Linux, Xbox Series X|S, Mac, and Switch, Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge has received a mixed reception from reviewers. At the time of this writing, the game has hundreds of very positive reviews on Steam.

You can get the game here! There’s also a free demo version here!

Trailer

Gameplay

In Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge, players control Cleo, who, alongside her childhood friend Axel, works to revitalize a swamp and turn it into a frog sanctuary. The game combines resource management, simulation, and creature collection within a relaxing environment.

Progression is driven by a leveling system: by feeding, cataloging, and breeding different frog species, players unlock new missions, recipes, areas, and interaction possibilities. The catalog functions like a “dex,” encouraging the recording of various frog types and their aesthetic variations.

To sustain the sanctuary’s development, players must prepare and sell recipes, generating resources used to renovate the swamp and purchase decorative items. Environmental customization includes arranging furniture and objects to make the sanctuary more appealing to frogs.

The game also features indirect exploration mechanics, such as collecting insects to feed the animals, photographing frogs in different situations, and selectively breeding species to create new color and pattern variations. While characters are not directly controllable, they perform specific roles that expand gameplay options, such as assisting with resource collection or unlocking new interactions.

The pace is deliberately slow and contemplative, allowing players to either advance the story or focus solely on expanding and decorating the sanctuary.

About the game

Kamaeru is a cozy frog collecting game about farming and preserving nature. You play as a kind soul helping an old friend restore the wetlands of your childhood by transforming them into a safe haven for friendly little frogs. With the help of the game’s cast of welcoming NPCs, you will photograph and breed frogs to increase your reputation, decorate your frog refuge, and plant native crops to help your amphibian abode thrive!

Collect frogs 🐸

Feed, breed, collect, and raise all of the game’s 500+ frogs! 🐸 It’s up to you to figure out the secret to attracting new and adorable frogs. You can complete your collection by unlocking all the rare colors through a special breeding mini-game. When new ones join your refuge, use the in-game camera to take photos of them and collect them for your frogedex!

Restore the wetlands 🌾

In order to succeed in your quest for frog preservation, you will need to restore the nearby wetlands to their former glory. This will allow you to continually support and cultivate the area through a process known as paludiculture!

Dig ponds to let water roam the land again and plant native wetlands species to harvest precious crops. From there, you can transform your pickings into manufactured goods that can be sold to improve your froggy habitat further!

Make your frog refuge your own 🎨

New furniture will bring new frogs with it! As you personalize your habitat, new poses of frogs will be shown into specific kinds of furniture. Plus, it’ll attract attention to the area–and with it, new visitors! You can even repaint furniture to better fit your own unique style sensibilities.