Stories of Mara Review

Game: Stories of Mara
Genre: Visual Novel, Adventure, Fantasy,
System: Steam (also on Itchio)
Developers | Publishers: Chibig
Controller Support: No
Price: US Free | UK Free | EU Free
Release Date: August 26th, 2021

Review code used, with many thanks to Chibig

Chibig is back again after a successful outing with Deiland and Summer in Mara which we covered extensively, review and guides for Summer in Mara and a review and guides for Deiland on the Switch.

Visual Novel

This time it is something a little different to an adventure game, Stories of Mara is primarily a visual novel. If you’re familiar with Summer in Mara or Deiland you should feel right at home with this visual novel. The characters from Summer in Mara are all here and it’s lovely to see them again and find out a little more about each of them.

Koa is Missing

Stories of Mara starts with Koa and Noho having a conversation, Koa must protect the island of Mara and leaves to do so. Then it switches to Akaji, the blacksmith complaining about the old oven they have to fix, Bramm turns up and insists that Akaji comes to the beach. Koa’s boat has washed up on the shore, the boat has part of the keel broken. And most important, where is Koa?

Akaji takes the Lead

Since Koa is missing Akaji takes on the lead role in the game and the hunt for Koa begins. Akaji will visit the different areas in the town and speak to all the residents in her hunt to find out what has happened to poor Koa.

Akaji fulfils some simple fetch quests in-between dealing with her own issues and her important job as a blacksmith. A few decisions on your part need to be made during some cut scenes with the diverse cast of characters. Your choices in the game will affect the story itself as there are good and bad endings to discover.

Chapter One Free

At the moment Chapter one is available for free on Steam and Itchio, with the rest of the other four chapters available at a later date with a price tag. Having played the previous two games in the series it’s like a homecoming to be reacquainted with the residents of Mara.

It’s great to see the very talkative Qüido, Noho, who takes any and every opportunity to chat about their past adventures. Or catch up with Onzo, a trusty guy if you want a life full of adventure.

Bite-sized Slice of Life

This bite-sized slice of life visual novel is a great introduction to the Chibig universe. I think it might depend on if you have played the previous games as to how much you will get out of stories in Mara Having played the previous games as I’ve mentioned, I knew the characters before, so I would suggest playing Summer in Mara and Deiland before embarking on the adventure in Stories of Mara.

Visuals and Sound

Stories of Mara has the same Studio Ghibli style visuals as the previous games. It is bright and colourful and gives off a happy vibe. Playing the game is quite relaxing and calm, with some great sound effects and facial animation from the characters during conversations.

Conclusion

Stories of Mara is a great addition to the Chibig studio portfolio. Being able to meet and learn about the characters in the series other than Koa is a brilliant idea. I’m excited to see how the story develops in the rest of the chapters when they are released. Stories of Mara as a visual novel is a delight to play so go check it out yourself and join in the fun.

Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot