Video games can be more than just entertainment—they can be powerful tools to share important messages, whether directly or subtly. *Kamaeru: A Frog Refuge* is a perfect example of this. Created by Humble Reeds, the game uses the fun idea of collecting and taming frogs to spotlight the importance of biodiversity and how simple actions can help restore nature and protect the planet.

The co-founders of Humble Reeds, Aurélien Condomines and Mélanie Christin, shared how they embedded an environmental message into their cozy frog-collecting game and what they hope players will learn from it. *Kamaeru* officially launched on June 8, 2024, for PC, Switch, and Xbox. Initially, they aimed to sell it as a mobile game, but faced challenges with the free-to-play model.

“We didn’t want it to be a game where players have to buy things to progress,” Condomines explained. So, they decided to first release it on PC and consoles instead.

Christin added, “We still want to launch it on mobile someday, but it’s tough to market paid mobile games. We’ll need a partner to help us with that because *Kamaeru* works great on touchscreens.”

When it came to designing *Kamaeru*, both developers were inspired by popular games like *Pokémon* and *Cats & Soup*. However, the game truly took shape around their passion for biodiversity and ecological restoration. Condomines mentioned that a major influence was *Project Drawdown*, a nonprofit that focuses on practical solutions to combat climate change.

“One of the key ideas from *Project Drawdown* is restoring wetlands,” Condomines explained. “And since wetlands are home to frogs, that’s how we connected everything for this game.”

The game’s development also took cues from popular farming sims like *Stardew Valley* and *Animal Crossing*, which appeal to similar audiences. Plus, as Condomines noted, “People love frogs!” Christin, being a self-professed frog lover herself, wasn’t surprised by the fan enthusiasm.

“At gaming events, we’ve seen fans wearing frog hats,” Christin said with a smile. “We always tell them, ‘Hey! We’ve got a game about collecting frogs!’”

But while collecting cute frogs is a big draw of the game, the core focus is really on biodiversity and sustainability through restoring habitats. As players bring wetlands back to life in the game, they’ll attract rarer frogs, which they can photograph and add to their Frogedex (a frog-filled database).

“The more you restore these wetlands, the more unique frogs appear,” Christin explained. “Our goal is to get players invested in taking care of wetlands because in real life, restoring them can help capture carbon and fight climate change.”

Even though the game carries an important environmental message, Condomines made it clear that *Kamaeru* isn’t designed as an educational tool. “It’s not an e-learning game,” he emphasized. “It’s fun first. The environmental ideas are baked into the gameplay naturally.”

For instance, players earn a “bioscore” by maintaining strong biodiversity in the wetlands. As you restore the environment, a carbon capture meter increases, and you attract insects that feed your frogs. It’s all part of the gameplay—nothing feels forced or heavy-handed.

The art style plays a big role in creating the cozy atmosphere. Christin’s hand-drawn designs make everything from rocks to trees feel alive in this world. “It’s all handmade,” Condomines said proudly. “It’s meant to feel relaxing—there’s no rush or danger in the game. Just nature, animals, and of course, frogs!”

Players can even breed frogs by feeding and taming them to discover new colors and species. There are over 500 different frogs to collect across three main biomes: a classic wetland, an Australian billabong (a small water body), and an Indonesian mangrove. Each biome offers unique activities tied to restoring nature.

You’ll gather resources like reeds that can be crafted into useful items such as paper or cardboard—just like real-life uses of wetland materials. Christin pointed out that this aspect of the game draws from actual environmental practices.

“There are real applications for these resources,” she noted. “In Australia, you can use native plants in similar ways, and we wanted to reflect that.”

The game also features seven mini-games, which were surprisingly easy for the team to come up with during development. Christin laughed as she recalled how natural it felt for them to design quirky little challenges around restoration efforts.

“There’s always something going on,” Condomines added. “And there’s a progression as you move between different biomes. Plus, there’s a story element where you meet NPCs who help you restore wetlands.”

At its heart, *Kamaeru* promotes cooperation between people for a greater good—working together to restore our planet’s vital ecosystems.

With its relaxed pace, beautiful art, and deeper themes of biodiversity and sustainability, *Kamaeru* invites players into a world where taking care of nature is just as rewarding as collecting adorable frogs.