- Developer: Banana Bird Studios
- Publisher: Whitethorn Digital
- Release Date: 12/06/2021
- Price: £7.19 / $9.99
- Review code provided by Whitethorn Digital
Introducing: Beasts of Maravilla Island Review
Games getting shadow dropped has become somewhat expected. To the point where it’s more shocking when we don’t get one. When Beasts of Maravilla Island dropped without warning on the twelfth of June, it came as little surprise there was some buzz about the photo adventure game. Though I wouldn’t say it heralded in E3, it likely helped that there were extra eyes out for gaming news with the kickoff of the notable expo for electronic entertainment. As part of our E3 coverage, I was eager to take a look at Beasts of Maravilla Island and review it for our audience.
Life Through a Lens
We’ve all seen it. An aging grandfather passes on his legacy as his final act. Be it a farm or a sword. But, in the case of Maravilla Island, it’s a camera. Maravilla Island is a game that inspires awe and wonderment from the moment you set foot on the mysterious island. Even the island’s moniker, given by the intrepid adventurer under your control, means wonder. It paints a fantastical tale of curiosity, discovery and even reverence.
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a magical journey about a young explorer attempting to reconnect with her late grandfather. She finds herself drawn to an uncharted island with his journal and camera as her guide. Aside from the mystical elements of the island, she finds her grandfather took more than pictures and created a Moana like catastrophe. As she peels back the layers of what really happened, she knows she was brought to the island to make things right.
The story is as charming as the gameplay and graphics and work well with what Maravilla Island sets out to accomplish. The story is mostly presented through dialogue boxes and musings. It felt a bit thin and rushed at times but came to a satisfying, albeit, expected conclusion.
The Rule of Thirds
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a 3rd person adventure game which has you exploring a magical island and taking pictures of enchanting creatures and otherworldly flora. As exotic as the locale was, I was only caught off guard by the beauty a few times. There were so many new magical moments to capture it was hard to really savor the world. The progression didn’t beckon me to stay and relax but pushed me onward to find the next marvel. You’re given a checklist of what to photograph. Since every corner you turned had a new animal or plant, you simply snap away and move on. I rarely had to work to find any elusive life.
As far as photographing, the mechanic was too simple. You didn’t have to take gorgeous pictures to get credit for your journal. There were times when I accidentally captured a bird in the background and could hardly see it in the photo. I still got 100% credit for the game.
Always the Photographer, Never the Subject
Despite the simplistic camera requirements, if you fancy yourself a photographer in real life, you can always challenge yourself to get the best shot. True to life, animals hardly hold still for you to capture the perfect photo. You have to be on your toes and ready to snap the shot. You can whistle to summon some creatures or get others to pose or hold still. But it only works on the right fauna.
The whistling is just about the only other gameplay element. There are puzzles scattered throughout the three regions you’ll visit and whistling plays a part in solving them. None of the puzzles were challenging and I was able to clear the game in less than five hours. The rushed sense I felt with new things to see around every corner led to a rather speedy conclusion. It fit for the story but didn’t satiate my time on a lost island.
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
The animals I found on Maravilla Island were beautiful to look at and presented excellent subjects to photograph. The only downside was the background environments. I would set up gorgeous shots only to have flat, featureless trees framing my subject. It didn’t help that the creatures would occasionally clip into the background and affirm that I was in fact in a fake digital world.
I didn’t have any issue with the sound effects or music. Each was pleasant in their own right and lended credence to the magical world. Sound played a small role for some of the animals but was otherwise a device for the background ambience.
Beside the graphics cropping and a few minor glitches, the only other issue I encountered was stiff controls. Moving your explorer around wasn’t a smooth process and felt a little unnatural. There wasn’t anything complex about the control scheme but movement felt janky and more often than not. Since you’re not running for your life and trying to time drastic puzzles, it didn’t really hinder the game progression. It was just a noticeable issue that should have been ironed out.
Final Wrap
Despite some of my criticisms, I really enjoyed my time on Maravilla Island. It’s just a shame it felt rushed and was very short lived. If you happen to complete your checklist on the first run through, there’s no reason to take another trip back. Beasts of Maravilla Island is a bit of a novelty with no real replayability and priced a bit high for the time it gives you. The story was charming and the idea has promise. With better pacing I think I would have enjoyed my stay even more.
Pros
- Photogenic Fauna
- A Magical Story
Cons
- Short Lasting
- Graphical Glitches
- An Island You’ll Only Visit Once
- Janky Controls
Verdict
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a short sojourn through a flawed world.
