REVIEW : Beasts of Maravilla Island (PC)
Beasts of Maravilla Island is an exploration puzzle game for the Nintendo Switch created by Banana Bird Studios and Whitethorn Digital. Players will go around Maravilla Island as Marina Montez, a teenage wildlife photographer striving to solve the riddles contained within her Grandfather’s Journal. Beasts of Maravilla Island is a colourful and soothing experience that will likely appeal to fans of New Pokémon Snap and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. Unfortunately, while the design of Maravilla Island is stunning, there are a few glitches that can cause problems during gameplay.
Marina begins the voyage by sailing to the island. She’s unsure if she believes her Grandfather’s claims about the island’s mystical residents, but she’s determined to find out. From the start of Beasts of Maravilla Island, players can see an ethereal stag stalking among the trees. Then, it suddenly evaporates, leaving Marina to embark on her trip through the jungle, guided by her Grandfather’s Journal. As players progress through the biomes of Maravilla Island, they will discover that Marina’s Grandfather sought to safeguard the island’s preservation by sharing its beauty with the world through photography.
Taking pictures and interacting with the scenery in Beasts of Maravilla Island is easy. Players can zoom in and out using the directional buttons after entering Camera Mode with their “LZ” bumper. By pressing “A,” you can take a snapshot of the photo’s subject. Like Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, players must fill their Photo Album with images they have taken and complete tasks in each region. These goals can be checked at any time by opening the Journal or the Photo Album. Players will need to overcome simple tasks to go around each Biome. These puzzles include taking pictures of specific flowers to make them bloom or whistling to get the animals’ attention.
While most of the species in each of the Beasts of Maravilla Island’s biomes are relatively easy to find and photograph, things become more complex when attempting to catch some distinct behaviours of the Biome’s peculiar beasts. Players must capture four photographs of the Rainbow Crested Quetzal Monkey in the first location, then four images of the Maravilla Scaled Otter and the Golden Crowned Griffin in the following two sections. These behaviours can be activated at specific points throughout each Biome and require the user to initiate them with a whistle or a command. Unfortunately, these species-specific images are only available for one species in each area.
Several things might be added to promote exploration and extend the playtime available in Beasts of Maravilla Island. Including a photo grading system similar to the one found in New Pokémon Snap would give gamers a lot more to do during gameplay. Most species on Maravilla Island are currently easy to locate, and gamers can take photos from any angle as long as the required species is the subject. With the addition of a rating system, players would have an incentive to obtain specific views of each species and have more to accomplish in each Biome. The ability to interact with more than just the particular species in each Biome would be a fun way for players to interact with the environment, allowing them to get unique shots of birds if they whistle at the right time or use the camera flash to trigger an illumination event on the different bugs and plants. The flaws and issues that arise when interacting with the environment are the major setbacks for Beasts of Maravilla Island. Players will frequently find themselves slicing through greenery and rocks. This happens when climbing vines and trees. If the player reaches a dead end on the map, Marina may become trapped on things, necessitating a quit and reload of the game to continue. These flaws give the game an incomplete look and can be annoying and disruptive during gameplay. A patch to smooth out climbing movements and avoid object glitching will considerably improve overall playability.
