Beasts of Maravilla Island
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Beasts of Maravilla Island Media
Critic Reviews for Beasts of Maravilla Island
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a relaxing and colorful game. And while you can find wonderful creatures, interacting with and photographing them isn't a challenge. The puzzles that propose you in the adventure are few and are not well designed. Even so, it is a game, although simple, intuitive and is good for new players or players who enjoy a game without much demand.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a little getaway that lasts for a few hours, but its flaws make the trip a little less than memorable.
The guided tour quickly becomes overbearing and the initial drive to document any magical wildlife never recovers.
You’ll likely be done with Beasts of Maravilla Island in a couple of hours: it’s short and sweet. And while it might not be as good as the games we’ve compared it to, it’s still a pleasant and relaxing experience that we’ve enjoyed our time with. Some additional features – like photography grading – could have taken it to the next level, but as a budget release, we can’t complain too much.
The inherent curiosity cultivated by both Marina and her grandfather for the unusual and diverse wildlife within Beasts of Maravilla Island, makes the several hours of game time a delight to experience. The various issues fail to detract too much from the overall enjoyment of discovering unusual creatures and documenting them all in Marina's inherited journal through photographs, and revealing the true nature of the island which serves as a reminder that humans have a duty to protect and conserve the world, rather than selfishly destroy it.
I can't describe Beasts of Maravilla Island as anything less than a disappointment on the Nintendo Switch. While performance on the console absolutely breaks the experience, what little is there to begin with feels lackluster and basic. The creatures and its world are without a doubt the highlight of the game, but even so interaction and creativity in your photography is limited from every angle. I've been a huge proponent of photography video games, but with its surge over the recent years I've realized that I've also become more critical of games wanting to evoke that feeling of photography, but don't seem to fully understand how it can be both a tool for gameplay and creativity. If you're looking for a creative photographic experience I'd recommend titles like Umurangi Generation and (New) Pokémon Snap. Heck even other games that have non-essential photo-modes like Blue Fire, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate allow you more creativity than Beasts of Maravilla Island. This unfortunately makes Beast of Maravilla Island an Island I don't ever plan on revisiting.
A cute and colourful game that has unique creatures and flora for you to discover and take photos of. Perfect for a casual gamer who wants a laid-back experience where they can just snap pictures that they aren't judged on to fill a few hours.
