Beasts of Maravilla Island

 Switch
Metascore
59

Mixed or average reviews - based on 5 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 5
  3. Negative: 1 out of 5
  1. Cubed3
    Oct 25, 2021
    70
    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.
  2. Screen Rant
    Jun 18, 2021
    60
    Beasts of Maravilla Island is a great game for fans of fantasy creatures, magical settings, and beautiful artwork. The gameplay, while simple, is intuitive and excellent for gamers of any age. While several improvements could be added to help Beasts of Maravilla Island compete with other photography-style puzzle games, the current gameplay is charming and relaxing. With a few patches to fix the bugs and glitches currently present, Beasts of Maravilla Island could be a strong pick for an easy, fantasy adventure.
  3. Player 2
    Jun 23, 2021
    58
    While not necessarily blowing any expectations out of the water, Beasts of Maravilla Island sits steadily among its peers as a charming experience made by a small team.

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User score distribution:
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  2. Mixed: 2 out of 2
  3. Negative: 0 out of 2
  1. NindieSpotlight
    Dec 17, 2021
    6
    While the original Pokemon Snap wasn’t particularly well executed, the idea it brought to the table was at least a novel one. Perhaps somewhatWhile the original Pokemon Snap wasn’t particularly well executed, the idea it brought to the table was at least a novel one. Perhaps somewhat fittingly released roughly in the same window of time as the newest title in that series, we have a more budget-minded outing in the same vein in the form of Beasts of Maravilla Island. Drawn to this mysterious place by the passing and encouragement in letters from your grandfather your character has set out to explore this magical space and to try to capture its unique flora and fauna on film to share with the world. While I appreciate the fact that this take on this style of play isn’t fully on rails and allows for an element of exploration, for the most part outside of that distinction it just plays as a less polished and compelling version of the Nintendo franchise. If you’re into photography and composing your shots perhaps there’s an angle for enjoyment to be had here but otherwise it’s just a pretty linear walk through the forest photographing everything you can but with no real spark to make it memorable or exciting.

    https://www.nindiespotlight.com/2021/07/mini-reviews-july-14th-edition-nintendo.html    … Full Review »
  2. SuperkenGaming
    Jun 17, 2021
    7
    Beasts of Maravilla Island
    The Future of pokemon snap
    In Beasts of MAravillla Island you walk around this island to finish your grandfathers    Beasts of Maravilla Island
    The Future of pokemon snap
    In Beasts of MAravillla Island you walk around this island to finish your grandfathers research and share its wonders through photography… youll go through this jungle, finding and taking pictures of a variety of creatures as well as getting them to interact with the world for certain objective photos.. in a way this is what I would love for a pokemon snap sequel in the future… gtting a true sense of a lived in world, seeing how the creatures interact with one another… and youll also be taking picture of plants to progress and solving super simple puzzles.. the biggest issues I have with this game are for one its super short, taking me less than an hr and ahalf to get through.. the phot taking isn’t really necessary outside of solving puzzles to move on, and just overall theres a lack of polish when it comes to mechanics, from traversal to actually taking the photos.. walking around feels clunky and the game will just chug along, and mechanics wise its super annoying that the camera isn’t aiming in the direction youre cing when you go to take a photo… in a game where the thrill is discovery and capturing that discovery.. this is something that needs to be fine tuned the most.. it felt pretty random when id go to take a picture where it would be pointed and id hve to swing the camera around to get to the creature I was trying to take a photo of..
    all in all though, this is a good game with a great idea, one I think Nintendo should absolutely steal for pokemon snap, a mini linear adventure where taking photos and interacting with the pokemon shows your its secrets,
    I give Beasts of Maravilla island
    a 7/10    … Full Review »