Beasts of Maravilla Island

71%
Game Brain Score Based on 250 reviews
  • story
  • graphics
  • gameplay
Beasts of Maravilla Island Game Cover
A calm and serene adventure through a mystical island, Beasts of Maravilla Island feels like a cross between Pokémon Snap and Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.
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"Beasts of Maravilla Island" is a 3D adventure game where you play as an aspiring wildlife photographer, Marina Montez, exploring the magical island of Maravilla. Your mission is to restore the island's waning magic by finding and photographing its extraordinary creatures, solving puzzles, and interacting with the island's flora and fauna to reveal their unique behaviors. Save Maravilla Island and uncover its hidden secrets as you document the enchanting beasts in this family-friendly game.

  • Mac OS
  • Nintendo Switch
  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Play​Station
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

71%
Audience ScoreBased on 250 reviews
story34 positive mentions
stability20 negative mentions
  • The game features beautiful environments and charming creature designs that create a visually stunning experience.
  • Gameplay is relaxing and enjoyable, allowing players to explore at their own pace while taking photographs of unique flora and fauna.
  • The simple story and quality of life features, such as a journal for documenting creatures, add to the overall charm of the game.
  • The game is quite short, with many players completing it in under three hours, leading to feelings of it being more of a demo than a full experience.
  • Controls can be clunky and unintuitive, causing frustration during gameplay, especially when trying to interact with objects or navigate the environment.
  • There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt the experience, including issues with the camera and character movement.
  • story90 mentions

    The story in "Beasts of Maravilla Island" is described as simple and linear, often aimed at a younger audience, with a heartwarming moral about respecting wildlife. While some players found it charming and visually appealing, others noted its superficiality and lack of depth, suggesting it serves more as a backdrop for exploration and photography rather than a compelling narrative. Overall, the game offers a pleasant, albeit brief, storytelling experience that complements its engaging gameplay and beautiful environments.

    • “Absolutely beautiful game with unique gameplay, and a touching story.”
    • “Between the calming beautiful art style and the music you will get to go on a 'snap adventure' yourself and learn the story of this world.”
    • “The animals are creative, unique, and beautifully rendered, the environments are incredibly diverse and full of great places to take pictures, the puzzles add a little spice to the level progression and were really fun to engage with, and the story is just so pure and meaningful.”
    • “If you're playing this for some deeper plot, hours long quest for gold, or Einstein-level intrinsic puzzles, you're going to be left a little disappointed.”
    • “The overall design and story feel very much aimed at minors - it's all a bit overly fantastical to my taste.”
    • “The story itself is linear, maybe not so thrilling or overly exciting, yet it does not let a player be indifferent to it or experience boredom.”
  • graphics50 mentions

    The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the vibrant colors and charming designs of the animals and environments, while others criticize the overall quality, likening it to early PS1 games and noting clunky animations. Despite some graphical hiccups, the art style is often described as beautiful and engaging, contributing positively to the game's aesthetic experience. Overall, while the visuals are appreciated for their creativity and charm, there is a consensus that they could benefit from further polish and refinement.

    • “The graphics are really pretty, loved the colors, the designs of the animals.”
    • “The visuals are vibrant and stunning.”
    • “What a cute short game, graphics were beautiful and the animals were so cute.”
    • “For a game that centers on looking around and taking pictures of all things around you, the graphics are severely lacking.”
    • “I was also quite disappointed at the graphics quality; it reminded me very much of early PS1 games, and animations felt quite clunky.”
    • “A lot of work clearly went into the artwork of this game, but I feel like the quality of the programming and animation really falls short.”
  • gameplay38 mentions

    The gameplay of "Beasts of Maravilla" is generally described as fun and engaging, featuring unique mechanics centered around photography and exploration, which contribute to a relaxing experience. However, players have noted frustrations with slow character movement, lagging animations, and tedious mechanics, such as repetitive achievements and unnecessary cutscenes. Overall, while the game offers beautiful environments and a charming atmosphere, its gameplay can feel simplistic and occasionally frustrating.

    • “I love the creative gameplay based on photography and exploration.”
    • “The environments are incredibly pretty, and the gameplay is super relaxing.”
    • “Absolutely beautiful game with unique gameplay, and a touching story.”
    • “The reason I’m giving this game a negative review is the actual gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay is frustrating at times with no run button and your character walks pretty slow; there's a crouch button instead which only really comes into play like twice during the game, you don't even need to sneak up on creatures.”
    • “Unfortunately, Maravilla doesn't succeed in many other ways, such as gameplay and story.”
  • music32 mentions

    The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with many praising the overall soundtrack as beautiful and well-suited to the game's setting, enhancing the immersive experience. However, some players found the jungle background music repetitive and annoying over time. Overall, the soundtrack is generally regarded as a strong aspect of the game, contributing positively to its atmosphere and enjoyment.

    • “The soundtrack was also amazing!”
    • “Between the calming beautiful art style and the music, you will get to go on a 'snap adventure' yourself and learn the story of this world.”
    • “The jungle's background music got on my nerves after a while, but the OST is overall very nice.”
    • “I didn't like the soundtrack, but that's my personal opinion.”
    • “Music and sound effects suit well the whole setting and help you delve more into it.”
  • stability20 mentions

    The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, affecting both gameplay and user interface, which can lead to frustrating experiences such as needing to restart after each chapter. While some players note that the issues are manageable and reflect the game's low budget, the overall stability remains a significant concern, with many features feeling janky or inconsistent. Despite these problems, there is a sense of hope due to the developers' responsiveness to player feedback.

    • “What a buggy mess!”
    • “I enjoyed taking some photos after this, but when I tried to view the pictures and set main pictures, the UI seemed very buggy.”
    • “Every feature and corner of the game is either janky or buggy.”
  • emotional20 mentions

    The game is praised for its emotional depth, featuring a heartfelt story and a wholesome adventure centered around wildlife exploration. Players appreciate the charming visuals, magical creatures, and a soothing soundtrack that enhance the overall experience, making it a delightful and stress-free journey into nature. While some note that the game may feel underdeveloped, its emotional resonance and cute aesthetics leave a positive impression.

    • “The story is pretty heart-warming though.”
    • “Absolutely beautiful game with unique gameplay, and a touching story.”
    • “The controls were simple to learn and the creatures were all magical, and the soundtrack made me feel like I was on a little safari.”
  • atmosphere4 mentions

    The atmosphere in "Beasts of Maravilla Island" is widely praised for its beauty and charm, with particular emphasis on the stunning environments, especially in the final area. Players find the game to be both cute and immersive, contributing to a captivating overall experience.

    • “The environments were beautiful and atmospheric, especially the final area.”
    • “Beasts of Maravilla Island is a very cute and atmospheric game.”
  • grinding2 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be somewhat tedious, indicating that it can detract from the overall enjoyment of the gameplay experience.

    • “I will say that the gameplay was a bit tedious.”
  • monetization2 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is positively received, with players appreciating features that enhance gameplay, such as the ability to save photos of landscapes and take selfies, which contribute to a more personalized and engaging experience.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

63% average critic score

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Play time

2hMedian play time
3hAverage play time
2-7hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 8 analyzed playthroughs

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