If the recently released New Pokémon Snap caught your eye, Beasts of Maravilla Island is here to scratch that itch once more.
This wildlife photography adventure has been available for a little while on the Nintendo Switch and Steam for £7.19, along with the Epic Games Store for a little more expensive £7.99. However, it’s now also available today on PS4, PS5 and Xbox systems for £8.39 on the Xbox store – weird price disparity, we know.
I compared Beasts of Maravilla Island to Pokémon Snap earlier and that comparison holds true in a few aspects. Maravilla is a game about exploring a fictional environment, finding unique creatures and taking pictures of them. But Maravilla Island seems to differentiate itself in quite a few ways too.
The most obvious difference is that there are no Pokémon. Which seems like a stupid thing to clarify but it’s worth noting that every creature you discover here won’t be present in any other game, movie, anime and so on.
While other wildlife photography games also put players on rails to grab photographs, Beasts of Maravilla Island lets players off the leash in third-person to explore the jungle island. Climbing seems to add more verticality to the world and environmental puzzle-solving also plays a part in the game. It’s refreshing to see a fantastical photography game giving the player more freedom and options to navigate the world to truly discover the creatures here.
I’ve also gotten this far without mentioning how pleasant Maravilla Island looks visually. It is vibrant, drenched in colours, yet alien in all the best of ways. Despite being set on a jungle island, the game still seems to find variety in its aesthetics thanks to different biomes. The game seems to include a lush, green zone, a beach side area and dreamy neon space.
If games like New Pokémon Snap have caught your eye in the past, Beasts of Maravilla Island gives you access to that wildlife photography experience at a much more accessible price point. Oh, and the game promises Xbox One X enhancements over at the Xbox Store too.
Our full review is in the works and will be available in the days ahead, letting you know exactly how this snap ‘em up plays out.
Key features include:
- 50+ Unique Creatures, big and small, to engage with and photograph.
- Exploration of 3 distinct ecological zones, each containing their own unique species!
- Endless possibilities to photograph the game’s beautiful ecosystem.
- Puzzles that emphasize interacting and cooperating with creatures and plant life.
Fancy giving it a click? The Xbox Store will sort you out with the download you are aiming for.
Game Description:
Beasts of Maravilla Island is a 3D adventure game where you take on the role of a young wildlife photographer who traverses Maravilla Island’s magical ecosystems to discover extraordinary creatures, learn their behaviors, and, most importantly, photograph their majesty! The protective magic of Maravilla Island is waning, and the only way to save it is to restore humanity’s belief in the magical. Assume the role of Marina Montez, an aspiring wildlife photographer who is armed with her grandfather’s journal of Maravilla and his camera. To save Maravilla Island, you must climb, explore, and solve puzzles with the island’s flora and fauna to find and photograph its fabulous beasts. You’ll also need to coax out their unique behaviors! Play with a rambunctious otter-crocodile. Be the wingman for a lovestruck bird-monkey. Discover the favorite hiding spots of birds disguised as bananas. Beasts of Maravilla Island is filled with enchanting opportunities to engage with creatures in unique, wholesome ways! Capture your magic moments with majestic animals, and share Maravilla Island’s magic with the world!
