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Press release:
Erie, Pennsylvania (November 3, 2022).
The Erie-based (Pennsylvania, the US) indie games publisher Whitethorn Games and Southern California-based (the US) indie games developer Banana Bird Studios, are today very happy and thrilled to announce that their charming and beautiful 3D adventure game “Beasts of Maravilla Island” is now available for the PS5 and PS4 via PSN.

Get your cameras ready to embark on a magical journey of exploration, wildlife documentation, and uncovering the secrets of the mysterious and beautiful Maravilla Island.

“We’re extremely excited to see Beasts of Maravilla Island release for PlayStation consoles,” said Dr. Matthew White, CEO of Whitethorn Games.

“It has been incredible working alongside Banana Bird Studios to bring this great ecology-focused puzzle game to another platform. Like other Whitethorn games, like APICO, Beasts of Maravilla island focuses on preserving and understanding the wildlife around us. So we’re happy to bring this title like this to a larger audience.”

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.

Embark on your adventure as an aspiring wildlife photographer in the hidden, magical jungles of Maravilla Island. Explore this mysterious island and solve puzzles to discover extraordinary creatures, interact with them in their natural habitat, and photograph the enchanting, unique behaviors you reveal!

Key features of Beasts of Maravilla Island include:

Picture Perfect: Fill your grandfather’s photobook with the marvels found throughout the island. You’ll have full control over the angle, height and zoom to get the perfect shot. Like any true artist, you’re free to take as many pictures as you like, giving you plenty of options to go through as you choose the best ones to showcase!

You’re-a the Explorer: Traverse a beautifully unique world freely by running and climbing to discover and engage with the local wildlife. Wander across three distinctive ecological zones — the Singing Jungle, the Glimmering River, and the Painted Plateau — each with its own distinctive flora and fauna to inspire gallery-worthy pics!

Wild, Wild, Wildlife: Over 50 extraordinary creatures and plants to photograph, each with their own appearance and behaviors. As you delve deeper into the island, you’ll come across all sorts of beautifully bewildering inhabitants, such as the Sparkling Lamp Lily, the Maravillan Mango Kakapo, and the Prism-Winged Butterfly.

Fun and Games: Sometimes, you’ll need to put in some extra effort to get the best picture; the creatures of Maravilla Island might need your help before they’re ready for their close-up! Cooperate with them to solve playful puzzles such as a game of hide and seek with an Otter Crocodile or helping a Bird Monkey find his perfect match.

Beast of Maravilla Island is now available on PlayStation 4 and 5, Nintendo Switch, PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, and Xbox, for $9.99 USD.

Be sure to follow the game on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram, or consider joining the community on the Whitethorn Discord to share your photograph with other enthusiasts and visit the official website.

To keep up with everything Whitethorn Games is doing, you can follow the company on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, and Twitch, join the official Whitethorn Games Discord, and visit https://whitethorngames.com.

About Whitethorn Games
We’re an indie game publisher focusing on pleasant, cozy games that can be played in pieces, that require no special skills or knowledge, and that anyone can pick up and play. We’re believers in accessibility, inclusion, and widening the audience that gets to play. We like to consider ourselves the defenders of easy games. While our games might challenge you, they’ll respect your time, they’ll make sure you can play, and most importantly, they’ll never punish you. Learn more at https://whitethorngames.com.

About Banana Bird Studios
The Banana Bird Studios team is composed of recent graduates and current students from The University of Southern California’s Games Program, Cal State Fullerton, and Art Center. The team met through the USC Advanced Games Project program and has since continued development together under Banana Bird Studios, LLC.

We are a group of passionate, nature-loving developers who believe that games need more opportunities for unique, non-violent interactions with creatures.