Collection essentials #216: Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima / Marvelous: Another Treasure Island (SNES)

It’s all in the name. We have a game that’s called Marvelous, which IS marvelous. This is one of the most unknown and overlooked excellent games developed by Nintendo of all-time. It came out late in the system’s lifespan, after the following Nintendo console had already been released, which is likely the main reason why it never received an English localization.

Marvelous is an action adventure game, and the closest comparison is Zelda, since it was inspired by Link to the Past, uses the same engine, and the director of the game went on to work on future Zelda titles. But Marvelous is not simply a Zelda clone. It’s less combat-focused and more puzzle-focused than Zelda, and also a bit more linear. There’s a hint of “The Lost Vikings” thrown in, as the game revolves around switching between control of three different characters with unique abilities which must be used to solve the game’s puzzles. The game also seems to have some DNA of PC adventure games with the types of puzzles, amount of dialogue and the way the interface for inspecting things is at times. 

There is just so much personality injected into every fiber of this game. You’ll encounter so many amusing characters and humorous and/or charming moments. The music is upbeat, fun, catchy and memorable, the perfect supplement. There’s hardly ever a dull moment when playing Marvelous. The puzzles, to me, hit a sweet spot of being challenging enough while never being so hard that you’re completely stymied to the point of being discouraged. 

It’s a real shame that this game hasn’t been ported or remade on a newer system for a chance to be officially localized and released outside Japan. And Nintendo hardly ever seems to even reference it in other games like Smash or acknowledge its existence. The game never got turned into a series, more than likely because any ideas for a Marvelous sequel are easily retooled into some form of Zelda game instead which would inevitably be more popular. And so, Marvelous has been tragically lost to obscurity for much of its existence. Thankfully, some years back an English fan translation was produced, making the game playable for those who want to seek it out, and I highly suggest you become one of those people. I hereby grant it essential status assuring that it will not go overlooked in my little corner of the gaming world.