Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Following its release last year on PC and Apple Arcade, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure has now made its way to consoles. And, honestly, I’m gutted I haven’t played it sooner.

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"Alba: A Wildlife Adventure" is a game where you play as Alba, visiting her grandparents on a Mediterranean island. The peaceful summer plans of wildlife exploration with her friend Ines take a turn when she encounters an animal in danger. The game encourages environmental conservation through its gameplay and planting one tree for every download in collaboration with Ecologi. Explore the beautiful island, help the wildlife, and make a difference.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

89%

Audience ScoreBased on 4,833 reviews

story498 positive mentions

stability40 negative mentions

Charming and adorable premise with a heartwarming story about wildlife conservation.
Beautiful graphics and sound design that create a relaxing atmosphere.
Engaging gameplay that encourages exploration and interaction with the environment.

The game feels quite short, typically completed in around 3-5 hours.
Some technical issues, such as slow character movement and occasional glitches.
Limited variety of animals, with a heavy focus on birds, which may not appeal to everyone.

story
1,342 mentions
37 % positive mentions
62 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The story of "Alba: A Wildlife Adventure" is a heartwarming and straightforward narrative centered around a young girl, Alba, who embarks on a mission to protect her island's wildlife from a greedy developer. Players engage in various quests that promote environmental conservation while exploring a beautifully crafted world filled with charming characters and adorable animals. Although the game is relatively short, lasting around 3-5 hours, it delivers a meaningful message about the importance of caring for nature, making it an enjoyable experience for players of all ages.
- “The story is sweet and earnest; it's unabashedly pro-environment and might help children learn the value of conservation.”
- “An adorable short story about community and nature!”
- “The story is very touching, and I felt warm inside after playing it...😭”
- “The gameplay is simple, and the story is the common 'evil man/woman/corporation/etc. wants to destroy nature and kill the animals to build a luxury thing for humans; the little guy/girl/etc. stands up and wins' that you've probably already heard.”
- “The story is straightforward and a bit short, the tasks are not that varied or influence the game but the people and place itself is interesting enough to warrant exploration.”
- “The story had potential to be somewhat interesting.”
emotional
783 mentions
99 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "Alba: A Wildlife Adventure" is overwhelmingly positive, with players frequently describing it as heartwarming, wholesome, and touching. Many reviewers noted that the game's simple yet impactful story evokes strong feelings, often leading to tears of joy or nostalgia, particularly during its conclusion. The charming characters, beautiful visuals, and meaningful messages about wildlife conservation contribute to a deeply emotional and uplifting experience, making it a delightful choice for players seeking a feel-good adventure.
- “I cried from the intro alone; it was so sweet.”
- “The story is very touching, and I felt warm inside after playing it...😭”
- “This game is beautiful, so positive and wholesome.”
graphics
557 mentions
58 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of "Alba: A Wildlife Adventure" are widely praised for their charming, simplistic art style that effectively captures the cozy atmosphere of a Mediterranean island. Players appreciate the vibrant colors, cute character designs, and well-executed animations, which enhance the overall experience despite some minor technical issues. While the visuals may not be cutting-edge, they are considered fitting and delightful, contributing to the game's relaxing and heartwarming narrative.
- “The graphics and style are unique, and the adventure of finding all the creatures in the game and completing the quests is a fun challenge.”
- “The art style and graphics fit the game style perfectly and make it a joy to wander and discover the island.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous and entice you to explore every corner of the island.”
- “The game runs very poorly for its minimalistic graphics and has a few bugs (not getting achievements, locked tasks that can't be completed, bird species that can't be found or birds sitting still in mid-air on invisible tree branches).”
- “Graphics aren't anything special, but they get the job done and the game is pleasant to look at (I did encounter a few graphical errors but nothing game-breaking).”
- “Alba: a wildlife adventure has a nice setting, with some wonderful visuals, but it gets let down by the fact that your character’s walking speed is dreadfully slow; even running isn’t that fast.”
gameplay
528 mentions
37 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The gameplay of *Alba: A Wildlife Adventure* is characterized by its simplicity and therapeutic nature, primarily revolving around exploring an open-world island, taking photos of wildlife, and completing light quests. While the mechanics are straightforward and accessible, making it suitable for younger audiences, some players find the experience repetitive and lacking in depth, with a total playtime of around 3-6 hours. Overall, the game is praised for its charming visuals, relaxing atmosphere, and meaningful environmental message, making it a delightful experience for nature lovers and casual gamers alike.
- “Alba: a wildlife adventure is a solid game that keeps a really good balance between gameplay and message.”
- “The gameplay is simple and straightforward: move Alba about the island, interact with objects and townspeople, and take pictures of wildlife to fill up Alba's animal catalog.”
- “This game deserves every bit of praise for its unique blend of gameplay, stunning visuals, and a heartwarming narrative that resonates with players of all ages.”
- “The gameplay itself is very basic, again fitting of a game for younger audiences, and I just didn't find it rewarding enough to keep playing.”
- “The gameplay loop consists of running around and the most complex mechanic is taking pictures or pressing the chosen interact button to solve any problem presented in front of you.”
- “Cool idea for a game but repetitive gameplay and a short story would make me give the recommendation to pick up the game in a sale.”
music
443 mentions
60 % positive mentions
40 % neutral mentions
1 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its beauty and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, creating a cozy and immersive experience. While some players noted that music is sparse and often replaced by natural soundscapes, many appreciated this design choice as it allows for a deeper connection with the environment. Overall, the soundtrack is described as charming, uplifting, and fitting perfectly with the game's themes, leaving players wanting more.
- “The music is great and not overpowering the attention to detail in natural soundscapes of the biomes.”
- “The sounds of nature and the music work well together to make the experience fun and cozy.”
- “The music is really well done and for being a cartoon art style game, there were some very beautiful story scenes and dramatic build up.”
- “However, there is no background music.”
- “I share the same sentiment with a lot of other reviews for this game, that being that I feel like you barely get to hear the music play in-game.”
- “Only towards the end of the game, where they push you to finish the story, do you actually have ambient music... I'm not kidding.”
atmosphere
120 mentions
70 % positive mentions
28 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is consistently praised for its cozy, relaxing, and immersive qualities, enhanced by beautiful art, charming sound design, and a soothing soundtrack. Players appreciate the game's ability to evoke nostalgia and emotional connections, making it feel like a heartfelt exploration of nature and local wildlife. Overall, the atmosphere is described as joyful, inviting, and perfect for casual play, creating a delightful experience that resonates with a wide audience.
- “A wonderful little game with great atmosphere, beautiful music, and a good message, as well as a love letter to a place and culture that are very dear to me.”
- “The game has an incredibly relaxing atmosphere, it's filled with great sound and the animation style is very cute which helps build a game that really captures the essence of a paradise island.”
- “The beautiful art style and ambient sound make you feel like you're on the island yourself and the great soundtrack complements the atmosphere quite nicely.”
- “The atmosphere of this game is so pretty.”
- “The atmosphere is absolutely joyful and has a feel to it like a good morning cartoon.”
- “It's incredibly simple, quite short, but dripping with atmosphere, care, and attention to detail.”
stability
50 mentions
12 % positive mentions
8 % neutral mentions
80 % negative mentions
The game's stability has received mixed feedback, with many players reporting minor visual glitches and occasional camera issues, but most agree these do not significantly detract from the overall experience. While some users experienced no glitches at all, others noted that the game could benefit from further polish to address the more noticeable bugs. Overall, the game runs well for most players, with a few recommending waiting for a sale due to the presence of these issues.
- “Runs extremely well, and is bug free in my experience.”
- “No glitches, never got stuck behind anything, really very polished game.”
- “The characters are fun, the environment is relaxing, and there were no glitches whatsoever.”
- “There are far too many glitches and strange visual bugs for a game that costs 18 dollars.”
- “At least fix the glaringly obvious glitches before releasing your game!”
- “Negatives: minor glitches (birds flying through walls, birds dropping from the sky, having two albas on screen at once), not being able to remove the graffiti (a planned feature that got cut, maybe?) and difficulty moving the camera around.”
replayability
28 mentions
14 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
36 % negative mentions
Overall, the game has limited replayability, with many users noting its short playtime of around 4-5 hours and a straightforward story that doesn't encourage multiple playthroughs. While some players found value in revisiting the experience for its enjoyable gameplay and positive message about wildlife, the consensus is that it is best purchased on sale due to its lack of substantial replay value.
- “As short as it is, 'Alba: A Wildlife Adventure' more than earns its keep and has replay value for the sake of experiencing it again.”
- “Awesome game, well made, highly replayable (for kids at least) and worth the 4 hours or so you'll get from it at least.”
- “In terms of replayability, there isn't much, but I am interested in going back in anyway and seeing what happens when you say no instead of nodding.”
- “Since there is not a lot of replay value, I am glad I got it on sale.”
- “Not much replayability but an enjoyable experience nonetheless.”
- “The only thing that might hold someone back is that relatively short playtime as well as a lack of replayability, but if neither of those scare you off then it might just be the perfect game for your weekend!”
humor
26 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is characterized by endearing and funny dialogues, particularly from the main character's friend, Inés, and quirky character traits, such as a boy with a scowling face. Players find the absurdity of certain scenarios, like a child building elaborate structures, to be hilariously charming, while the overall writing and low-poly art style contribute to the game's delightful and humorous atmosphere. Despite its simplistic visuals, the game surprises players with its personality and comedic elements, making it a joy to explore.
- “The game's writing is pretty good; all the islanders are likable, and there are some funny dialogues in there, mostly with Inés.”
- “The writing is endearing and funny, and I’m a sucker for the beautiful low poly art style.”
- “For a game with such simplistic art and geometry, Alba had way more personality and humor than you would initially suspect.”
grinding
26 mentions
0 % positive mentions
15 % neutral mentions
85 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight a mixed experience with grinding in the game. While some players find the slow movement and the need to traverse the large island tedious, they appreciate the engaging gameplay and cozy atmosphere that prevent it from feeling overly repetitive. The absence of a sprint option is noted as a drawback, but the overall experience remains enjoyable and less grind-heavy compared to other titles.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “Would benefit greatly from a sprint button as it can be tedious to run across the whole island numerous times.”
- “They're full of little grinding missions, scripted main quests, non-interactive cutscenes, and they offer huge amounts of repetitive gameplay, often with procedurally generated content, that looks nice, but doesn't really have a soul.”
optimization
13 mentions
23 % positive mentions
54 % neutral mentions
23 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report smooth performance even on older hardware, others experience significant issues, particularly on mobile devices. The game is described as lightweight and not very demanding, but its port to PC lacks proper optimization, leading to bugs and performance problems that can affect gameplay. Overall, while some users find it manageable, the lack of optimization for a $17 price tag raises concerns.
- “Performance luckily was never an issue for me, and even when I tried to play it on an older laptop, the general look doesn't suffer too much when you turn down the graphics just as much as needed.”
- “As for the performance, it's really quick; you should not worry about it as it’s a very lightweight game and not very demanding.”
- “A handful of bugs and performance issues do impact gameplay somewhat, but it's easy to overlook given the game's creative brilliance.”
- “Performance whilst you use your phone is horrible.”
- “It is a ~3 hr mobile game ported to PC with no optimization... and it costs $17.”
- “A handful of bugs and performance issues do impact gameplay somewhat but it's easy to overlook given Alba's creative brilliance.”
character development
4 mentions
50 % positive mentions
50 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Reviewers appreciate the character development for its compelling designs and narratives, which evoke personal connections and memories, particularly through the game's vibrant art style reminiscent of Southeast Asia. The integration of meaningful messages enhances the overall character experience.
- “Love the character design, the narrative, and the message behind it.”
- “I like the art genre, more specifically the environment and character designs on the island, which remind me of my previous travel to Southeast Asia.”
monetization
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The monetization aspect of the game is perceived positively, as it effectively promotes the allure of Spanish islands through its beautiful scenery and cozy lifestyle, enticing players to consider a real-life trip.