Alba: A Wildlife Adventure, from ustwo games, tells a sweet and surprising story about two little girls trying to save their island's nature reserve, and in the bright colours and tranquil exploration, it shows that the kids are alright.
When Alba is very little, she visits her grandparents who live on the island of Pinar del Mar on the coast of Spain. She toddles on the beach and stretches onto her tiptoes to take a photograph of her family, when a lynx walks out of the grass. It gazes down at the trio, and her grandparents are thrilled that the forest guardian has appeared to them, seeing it as a sign of shared affinity.
Years pass, and Alba is on a rainy flight from London to Pinar del Mar. There's a comical contrast in the way the weather suddenly switches from dark clouds to bright blue skies. Once she lands, the young girl reunites with her family and friends. She arrives ahead of the island's annual festival, which celebrates the culture of Pinar del Mar in the height of the summer... But not everything is the way that Alba remembers it.
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With Inez, her rambunctious and resourceful friend, they discover that the mayor has plans to rejuvenate the island's economy. As the nature reserve was devastated by a fire, it will be the site of the new luxury hotel.
Even in the game's soft and simplistic art style, the hotel is an eyesore: an unapologetically grey monolith that would stand out like a sore thumb against the gentle slopes and colourful commercial buildings. Alba and Inez are shocked at the announcement, and speaking to the other residents, it seems the adults aren't pleased either. However, the adults are able to rationalise their disappointment; the hotel will add new opportunities to the island, and might make their businesses boom with the surge of visitors.
Refreshingly, their perspectives don't shake Alba and Inez's determination all that much. In fact, Alba's grandparents encourage her to collect signatures for a petition to save the nature reserve, and the game's primary goal is for players to collect 50 signatures and present them to the mayor before the festival and Albar's return home to the UK. Their other mission is to restore the nature reserve for the sake of the animals, as it has been abandoned after the disaster. Together, they form AIWRL! Alba (and) Inez's Wildlife Rescue League! (The name is a work in progress.)
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The rest of the game continues along a sedate pace, which is splendid, actually. The island isn't ginormous, but Alba skips and saunters from place to place, making every route the scenic route.
The core of Alba is photographing Pinar del Mar's wildlife with her phone across the island's microenvironments, tracking them with her nature guide. She receives texts on her smartphone from friends and her grandparents, and a notepad records progress in the main mission and any side missions.
Discovering certain animals is newsworthy, like when Alba photographs nesting sparrowhawks in the forest, and a cutscene of a front page spinning towards the camera plays, like an old-timey superhero cartoon. Other instances, like when she finds that pesticides are poisoning birds and squirrels, serve as short side stories where the girl interacts with the charismatic cast of the town and farmlands.
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Thankfully, healing sick or trapped animals is as simple as the rest of the game, letting the player press a button and with a puff of smoke, all is well again. Tidying up litter, folding drying laundry, or filling bird feeders sees a heart pop out of the bin, basket, and feeder, in a quiet affirmation of a good deed well done. Additionally, Alba takes on a lesson in carpentry, and is able to repair broken down signs and pull apart planks to reach new areas.
Though this was rewarding and featured some excellently satisfying sounds like the clunk of wood slotting into frames, it was hunting the animals that I enjoyed the most (figuratively speaking) in Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. It's a pleasingly simple task; once you see a new animal, you click the camera, and focus the lens on them. Snapping the photo identifies the animal automatically, and adds it to the nature guide. Sometimes you'll need to move closer, as the phone won't identify animals from far away, but animals like hares and foxes are skittish. Alba must tiptoe towards them, which she performs in an exaggerated manner with her arms outstretched for balance. It's a really good animation.
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Some animals won't be found until the story has progressed a little, but the game lets the player explore the island for as long as they like, holding the sun in the sky in a perpetual golden hour. The sounds of the birds are actually really lovely to listen to, especially in a year where we've been indoors for the majority.
Each of the environments have on average eight animals to photograph, and though the island of Pinar del Mar is composed of sanded down polygons and flat colours, it hides the wildlife as effectively as real life. The nature guide has a handy button which plays the call of the animal, so you're able to listen out for the bird that you're looking for. Finally stumbling upon it, whether it's a kingfisher surveying the rice fields perched on a telephone line, or a barn owl hiding in the clooney of a tree, makes you feel like a regular Jane Goodall.
Ultimately, Alba: A Wildlife Adventure is a game that is accessible for all ages, with its gentle pacing, undemanding mechanics, and cheerful premise. What struck me the most in its story is that there is not one adult character in Pinar del Mar that brushes off Alba and Inez, or speaks to them as though they're ill-informed (well, barring one, but that's a spoiler). A pride flag waves in the sea breeze from one of the balconies along the beach, and there are a range of identities and personalities represented in Alba: A Wildlife Adventure. It's a short and sweet adventure that will really resonate with young gamers with an interest in conservation... and older gamers who miss the Spanish sun.
Pros: Adorable art style, empowering storyline, diversity and inclusivity, super satisfying to track down and learn about the animals
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Cons: Minor visual glitches, would have liked the soundtrack to feature more
For Fans Of: Pokémon Snap, Shelter, Abzu
7/10: Very Good
Alba: A Wildlife Adventure was tested on PC, using code provided by the publisher. The game released on December 11th for Apple Arcade and PC. Read a guide to our review scores here.
Featured Image Credit: ustwo gamesTopics: Review