Alba
A Wildlife Adventure
I added Alba to my wishlist immediately after seeing it: a game about a young girl helping the wildlife and taking photos on a picturesque Mediterranean island? Yes, please.
Apparently that was four years ago, and unfortunately I never got around to it. But with a vacation coming up, I needed a short game to play on my Steam Deck between beach trips, and Alba was a perfect fit.
This is a bite-sized game, perfect for a lazy afternoon. You play as Alba, a young girl visiting her grandparents on a Mediterranean island and saving the local nature reserve and wildlife.
The island is small but packed with things to do, yet not so much that it’s overwhelming. The main story unfolds over a number of days, but you can spend as much time as you want each day exploring, taking photos, and helping the animals.
I’m not sure if there’s a way to fail the storyline, but I’m guessing not. It’s a chill game, and I appreciated that. There are a modest number of checklists of things to do and animals to find, but no time limits or penalties for not completing them.
The art style is colorful and cartoony, and the music was great too. The entire game is cute and wholesome, and honestly I don’t have anything bad to say about it.
My kids also played through it on their iPads (it’s on Apple Arcade) and enjoyed it as well. It’s a great game for kids, with simple gameplay, no violence, and a good message about conservation and community.
Alba is a great game for kids and adults alike, and I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing, family-friendly game.