4/5 ★ – YogiEisbar's review of Alba: A Wildlife Adventure.

Alba is the definition of short but sweet. A lovely game that has you spend a week of holiday visiting grandparents. Taking place on a small Mediterranean island with a tightknit community where everyone knows everyone else. Alba and her Grandpa share a love of taking photos of birds and animals and so the main theme of the game is documenting, preserving and encouraging nature. The island's Nature Reserve is in a sorry state however and multiple species haven't been seen in a long time. With this being the case the island's mayor has given the go ahead for a "luxury" hotel to be built in the reserve's land to increase tourism. Some are defiant in opposition, some are unsure of the benefits. Alba is determined to stop it and show the natural beauty of the island and that there is no need for such an eyesore. You clean up the rubbish, fix up the birdhouses and heal up the animals all while taking pictures and documenting the elusive island fauna. To do this you are able to explore all around the island and this is just pure joy. Alba skips and runs along like an excited kid should. There is bird song in the air and a beautiful soundtrack to frame the adventure. When asked a question by one of the island residents you use the controller to nod or shake your head instead of the usual "yes/no" dialogue option which adds so much charm. It should only take a few hours to complete your week so I don't want to spoil too much more. I encourage you to play and enjoy nature (I played on Steam Deck!) and think about conservation. The game provides some lovely resources in the credits if you want to follow it up with some real life conservation. Say hi to your abuela y abuelo for me!