Alba is a cute wildlife adventure game perfect for chilling out and exploring a neglected island. You can take a stroll around the sunny island of Pinar del Mar.
Here we met Alba’s grandparents and the locals. You’re on holidays and visiting for a summer of twitching.
The developers said the game had started out as a simple exploration to see if they could capture the magic of a birdwatching hike. They drew from the team’s experience and love for the Mediterranean coast with the aim of creating an authentic world filled with real people and animals.
The island has more than 60 animals for players to find and photograph. (These can be found in the following areas: beach 8, farmland 7, forest 8, marshland 8, mountain 7, rice fields 8, terraces 7 and town 9). The home page of your nature guidebook summaries your progress and total tally.
There is a clipboard with simple tasks to complete. You can take photographs of the wildlife and birds with the camera. If you manage to get a clear shot, you can use the app to identify the species.
For each species, you can view the common name, the scientific name, hear their bird call and see an image of the animal. It also lists where you can find the animal. If you have found it and taken a photo it will appear here and the tick box will be blue.
However, a wealthy developer is keen to build a high-rise luxury hotel on the island’s nature reserve. Alba is trying to stop the development by collecting signatures. You can find the petition signatures at the top of your to do list.
Alba Game Tips and Tricks:
- Use the animal catalogue to see how far you have progressed
- On the map the red arrow points to your current location, the yellow arrow is next on your list, and the green arrows refer to actions to complete in that area on your corresponding to-do list
- Take advantage of high points to look around and get your bearings
- Don’t forget you can view a map of the two islands.
- Head to your grandparent’s house when you need to go at the end of the day for dinner
The game is best played with sound on. The developers call it ‘chillectathon’ a place where you can take your time on the island and experience the adventure at your own pace. There are no timers or number of lives. The game aims to explore the complex and dependent relationship between humans and nature.
Along the way Alba will help save whales tangled in fishing nets, repair broken bridges, pick up litter, fill up bird feeders with food and more.
It’s a feel-good game where you can run around bird watching and doing good deeds. You’ll discover that small actions can make big differences.
After a couple of days of playing this game, while walking around my neighbourhood outside I noticed the bird sounds were something that I was more mindful of.
Alba is a fun, light-hearted, empowering and warm game for any budding conservationist or nature lover. You are the hero the island needs.
Approximately 3 to 7 hours of gameplay.
Single-player, quest driven and open world adventure
Out now on PC and Apple Arcade. Launching on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch in Spring 2021. Download the game via the Alba Wildlife website: https://www.albawildlife.com/
About Alba
Join Alba as she visits her grandparents on a Mediterranean island. She is ready for a peaceful summer of wildlife exploration with her friend Ines, but when she sees an animal in danger, she realizes she needs to do something about it!
About Ustwo Games
We’re a small (and great) games studio located in Oval, South London. From unique beginnings – starting life in a UX/UI design studio background – we wanted to bring what is meaningful about games to all those people who don’t consider themselves gamers. Ustwo Games website: https://www.ustwogames.co.uk/
The game developers became a certified B Corp and recently joined Ecologi. A company that helps with different planting projects including the Eden Reforestation Project. For each game downloaded they will plant one tree, with the aim of planting 1 million trees.
