Alba: A Wildlife Adventure

Spotting species around Alba's island

Alba is visiting her grandparents on a Mediterranean island for the summer, ready for a peaceful few weeks of wildlife watching with her friend Ines. Then she finds an animal in danger and decides to do something about it.

Much of the game is exploring and spotting wildlife. The developer describes everything from idyllic beaches to an ancient castle overlooking the town, with animals everywhere. The developer, ustwo games, invites you to find every species on the island, so a slow, curious approach pays off.

Alongside spotting animals, you deal with the island's litter and help townspeople, gradually persuading volunteers to join the wildlife organisation Alba and Ines found.

Identifying animals is part of the fun. Your grandfather knows a great deal about birds, and the game encourages you to learn what lives where on the island rather than rushing on.

The developer jokes that the island is a Mediterranean paradise if you ignore all the litter, and the clean-up is genuinely satisfying: each small action makes a visible difference to the place and the people who live there.

Why Alba is one of the gentlest picks here

Alba's store description is unusually direct about its pace. It calls the game a chill experience and says you can experience the adventure at your own pace, with no rush. Steam also lists it as supporting save anytime, and Nintendo UK rates it PEGI 3 with no content descriptors.

There are no enemies and no failure states. Nothing chases you and nothing can go badly wrong.

That combination makes it a strong choice for a nervous player, a child or anyone who simply wants a warm, bright place to spend half an hour. It appears in our rainy Sunday and no-screen-glow evenings playlists.

Steam lists camera comfort settings, colour alternatives and custom volume controls among its options, and a single session can be as short or long as you like. That makes it easy to slot in after dinner without worrying about losing progress.

The sound and setting of Alba's summer

The developer worked with composer Lorena Alvarez on a soundtrack that it describes as equal parts Spanish and amazing, and the music carries much of the mood. Headphones help.

The story is light but warm. Alba's grandfather is, in the game's own words, a total bird nerd, and the small-town characters each have a modest request. It is a story about small actions adding up, which makes it a pleasant one to share with children.

If you want another relaxed ocean game, ABZU takes you underwater, though it has some tense moments that Alba does not.

Because Alba's story is about protecting nature in a small community, it can lead naturally into conversations with children about wildlife near home, such as birds in the garden or the local park.

Finding Alba on PC, Switch and iPhone

Steam lists Alba: A Wildlife Adventure for Windows PC, released in December 2020 and developed by ustwo games. The Nintendo UK eShop lists the Switch version, released on 9 June 2021 and rated PEGI 3, for a single player.

On iPhone and iPad it is available through Apple Arcade, Apple's subscription service, rather than as a standalone purchase on the UK App Store.

The game is compact, so most players can complete it over a handful of evenings, which suits people who like finishing things.

As a short, complete adventure with no in-game purchases notice, it is one of the simplest games in this library to recommend to someone new to gaming.

Its warm colours and bright beaches also make it a pleasant choice in the darker winter months, when a short trip to a sunny island, even a pretend one, can lift the end of a grey day.