November Assassination #5

Same deal with yesterday - short game that could be beaten in one sitting before I travel tomorrow.

This time it took longer than 20 minutes - it actually took longer than HLTB estimates! Alba reminds me a lot of A Short Hike, but lacks some of what made that game special. The pacing here is a bit slower and off - whereas in A Short Hike it felt organic and natural, here feels a bit railroaded. It lost steam long before it was over. It was also poorly explained that some animals require triggers to appear (like the dolphin or barn owl), which made me spend a ridiculous amount of time looking for them without success.

Navigation was also a bit of a chore. A Short Hike utilizes verticality much better, with jumps, glides, and lots of ups and downs. Here, there's height, but it's never used in a creative way. For all that matters, the game could have been set on a flat plain and nothing would change. To wrap it off, I don't understand why the game felt the need to be PC so often - it contributed little to the plot or gameplay, so it just felt gratuitous.

A good game, but one I'm happy to put away and not play again, I guess.