Adorable Adventures – This Little Piggy Lost His Siblings

“People have a famously soft spot for pigs. Intelligent, inquisitive, imperious, myopic, sociable, gluttonous, grunting, ungainly, it is easy to recognise ourselves in them.” – Isabella Tree

Overview

Adorable Adventures is a relaxing third-person adventure game in which players take on the role of Boris, an inquisitive baby boar who must use his nose to reunite his family after a devastating forest fire separates them. He must sniff out his brothers and sisters as he explores open meadows, curious caves, rocky highlands, and serene forests. Together, maybe they can rescue their mother!

Narrative

Adorable Adventures’ protagonist Boris wakes up and finds himself all alone. He soon realises he can use his cute little snout to sniff out different things and utilises it to find his mother. Unfortunately, she is locked in a shed, not in any immediate danger, but well and truly stuck. Boris will need to find all his siblings so they can work together to free her. Separated by a forest fire that ravaged a significant part of their homeland, all the baby boars are lost, spread out across a variety of landscapes, awaiting the help that Boris will provide before they can join his adventures.

The narrative presents strong themes of family and togetherness, but also of nature and the environment. It is told mostly through the gameplay itself, with the soothing voice of a narrator chiming in at key moments to provide a bit of story and exposition, such as when Boris finds a sibling or noteworthy item.

Gameplay

The main goal in Adorable Adventures is to find all of Boris’ siblings and rescue their mother; however, there is plenty to do along the way. A lot of what Boris needs to do will involve using his keen sense of smell. Players can activate this and then follow a scent trail to specific items, such as different types of plants. Once an item is discovered, it is often a requirement to locate more before that item’s scent can be ignored. Ignoring different scents is important, as if they are more potent than others, that will be what Boris smells, meaning that locating less pungent things is not possible. Ignored scents can be easily unignored if needed. In the case of plants and flowers, once Boris has found enough to ignore them, players can choose to find extras to complete the item, which awards a wearable version of it.

The game’s UI includes a journal, which shows players discovered items, main objectives, side quests, and a map. There are several areas on the map, each locked by gates and fences that require an increasing number of baby boars to break through so that players unlock different locations gradually as they progress through the game. There were a few times when the most prominent smell was an undiscovered (and therefore unignorable) item located in a locked section of the map. This caused some frustration as it would dominate Boris’ sense of smell and make finding anything else very tricky.

Adorable Adventures also boasts a number of additional objectives and mini games, such as collecting rubbish, photography quests, races, a treasure hunt, gardening, and finding unique items for a few NPCs, amongst other things. Within the unlocked sections of the map, the game has a slightly sandbox feel to it, and players can play at their own pace and complete tasks at their leisure, taking time to explore.

Styling

Adorable Adventures features a charming 3D art style with a cosy kind of realism. It makes use of thoughtful colour palettes and atmospheric lighting to create a range of different environments. From the sun-dappled woodland and far-reaching plains, to the arid, cinder-covered wasteland that lies in the wake of a terrible forest fire. Boris himself is as adorable as the game’s title suggests, with his innocent facial expressions, clumsy gait, and haphazard, understeered sprint, amongst other charming animations.

The soundtrack isn’t an especially prominent part of the game, though a gently upbeat track plays occasionally, and more energetic drum-heavy music can be heard when Boris is zooming about. The musical offerings are subtle but emphasise the relaxing nature of the game when present, as well as the player’s sense of adventure. The sound effects do a lot of heavy lifting in terms of immersion, with plentiful nature and wildlife noises as well as less diegetic sounds such as a squeaky toy noise that plays if Boris knocks into something while running. These tend to be cute and playful and help keep the game light-hearted and somewhat whimsical.

Summary

Adorable Adventures is a delightful game that will take between 6 and 8 relaxing hours to complete. It offers vibrant 3D visuals, pleasantly atmospheric settings, and charming sound design alongside its varied and enjoyable gameplay. Overall, it is wonderfully wholesome, completely family-friendly, and surprisingly engaging despite the casual nature of the experience. I loved my time with Boris, and I wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone looking for a laid-back exploration-focused adventure game, especially if you like cute little piggies!

Looking for more nature-themed games? You may also like these reviews:
Natural Instincts – Alba: A Wildlife Adventure – Beasts of Maravilla Island

Did you like this article? Consider supporting Indie Hive through Patreon! Patrons receive an early access article on Sundays!