Adorable Adventures by Wild Sheep Studio is the most accurately named game of the year. You play as Boris, a rambunctious baby boar separated from his family after a forest fire. Using nothing but his developing sense of smell, a lot of enthusiasm, and the ability to get distracted by literally any shiny object, Boris sets off on a journey to reunite his siblings and save his mom.
But is this “cozy animal adventure” worth your time, or does it just smell like a tech demo? Let’s put our snouts to the ground.
The Story: A Heart-Warming Hog Quest
One morning Boris wakes up to find his family scattered. You are guided by Maxime, a park ranger who acts as a gentle, documentary-style narrator. The writing here is clever; it never talks down to you, even when you are rolling in the mud.
And while the premise is undoubtedly traumatic, the game handles it with a soft touch. The burnt forest section is sombre, but the game is more “Finding Nemo” than “The Road.” As you track down your brothers and sisters, each sibling has a unique personality quirk that requires a small puzzle to solve—one won’t move until you plant a mushroom garden, another is stuck in a jar. It’s wholesome, low-stakes, and delivers exactly the warm hug you expect.
Gameplay: The Nose Knows (Mostly)
The core mechanic is “scent tracking.” You hit a button, Boris raises his snout to the wind, and a colourful particle trail appears. You follow the smell to find your family. However, baby Boris has ADHD (the cute kind). He can’t focus because the forest is full of other smells: flowers, rabbits, trash, and even sunglasses.
To clear the noise, you must use the Scent-o-Meter. Find enough of a distracting smell to “eliminate” it from the list, and suddenly your sibling’s trail becomes crystal clear. Over time, his experience will allow him to filter more delicate scents, or track specific trails. I don’t know if any of you remember the incredibly niche Dog’s Life game from PlayStation 2 where it followed this same concept, but trust me it’s a great loop. It makes exploration feel purposeful, and it brings your snout down to the ground, so to speak.
There are a couple of minigames and side activities, including time trials, photography challenges, and hunting down a local legend. These are genuinely fun diversions that reward curiosity. Running, dashing, and digging as Boris also feels wonderfully physics-based and weighty; you really feel like a clumsy baby boar scrambling over rocks and splashing through rivers. And blessedly, there are no enemies here. No combat. No health bars. Just a little frolic in the forest.
One thing that ended up being a little less chosy in Adorable Adventures is the sibling chaos. Once collected, your brothers and sisters follow you everywhere, which sounds cute until they start knocking over trash cans and physically getting in your way. It’s realistic, sure, but it’s also genuinely annoying when you’re trying to line up a perfect photo or follow a delicate scent trail.
Visuals & Vibe: Cévennes National Park Simulator
Wild Sheep Studio has absolutely nailed the environment. Inspired by Southern France, the meadows are sun-dappled, the caves are cool and echoey, and the rivers are refreshing. A special shoutout to the sun and the light mechanics of this game, which is very much a paid actor. The lovely sunlight dappled through the trees; the sun set at the end of the day. There is a warmth to the light refractions that make this game feel endlessly cozy.
The gorgeous variety in the environment directly links to the game’s core mechanics of sniff and find. Boris’s home is full of interesting aromas, from floral lavender to pungent mushrooms and sweet honeycomb; each area of the park has its own plant life and unique geography. As Boris explores, he’ll use his nose to naturally learn more about the world around him.
The sound design is the secret MVP. The rustling of leaves, the snorting of Boris, and the soft acoustic guitar score make this a perfect game to play before bed. It runs like a dream on PS5 (and PC/Xbox), with no stutters during my playthrough. Load times are snappy — usually under five seconds when fast-travelling across the map. The Switch version (tested briefly) holds a steady 30fps but sacrifices some draw distance.
Adorable Adventures: Final Verdict
Adorable Adventures is a lovely, cozy afternoon. It doesn’t overstay its welcome. However, the price tag for a 3-5 hour experience feels slightly steep. But in truth, I smiled the entire time I played this. Watching Boris put on tiny sunglasses, scoring a goal with a found football, and charging through a field with eight piglets behind him is a joyous experience.
If you like games like A Short Hike or My Little Puppy — small protagonist, open-ish world, and a focus on gentle exploration and adventure. Then this is the game for you. Just add in Boris’ unique scent mechanic, and a lot more grunts and snorts.
Rating: 4.6/5
Release Date: 30 April 2026
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam
[Disclaimer: A review code was provided for this article]
