Posts for 2021

Once in a while, there comes a game with a simple premise but with such jaw-dropping excellence in implementation that I simply have to take some time out to showcase it. The Alto games, both Alto's Adventure and its successor Alto's Odyssey, are two such exalted examples from the labs of Canadian software company Noodlecake Studios.


The first app I'm going to review is Alto's Adventure, which was released in 2015.


While the concept was nothing new, it boasted such breathtaking visuals and audio that it caught the attention of gamers worldwide. And deservedly so. The screenshots I am about to show you are nothing short of exquisite. In fact, I would even go so far to say that my screenshots do not do the game justice.

The Premise

This game is what we call and "endless runner", where the avatar navigates obstacles across a landscape that is generated on the fly, and goes on as long as the player does not crash and burn. Along the way, points are accumulated and power-ups are collected, eventually resulting in exciting game features.


The titular Alto (or any other characters the player may choose to use) is a skier who is sliding down a limitless expanse of mountains.


During a game, there are varying objectives for a player to complete. Once all three objectives are met, the player goes up a level. At certain levels, certain options open up.


Coins are collected on the way, and spent on things such as items, increasing their power, skipping objectives or picking up where you last left off.

The Aesthetics

Did I say "breathtaking"? That's an understatement. The weather effects - falling rain, lightning strikes, billowing wind, springy sunshine, starry skies - are rendered so beautifully that every second you play the game feels like a visual reward.



And not just a visual reward either. The audio is a great accompanmient to the animation. With birds chirping and llamas bleating, along with the thumps of Alto hitting the hillsides and skidding over puddles, sound effects add greatly to the atmosphere. And then it's time to focus on the music. The music is near-perfection, ranging in pace from cheerful energy to pure serenity as Alto zips merrily along.


If you play this game without sound, you're doing yourself a huge disservice. The audio is almost half the experience.

The Interface

Swipe to jump. Tap and hold to execute flips, double flips and even triple flips. If in flight, tap and hold to glide. For a certain marsupial character, you can even tap mid-jump to double-jump! Like many "endless runners", the controls are simple. Alto's Adventure has more fancy tricks than the average endless runner, yet the controls are kept simple enough.

The Experience

What can I say about this? It was amazing. At some point I stopped giving a damn about it being a game and just wanted to enjoy what Alto's Adventure was giving me.

What I liked

The graphics, animation, sound and music all contribute to a stunning atmosphere - I have mentioned this much. In fact, this component of the game is so powerful that there is even a non-player mode where you can glide across the landscape without worrying about in-game survival.

Chases. Every once in a while, your character disturbs a nomad at rest and this provokes a chase which may end with your character beig cut down. This adds a certain amount of tension from an interesting source.


Power-ups. Most of the power-ups available in the Workshop are pretty neat. I especially like the Coin Magnet.


Multiple characters. As you level up in the game, you gradually unlock other characters that have different abilities, until you unlock the final character that has all their abilities!


Screenshots. Alto's Adventure has this neat little feature which allows you to take screenshots by pausing the game and accessing that feature. This is because the action is so fast-paced that trying to take screenshots the "normal" way would be almost impossible.


Zen Mode. If you don't want to deal with navigating obstacles or meeting objectives or collecting points; and just want to appreciate the gorgeous graphics and beautiful sound effects, Zen Mode allows you to do just that. If you crash and burn while "playing", your character automatically gets up and continues! This also doubles as a good practice mode.

What I didn't

There's almost nothing I didn't like about this game. Sure, it could get repetitive after a while, but that's par for the course for all endless runner games anyway.

If you consume a Feather, falling into a chasm doesn't "kill" you. You just hop right out and continue. This feels weird to me.

The Wingsuit. This is one of the special features of the game. Once you accumulate enough momentum, you are able to fly. It's probably just me, but I find it clumsy and I could totally do without this feature.

Conclusion

I spent countless hours playing Alto's Adventure, and none of it feels wasted. This is an absolute gem of a game due to the concept, implementation and loving attention to detail. The experience is phenomenal.

My Rating

9 / 10

Alto's Odyssey is a follow-up to Alto's Adventure. Everything remains pretty much the same except for the environment. There are some nifty new features to enjoy.


Sequels generally don't turn out better than the original, especially if they are so much alike. However, Alto's Odyssey gives the original some serious competition.

The Premise

This game has an identical premise to its predecessor. There are some new characters, but this is largely cosmetic because these characters have the same abilities as the old ones.


There are some new locations as well. These have different backgrounds and effects.

The Aesthetics

Beautiful as the last one, and there are tiny additional details that you may not see right away unless you look closely.

The Experience

Alto's Oddessey provided everything I loved about the original, and then some.

For real, it's like Alto's Adventure with a different environment and new tricks. Just about everything that made Alto's Adventure enjoyable, makes it into this one in some form or other.

The Interface

There's very little new about the interface, except for the rock walls, water pools and balloons. They add a new dimension to the physics of the game, as mastery of some of these new elements may be crucial to crossing chasms. In particular, balloons now allow you to do a quadruple flip!

What I liked

Everything I liked about the original.

Animated backgrounds. The layered backgrounds animate occasionally. Buildings crumble. Trees stir in the wind. Balloons drift. And it's all so subtle you don't catch it unless you look closely.


Share via email. The captions are cute!



The Feather has been replaced by a Lotus Flower, and it allows you to survive falls and break rocks! The crate drop feature is cool as well.



Birds of paradise. They are really awesome, you can have more than one, and they help you collect coins.

What I didn't

In the original, you are chased by nomads with whips. In the sequel, you are chased by lemurs. Doesn't really feel like an upgrade.


Some blocky visuals show up at times, and I don't really see a reason for them to exist.




The Wingsuit still sucks. Honestly, I can't see a compelling reason for it to exist. It does help in some cases, but the player can do just fine without it.

Conclusion

Noodlecake Studios achieved almost the impossible with this one. The original was good; the successor just wins by a hair. Play either, or both games. Revel in the artistry!

My Rating

9.5 / 10