Alto's Odyssey

Last updated

Alto's Odyssey
Alto's Odyssey cover.png
Developer(s) Team Alto
Publisher(s) Noodlecake Studios (Android), Snowman (iOS)
Director(s) Ryan Cash
Producer(s) Eli Cymet
Designer(s) Harry Nesbitt
Joe Grainger
Programmer(s) Harry Nesbitt
Joe Grainger
Artist(s) Harry Nesbitt
Composer(s) Todd Baker
Torin Borrowdale
Engine Unity
Platform(s)
Release
February 21, 2018
  • iOS
  • February 21, 2018
  • Android
  • July 25, 2018
  • MacOS
  • February 19, 2020
  • Windows, PS4 & Xbox One
  • August 13, 2020
  • Nintendo Switch
  • November 26, 2020
Genre(s) Endless runner, snowboarding
Mode(s) Single Player

Alto's Odyssey is an endless runner and a sandboarding video game developed by Team Alto and published by Snowman (iOS) and Noodlecake Studios (Android). The player controls Alto as he explores the endless desert across different biomes, each with unique traversal mechanics and challenges. Developed over a year and a half, it was released in 2018 for iOS and Android. [1] It is the sequel to Alto's Adventure (2015).

Contents

Gameplay

Alto's Odyssey keeps the same basic gameplay of its predecessor, Alto's Adventure. The player chooses between a cast of characters, each with different characteristics ranging from a higher jump to the ability to speed through rocks. [2] At its core the game remains a side-scrolling endless runner, in which the player character now sandboards through a desert setting, instead of snowboarding as in the original game. The player can jump by tapping the screen and do tricks by holding down on it. By doing tricks the player can increase their score which is uploaded to an online leaderboard at the end of their run. The desert features three biomes that the player can unlock, each focusing on different mechanics. [2]

A sandstorm, one of the new dynamic weather events in Alto's Odyssey Alto's Odyssey Gameplay Screenshot.png
A sandstorm, one of the new dynamic weather events in Alto's Odyssey

At the beginning of the game, the player starts in the dunes, which features rolling hills and rocks for the player to avoid. Another biome is the canyons, requiring the new wall-riding mechanic, which allows the player to climb up canyon walls by holding down on the screen. The final biome is the temples, featuring vines which the player can ride on and waterfalls that can speed the player up. Later in the game it is possible to unlock a compass which allows the player to travel between biomes for a fixed cost in coins. [3]

In addition to wall-riding, the game adds new features, such as water physics, tornadoes, falling platforms, an invulnerability power up, balloon bouncing; alongside mechanics returning from the first installment such as a day-night cycle, weather, and the wingsuit. [4] [5] Like its predecessor, in addition to its original game mode, it also has a Zen mode, in which the player is invulnerable and can get up after hitting obstacles. [6]

The game also retains the challenge system of the first game, where completing challenges allows the player to level up and unlock new characters. In Odyssey's "Workshop", the player can spend coins they collected in order to upgrade power-ups or unlock new abilities and features. [7]

Development

Snowman and Nesbitt (dubbed "Team Alto") announced the sequel in December 2016. It was originally supposed to launch in the summer of 2017, but was delayed until early 2018, "to make it perfect", according to the studio. [8] On February 12, 2018, Team Alto announced the official release date with a trailer on their YouTube channel. [4] Ten days before, the game was given a release date of February 22, 2018 for iOS. [9]

Sandboarding, one of the new mechanics in the game Ladybird Sandboarding Cape Town.jpg
Sandboarding, one of the new mechanics in the game

The game was intended to be a successor to Alto's Adventure, rather than a game that rethought the mechanics of the series. Other mechanics such as a grappling hook were considered, but were axed because they complicated the one-touch gameplay. Wall-riding and balloon bouncing were added in order to build more verticality into environments as Team Alto felt the game world was too static in Adventure. The new biomes expanded the scope of the game a great deal, with one developer commenting "That approach required us to virtually triple the amount of assets we were producing, and item zones we were creating to place content in the environment". Each area was designed to feel distinct to play, instead of being a purely visual change. The ruins in particular were inspired by the worlds of games like Journey and Ico . [10] [11] [3]

Code from the original game was used in Odyssey, but was significantly modified. [3] Odyssey uses the Metal API on iOS, which the developers switched to for better performance and stability over OpenGL. [11] The game aims for a 60 frames per second target, and uses lower quality shaders for weaker hardware in order to maintain performance. Odyssey takes advantage of Apple's Haptic engine in order to give feedback for landing a trick or when the player interacts with the game world. [12]

Alto's Odyssey was initially launched only on iOS, with an Android release slated for a later date. On February 21, 2018, the game was released on the App Store at a price of US $4.99. [13] On June 4 of that year, the game was awarded with an Apple Design Award. [14] Later in July it was released on the Android platform as a free-to-play game. In an interview with Team Alto, they cited disappointing revenue for premium games on Android as the reason for turning to a free-to-play model. [11]

On August 4, 2019, Team Alto announced that Alto's Odyssey, alongside Alto's Adventure, would be released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on August 13, 2020, as part of The Alto's Collection. A MacOS port came out on February 19, 2020, and a Nintendo Switch version was released on November 26, 2020. [15] [16] A version for Apple Arcade with an additional city area was set for release on July 16, 2021, under the title, Alto’s Odyssey: The Lost City. [17]

Reception

Alto's Odyssey received "generally favorable reviews" according to review aggregator, Metacritic. [18]

Computer Games Magazine's Alex Handziuk praised the sound design of the game, writing that the game was "immensely calming" and "full of lush piano motifs and swelling crescendos that do a superb job of invoking emotion in the player". He also enjoyed the game's Zen mode, saying that " I genuinely felt a feeling of relaxation while playing the mode and it works surprisingly well as a form of meditation". [6]

Pocket Gamer thought that Alto's Odyssey's visuals improved over its predecessor, remarking "Alto’s Odyssey manages to one-up Adventure in terms of creating a gorgeous atmosphere". However, the outlet criticized the game for sticking too close to the first game, making the game feel familiar. [20]

Carter Dotson of TouchArcade liked the new biomes as he thought they gave more variety to each run. Dotson criticized the amount of coins required to unlock new items, saying that the game "becomes about the grind to get more coins". [2]

The game was nominated for the A-Train Award for Best Mobile Game at the New York Game Awards; [21] "Mobile Game of the Year" at the SXSW Gaming Awards; [22] "Excellence in Visual Art" and "Excellence in Audio" at the Independent Games Festival Awards; [23] "Best Mobile Game" at the Game Developers Choice Awards; [24] "Mobile Game" at the 15th British Academy Games Awards, [25] and "Best Mobile Game" at the Italian Video Game Awards. [26]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mobile game</span> Video game played on a mobile device

A mobile game, or smartphone game, is a video game that is typically played on a mobile phone. The term also refers to all games that are played on any portable device, including from mobile phone, tablet, PDA to handheld game console, portable media player or graphing calculator, with and without network availability. The earliest known game on a mobile phone was a Tetris variant on the Hagenuk MT-2000 device from 1994.

<i>Star Wars</i> video games Video games based on the Star Wars franchise

Over one hundred video games based on the Star Wars franchise have been released, dating back to some of the earliest home consoles. Some are based directly on films while others rely heavily on the Star Wars Expanded Universe.

iOS Mobile operating system by Apple

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes the system software for iPads as well as on the iPod Touch devices. It is the world's second-most widely installed mobile operating system, after Android. It is the basis for three other operating systems made by Apple: iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS. It is proprietary software, although some parts of it are open source under the Apple Public Source License and other licenses.

<i>Wheres My Water?</i> 2011 video game

Where's My Water? is a puzzle video game developed by American studio Creature Feep and published by Disney Mobile, a subsidiary of Disney Interactive Studios. Released for desktop web browsers and devices using iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry 10 operating systems, the game has its players route a supply of water to an alligator. Where's My Water? has been praised for its gameplay and its graphical style, with special recognition of its lead character, Swampy, the first original Disney character for its mobile game portfolio, voiced by actor, Justin T. Bowler.

<i>Fishdom</i> 2008 video game

Fishdom is a puzzle game developed by Playrix for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS, Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS, Android, iOS, and iPadOS. The game was launched 18 June 2008.

<i>Bloons Tower Defense</i> Video game series by Ninja Kiwi

Bloons Tower Defense is a series of tower defense games under the Bloons series created and produced by Ninja Kiwi. The game was initially developed as a browser game, built upon the Adobe Flash platform and released in mid 2007. Later games in the series expanded to support various mobile platforms, including Android, iOS, Windows Phone, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DSi, Windows, Linux and MacOS. Games in the Bloons series older than Bloons TD 6 are available through the Ninja Kiwi Archive on Steam.

Cloud gaming, sometimes called gaming on demand or game streaming, is a type of online gaming that runs video games on remote servers and streams them directly to a user's device, or more colloquially, playing a game remotely from a cloud. It contrasts with traditional means of gaming, wherein a game runs locally on a user's video game console, personal computer, or mobile device.

<i>Ridiculous Fishing</i> 2013 video game

Ridiculous Fishing is a fishing video game where players use motion and touch controls to catch fish and subsequently shoot them out of the sky for cash. The game was developed and published by Vlambeer—Rami Ismail and Jan Willem Nijman—and released for iOS on March 13, 2013, then later that year for Android.

<i>Threes</i> 2014 video game

Threes is a puzzle video game by Sirvo, an independent development team consisting of game designer Asher Vollmer, illustrator Greg Wohlwend, and composer Jimmy Hinson. The game was released on February 6, 2014, for iOS devices and later ported to Android, Xbox One, and Windows Phone. In Threes, the player slides numbered tiles on a grid to combine addends and multiples of three. The game ends when there are no moves left on the grid and the tiles are counted for a final score.

<i>Altos Adventure</i> 2015 video game

Alto's Adventure is a 2015 endless runner snowboarding video game developed by Team Alto and published by Snowman (iOS) and Noodlecake Studios (Android). The player-character automatically moves to the right of the screen through procedurally generated landscapes. The player taps the screen to jump and perform tricks (backflips), and works towards goals, competitive high scores, and upgrades. Snowman, a Toronto-based, three-person indie development team, previously worked on productivity apps before Alto's Adventure. The game was made to emulate the ethereal atmosphere of snowboarding, and was inspired by Ski Safari (2012), Tiny Wings (2012), Jetpack Joyride (2011), Journey (2012), Monument Valley (2014), Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (2000), and Windosill (2009).

<i>Super Mario Run</i> 2016 mobile game

Super Mario Run is a 2016 platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for iOS and later Android. It is Nintendo's first mobile game that is part of one of the company's long-running and major franchises.

<i>The Sims Mobile</i> 2018 mobile game

The Sims Mobile is a life simulation game based on The Sims 4 and The Sims FreePlay for Android and iOS devices. It was announced on May 9, 2017, in a launch trailer. The game was released on March 6, 2018. It features a multiplayer component and includes story elements.

<i>Brawl Stars</i> 2018 mobile game

Brawl Stars is a multiplayer online battle arena and third-person hero shooter video game developed and published by the Finnish video game company Supercell. It was released worldwide on December 12, 2018, on iOS and Android. The game features various game modes, each with a different objective. Players can choose from a selection of Brawlers, which are characters that can be controlled with on-screen joysticks in a game match.

<i>Mario Kart Tour</i> 2019 mobile game

Mario Kart Tour is a 2019 kart racing mobile game developed by Nintendo EPD and published by Nintendo for iOS and Android devices. The game was announced in January 2018 and was released on September 25, 2019, on Apple App Store and Google Play.

Fortnite Battle Royale is a free-to-play battle royale video game developed and published by Epic Games. It is a companion game to Fortnite: Save the World, a cooperative survival game with construction elements. It was initially released in early access on September 26, 2017, for macOS, PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One, followed by ports for iOS, Nintendo Switch, and Android. The following year, Epic dropped the early access label for the game on June 29, 2020. Versions for the Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 were released as launch titles in late 2020.

<i>Pokémon Quest</i> Free-to-play video game

Pokémon Quest is a free-to-play action-adventure game in the Pokémon series developed by Game Freak. It was released for the Nintendo Switch in May 2018 and for Android and iOS in June 2018. Within a week of its release, it had reached over 7.5 million downloads.

<i>Minecraft Earth</i> 2019 video game

Minecraft Earth was an augmented reality and geolocation-based sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. A spin-off of the video game Minecraft, it was first announced in May 2019, and was available on Android and iOS. The game was free-to-play, and was first released in early access on 17 October 2019. The game received its final update in January 2021 and officially shut down on 30 June 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

<i>Bloons TD 6</i> 2018 tower defense video game

Bloons TD 6 is a 2018 tower defense game developed and published by Ninja Kiwi. The sixth entry in the Bloons Tower Defense series, it first released on June 13, 2018, for iOS and Android. It was later released on Microsoft Windows in December 2018 and macOS in March 2020 via Steam. In February 2022, Bloons TD 6+ released for Apple Arcade. On June 12, 2023, Bloons TD 6Netflix released on iOS and Android for Netflix members only. On September 5, 2023, it was released on Xbox One/Xbox Series X, with a PlayStation release planned for a later date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bootloader unlocking</span> Process of disabling secure device booting

Bootloader unlocking is the process of disabling the bootloader security that makes secure boot possible. It can make advanced customizations possible, such as installing a custom firmware. On smartphones this can be a custom Android distribution or another mobile operating system. Some bootloaders are not locked at all, others can be unlocked using a standard command, others need assistance from the manufacturer. Some do not include an unlocking method and can only be unlocked through a software exploit.

References

  1. ↑ "The addictive endless snowboarding game is back". Red Bull. Archived from the original on 2023-04-28. Retrieved 2023-04-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "'Alto's Odyssey' Review: Once More Down the Mountain". TouchArcade . 2018-02-22. Archived from the original on 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2021-04-30.
  3. 1 2 3 Maggio, Edoardo. "'Alto's Odyssey': How the team behind 'Alto's Adventure' came up with one of the best smartphone games ever made". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  4. 1 2 Alto's Adventure (12 February 2018). "Alto's Odyssey Trailer – Launching February 22nd. Pre-order now!". YouTube . Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (14 June 2017). "Altos Odyssey shows off some new desert moves in E3 gameplay reveal". The Verge . Archived from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  6. 1 2 Handziuk, Alex. "Alto's Odyssey (iOS) Review - A Symphonic Success | CGMagazine". Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  7. ↑ "Review: 'Alto's Odyssey' for iOS heads down the mountain as an excellent sequel to 'Alto's Adventure'". AppleInsider. 27 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2021-04-13. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  8. ↑ Gartenberg, Chaim (7 December 2016). "Alto's Odyssey, the follow-up to Alto's Adventure, is coming in 2017". The Verge . Archived from the original on 8 December 2016. Retrieved 16 February 2018.
  9. ↑ Webster, Andrew (2018-02-12). "Beautiful iPhone adventure Alto's Odyssey is finally coming out this month". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  10. ↑ Couture, Joel (28 January 2019). "Road to the IGF: Team Alto's Alto's Odyssey". www.gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  11. 1 2 3 Axon, Samuel (2018-02-25). "The state of iOS game development, according to the creators of Alto's Odyssey". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  12. ↑ Swanner, Nate (2018-02-23). "'Alto's Odyssey': How a Winning Mobile Game Is Made". Dice Insights. Archived from the original on 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-04-14.
  13. ↑ England, Rachel (21 February 2018). "'Alto's Odyssey' arrives on the App Store a day early". Engadget . Archived from the original on 21 February 2018. Retrieved 21 February 2018.
  14. ↑ "Apple Design Awards". Apple Developer. Apple. Archived from the original on 6 May 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2018.
  15. ↑ "Alto's Odyssey Now Available on macOS". MacRumors. 19 February 2020. Archived from the original on 2023-04-27. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  16. ↑ Lyles, Taylor (August 4, 2020). "Indie darling Alto's Adventure and its sequel are finally coming to PS4, Xbox One and Switch". The Verge . Archived from the original on August 5, 2020. Retrieved August 21, 2020.
  17. ↑ Webster, Andrew (2021-07-09). "Alto's Odyssey is adding a vibrant new city for its Apple Arcade debut". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2023-04-29. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  18. 1 2 "Alto's Odyssey for iOS Reviews". Metacritic . Archived from the original on 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  19. ↑ "Alto's Odyssey (iOS) Review". Computer Games Magazine . Archived from the original on 2021-05-14. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  20. 1 2 "Alto's Odyssey review - Is this a desert boarding adventure worth embarking on?". Pocket Gamer . 21 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-05-07. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  21. ↑ Keyes, Rob (3 January 2019). "2018 New York Game Awards Nominees Revealed". Screen Rant . Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  22. ↑ Trent, Logan (11 February 2019). "Here Are Your 2019 SXSW Gaming Awards Finalists!". South by Southwest . Archived from the original on 15 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  23. ↑ Fogel, Stephanie (3 January 2019). "'Return of the Obra Dinn' Leads IGF Awards Nominees". Variety . Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
  24. ↑ Good, Owen S. (4 January 2019). "Red Dead Redemption 2 tops list of Game Developers Choice nominees". Polygon . Archived from the original on 5 January 2019. Retrieved 5 January 2019.
  25. ↑ Fogel, Stefanie (14 March 2019). "'God of War,' 'Red Dead 2' Lead BAFTA Game Awards Nominations". Variety . Archived from the original on 15 March 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  26. ↑ "Italian Video Game Awards Nominees and Winners". Italian Video Game Awards. 11 April 2019. Archived from the original on 21 March 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.