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Alto's Adventure devs open a studio focused on 'folk' games
The development team behind the classic snowboarding endless runners Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey have opened a new studio called Land & Sea. Alto lead artist and developer Harry Nesbitt, programmer Joe Grainger and composer Todd Baker have been joined at Land & Sea by producer Jair McBain and narrative designer Jenna Jovi. Land & Sea will continue to work with Snowman on Alto projects while developing other games.
'Alto's Adventure' arrives on Mac for $10
If you're a fan of Alto's Adventure, you might be pleased to know you can at long last play the revered endless runner on Mac. It's available on the redesigned Mac App Store for $10. Alto's Adventure debuted on iOS in 2015, so it's taken quite some time to reach macOS. The game's also available on Android, Kindle Fire, Android and Linux.
'Alto's Odyssey' lands on Android for free next week
Apple Design Award winner Alto's Odyssey hit the App Store in February, but Android players have been forced to wait for the serene platformer to come to Google Play. They won't have to sit on their hands for much longer -- Alto's Odyssey will land on Android on July 26th. And, when it does, it'll be free. The iOS version of Alto's Odyssey costs $5 and that's not going to change when the Android edition goes live. There's precedent for this platform price disparity: Alto's Adventure, the first game in the series, cost $3 on the App Store when it launched in 2015, while the Android version landed in 2016 as a free game. Snowman, the studio behind Alto, had heard from fellow indie developers that it was difficult to attain App Store-level sales figures on Google Play with a paid game, so they tried out a free model with ad support.
'Alto's Odyssey' slides onto Android next month
Alto's Odyssey, the sequel to the classic snowboarding endless runner Alto's Adventure, is headed to Android next month. Players on iOS devices have explored the Apple Design Award-winning game's gorgeous desert landscapes since February, though Android users have had to remain patient for their own chance to test their mettle on the sandy slopes. You can pre-register on Google Play now, and receive a notification when the game's available, which will be sometime in July. Alto's Odyssey is coming to Android next month! Pre-Register today on @GooglePlay and be the first to get notified at launch 💚 https://t.co/IyjbPNxrdB pic.twitter.com/VzmZ2rWmCs — Alto's Odyssey (@altosadventure) June 19, 2018
'Alto's Odyssey' took three years to make, and that's all right
It's been three years since Snowman, a tiny independent studio based in Toronto, launched Alto's Adventure on iOS devices. Back then, the Alto crew was three people -- Ryan Cash, Harry Nesbitt and Jordan Rosenberg -- and Alto's Adventure was their first real game. They didn't know what to expect when they published it in the App Store for $2.99 in Feb. 2015, but the team hoped for the best. That launch changed everything. Alto's Adventure was a huge success. Players devoured the serene, soothing experience set on the slopes of a snowy mountain range -- it was an endless-runner snowboarding and llama-herding game, and its only mechanic involved tapping the screen to jump. Though gameplay was simple, the atmosphere and art told a larger story about comfort, risk and the warmth of home. Apple users ate it up, and the next year, Android players got a taste as well.
'Alto's Odyssey' arrives on the App Store a day early
The buzz around Alto's Adventure sequel Alto's Odyssey has been brewing for over a year and now it's finally arrived -- a day early. Originally slated for release on February 22, keen-eyed fans have spotted it in the iTunes store today, meaning players have the opportunity to lose a whole extra day to the addictive infinite runner. As with the game's predecessor, though, Android users will have to wait before they can contend with the fresh challenges presented by Alto's desert landscape. In an email to Android Authority, Ryan Cash from Snowman, the team behind the series, said, "We aren't committing to a release date at the moment, but we're hoping to get an Android version out in the months ahead."
The best mobile games
Mobile gaming has come a long way. Over the past few years we've gone from simple distractions like Snake, Words With Friends and Doodle Jump to full-on narrative experiences crafted specifically for Android and iOS devices. What's more, at least a few traditional console game developers have shifted entirely to mobile at this point, and, in a bit of a reversal, they've ported their games to consoles. By 2012, game-design toolsets like Unity and Unreal made a charming indie designed for mobile devices indistinguishable from one you'd play on a PlayStation or Xbox. As such, for the purposes of this list, we're focusing on games that have been released within the past five years.
Nope, 'Alto's Odyssey' isn't coming out this summer
It's going to be a bit before we can play Alto's Odyssey. The followup to the ridiculously relaxing snowboarding game Alto's Adventure won't be out any time soon, developer Built By Snowman writes. "The endless desert still awaits and it's even vaster and more mysterious than we envisioned when we first conceptualized a new adventure for Alto and his friends," a blog post reads.
Merch booths are coming to a video game near you
Take a look through Etsy or the countless daily T-shirt sites and nerd-focused stores online and you'll find a common theme: merchandise featuring characters and other bits from your favorite video games. Soon, you won't have to go outside the title you're playing to grab a piece of tie-in swag, however. That's because online shopping company Shopify has designed a developer tool that hooks into games made with the incredibly popular Unity toolset, and sets up a virtual shop in-game where you can buy branded t-shirts and other tchotchkes. What's more, unlike the aforementioned storefronts, it'll be officially licensed merch.
The sequel to 'Alto's Adventure' arrives this summer
Last week, Snowman -- developer of beloved snowboarding game Alto's Adventure -- announced that its next game, Where Cards Fall, would be out this fall. However, we're going to get another game from the studio before that. Alto's Odyssey, the sequel to Alto's Adventure is set to launch this summer. From the brief teaser trailer released today, it looks like Odyssey will change things up in at least one significant way: Alto and his crew will be visiting the desert.
'Alto's Adventure' studio will launch its new game this fall
Indie game developer Snowman has built up quite a reputation based mostly on one game: Alto's Adventure. But we now finally know when we'll get to see the studio's next creation. Where Cards Fall, a game the company has been teasing for a few years now, will be out this fall for Apple TV, iOS and Steam. If you haven't seen any of the gameplay yet, Snowman has also released a new trailer today that gives a pretty extensive look at what to expect when the game arrives.
The developers of 'Alto's Adventure' are building a skateboarding game
Snowman, the creator of ultra-chill snowboarding game Alto's Adventure, is keeping busy lately. In addition to the sequel Alto's Odyssey, it is also working with studio The Game Band for Where Cards Fall and partnering with Australian studio Slingshot and Satchel to build Distant. That's an ambitious workload for a small studio, but that isn't stopping Snowman from announcing yet another new title in development: Skate City. The all-too-brief trailer and Instagram clips show it to be a side-scrolling skateboarding iOS/Android game with the same chill vibe as Alto's Adventure.
The sequel to 'Alto's Adventure' is an 'Odyssey'
Built By Snowman has a busy year ahead of it. In addition to the recently announced Distant, the studio is also working on a sequel to its ultra-soothing endless-snowboarding game Alto's Adventure. Alto's Odyssey will be out sometime in 2017 but aside from that there aren't any details of what to expect.
'Alto's Adventure' zen mode is built to help you relax
Alto's Adventure is already something of a tranquil experience between its endless snowboarding and beautiful pastoral landscapes, but developer Snowman wants go even further. It's introducing a "zen mode" to Alto that removes scores and lets you continue from wherever you crashed -- all you have to do is enjoy the experience. There's also a more relaxing soundtrack in this mode, and you'll even get a photo tool that lets you zoom in and peek behind foreground objects that might clutter the scene.
'Alto's Adventure' is coming to Android next week, and it's free
Alto's Adventure was one of the best games to launch on the iPhone last year -- the beautiful visuals, addictive gameplay, and chill soundtrack made for a uniquely laid-back and satisfying experience. Developer Ryan Cash from Snowman announced this would happen way back in September, but the launch date is finally here. The game will arrive on February 11th and will offer an identical experience to the iOS version, with one key exception. Alto's Adventure will be free for Android players.
Tranquil snowboarding game 'Alto's Adventure' is coming to Android
There are basically no downsides to using Android anymore, but one of the few remaining bummers is that most great mobile games hit the iPhone first. That was the case with the wonderfully tranquil and beautiful snowboarding game Alto's Adventure that came out this past February, but fortunately that'll be rectified soon. Developer NoodleCake is working with the team that originally created Alto's Adventure to port the game over to Android and the Kindle Fire, and it should be ready to go soon. Unfortunately, that's not now, but you can stay tuned to the Alto's Adventure Twitter feed for updates. And if you're an iOS user and haven't tried this game yet, do yourself a favor and give it a go -- it's an endless runner that manages to somehow be relaxing, a rare combo.
