Alto's Odyssey
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
EngineUnity
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).

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

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

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]

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.
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