One of the more highly-anticipated games around TA finally launched this week with Built By Snowman’s Alto’s Adventure ($4.99). The game has been highly praised for its beautiful art, which has caused it to gain a lot of traction and even get coverage on several media outlets that don’t normally cover video games. It’s definitely striking enough to have a mainstream appeal, and I myself have to confess that I’m constantly being stricken by the game’s beauty. However, as a long-time gamer and someone who has played more side-scrolling endless runners than I can count, I admit that I was underwhelmed gameplay-wise the first time I took Alto’s Adventure for a spin. It felt like, “That’s it?"
The game boils down to tapping to jump to avoid hazards and catch air off lips or cliffs, and once in the air holding down the screen to rotate and perform backflips. You can also grind by landing on wires that are occasionally strung up in a level, but by and large everything felt very basic. Very very beautiful visually, but very basic mechanically. Each run felt like it dragged on for too long and the game just didn’t feel especially challenging. Still, something about Alto’s Adventure kept beckoning me. I kept playing and replaying, and the more I played, the more it grew on me. It also turned out that the more I played, and the more I read in our forums, I discovered there’s actually some serious depth hidden beneath the oh-so-gorgeous exterior of the game.
For one, as you complete the meta-missions in the game and level up your character, you’ll unlock additional playable characters, each of whom have some type of unique ability that differentiates them from the rest. Then you have the Wingsuit, the most expensive item in the shop. This thing is a total game-changer. Once you activate the Wingsuit, you’re able to glide through the air, and this allows you to string together much larger combos and get a much higher score. Here’s a brief video from forum user App Unwrapper showing off the character Tupa as well as the Wingsuit. Obviously, if you don’t want either of those things spoiled for you, you might want to skip the video.
Pretty neat, right? But it’s not just the additional characters or the Wingsuit that add interesting layers of strategy to the game, but some of the base mechanics are also imperative to master properly if you’re going for that long high-score run. For example, pulling off a backflip gives you a temporary speed burst when you land, and during that burst of speed you’re actually invincible which lets you blast straight through rocks that would otherwise end your run.
Being able to gain speed is also crucial for outrunning the Elders who follow you and try to take you out, or for making some of the more epic jumps across particularly long chasms. Basically, backflips aren’t just cool-looking tricks that score you points, but they are critical elements to playing the game and it’s in your best interest to master them. Here’s another much lengthier video, this time from forum user ThunderChickenFalconHawk (great name!) which shows off how strategically using the abilities in the game can lengthen your run quite a bit.
As I said previously, the more I play Alto’s Adventure, the more I like it, and this continues to be true even as I write this. It’s a deceptively deep game, which got me to thinking “Why didn’t they put things like the Wingsuit earlier in the game so people like me won’t get tricked into thinking the game is boring?" Well, as we discuss on our podcast this week, that is my point of view as a long-time gamer and someone who is intimately familiar with these types of games. And in the world of mobile, people like me aren’t typically the target audience.
Lots of people who aren’t regular gamers are writing about and enjoying Alto’s Adventure, and it could be that had the game thrown all of its intricacies at you at once, it might have been too overwhelming. That’s not a knock on those people at all, it’s just a reality. If you play a lot of console first-person shooters, someone can hand you a controller for the newest Call of Duty game and you’ll jump right in without missing a beat. Hand a console controller to someone who doesn’t really play video games, and they’ll look at you like you just handed them an alien object.
I’m going to say it again: The more I play Alto’s Adventure, the more I like it. Nay, the more I love it. Barring the visuals, it doesn’t leave the greatest first impression to someone who’s played these games before, but it’s absolutely worth sticking to and learning its deeper intracacies. And in fact, I think the progression and learning curve is perfect for the larger portion of the mobile audience it’s trying to cater too. If you weren’t terribly impressed with Alto’s Adventure on first blush, my advice is to keep at it, and eventually try to learn some of the more advanced techniques. This game is definitely more than just a pretty face, and I have a feeling it’s something really special we’ll be talking about and playing for a long time to come.
Yawn
Heavenstrike Rivals came out today and its good
Didn't find this game ?
Check the game website or the forum for a direct link, it may not show up in search until the store refreshes but its live as of earlier today
There you go.
„Heavenstrike Rivals – A Monster Tactical TCG!“ from SQUARE ENIX INC
https://appsto.re/de/2gOz3.i
Downloaded Heavenstrike and the game is very pretty to look at. Then I saw that it has energy timers. Goodbye game.
Well its your loss.. Its a good game with fantastic art style, character design etc.
I played through some of the tutorial. I like what was going on there, I just don't want to play games that have energy timers. It may be my loss, but I'd rather spend my time with games that I can actually buy. No insult to the game meant.
Well it would obviously be a better game as a premium game. there is no denying that. but i wont ignore them just cause they are.
Haha this is probably the normal weekly experience for everyone... Check... Download... Delete... It is for me anyway I just skipped and download part now and stopped wasting time.
Super comprehensive lists, Thanks Mucho.
Weak week only think I see is UFC😊
GAMELOFT needs to get on with the next Asphalt and Gangstar games like seriously.
I'm done with all their clones.
If you're done with Gameloft's clone games, why are you looking forward to Asphalt and Gangstar? Does not compute.
Because I don't consider them clones, duh!
Maybe Gangstar, but Asphalt it its own thing.
Prison life RPG?
Look up hardtime
I'm playing it. Got code from dev. Absolutely freaking hilarious!!!
Its coming today 26 feb. Warden forgot to open the gate just now.
Thanks to your promo code, I'm loving my time in the can. This plays and looks like GOTW to me.
I has wait LONG on this game but it cost 40kr nerver gonna download the game.....
Atomas looks good, and I kinda want to try Hell Marys. Looks ridiculous.
You should try Deeply Absurd Chain - but please don't play it too much :)
I plan on it as soon as it's in the US
Super! While note that upcoming gameplay tweak will follow shortly. Early feedbacks show that the game happened to be a bit too easy.
Ask yourself this, "Are these witnesses credible?"
An Uber Weak Week! Look at the sheer amount of weak!
I just downloaded ufc from another country App Store ( Canada ) there's no energy bar but it does require internet but overall it's a pretty awesome game and this is coming from a guy who hates wwe immortals
HOPEFULLY this means that they'll remove the friggin energy bar from NFS: No Limits, it's a clear gameplay restriction and is absolutely annoying!
Wow, a lot of choices today!
Overkill 3. Today or tomorrow. Been playing it. Good shooting fun for all.
Where is Torque Burnout ?
Some look ...interesting. Wasn't Criminel due out tonight?
Any RPGs on that list?
Any word on Assassin's Creed Identity?
It's been getting small updates for bug fixes and stuff, I have three assassins, the highest one level 11. Have a master shadowblade and master trickster. The game gets better as you progress. Anyway I wanted a head start before it released world wide and made a NZ account for it, have been playing it casually for months now.
Been playing for a few wks and his must say, u will not be disappointed. End of story. Epic iOS game. Premium experience. Full on AC on ur idevice!
Anybody who likes Bad Piggies should check out their Twitter feed. A sequel, spinoff or an addition to the original is coming soon.
Oh hell yeah!
Dungeon hunter 5 is a few weeks away! I can't wait. Definitely going to be my new addiction hehe
Striker Arena finally launched. Looks pretty cool.
Is Miscrits world of creatures gonna be out
Isn't Flop Rocket from the always excellent developer Butterscotch Shenanigans out tonight?
Is overkill 3 coming this week?
Ya. It is
nothing for me. too bad i don't earn interest on my itunes balance, i'd have doubled my money by now...
Overkill 3 is out in the US now. I've got it but haven't tried it yet.
Been playing Assassins Creed Identity for around 3 weeks. So damn awesome. Full on AC on iOS. Unreal rlly, all the stuff u love about AC on ur idevice. Epic!¡