Alto’s Adventure | Game Review

Breathtaking visuals elevate this endess runner

Alto's Adventure
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Publisher: Snowman
Reviewed On: iPhone
Cert: 9
Available On: iPhone/iPad

Endless runners are two-a-penny these days. From Madagascar penguins to treasure-hunting adventurers, it seems everyone has one. But rarely are they as beautiful or as atmospheric as Alto's Adventure. The basic premise is the same as the rest: stay on the path for as long as possible, collect objects, avoid obstacles and complete goals as they're set.

But the path in this case is a snowy mountain, and the objects you need to collect are runaway llamas. There are coins to collect too, and points to rack up, but your main objective is to round up the runaway llamas while trying to stay upright on your snowboard. The surrounding environment is both beautiful and deadly. Weather changes as you move, bathing you in sunshine one minute, in a snowfall and worse the next. And the day time shifts too – while the course is reasonably easy to navigate in the midday sun, it’s more treacherous at night. Rocks appear from nowhere, chasms seems wider. You can also throw a few tricks in there to help boost your speed – check out the length of your scarf as you back flip – and your points total. That extra speed boost is handy for making it over some of the wider chasms and ravines. Fall in and your run is done. Points can also be earned by grinding on opportune bits of scenery, such as bunting.

Looks-wise, it’s a bit Monument Valley, so you’ll spend half your time looking at the beautiful sunset or the sun-drenched mountainside rather than paying attention to the task at hand. It’s further proof, if it was needed, that mobile games can hold their own aesthetically.

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist