40 Best iOS Games Of All Time

39. Alto’s Adventure

Release date: February 19, 2015

Developer: Snowman

Publisher: Snowman

Don’t call it an endless runner. There’s no running in Alto’s Adventure, just a whole lot of side-scrolling snowboarding.

That’s not what makes it noteworthy, though. The team at Snowman did an excellent job at thrusting gamers into a fully realized world in a genre not known for that type of artistry. The graphics (including some seriously awesome weather and lighting elements), music and sound grab you right away and never let you go, and since the landscapes through which you pass are procedurally generated, it’s never quite the same experience twice.

Some critiques of this game have focused on the gameplay with charges of repetitiveness, but there’s some substance to go with the style as well. Even with simple one-button controls to drive the actual snowboarding action, it takes some practice before you can simply start stringing combos together, sort of like real snowboarding, one would imagine.

More isn’t always more when it comes to mobile games, and Alto’s Adventure can clearly stand as Exhibit A for that idea. It’s the kind of game that lures you in with beauty and simplicity and then won’t let go once it’s got you hooked.

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