App of the Week: Alto’s Adventure is a fun, addictive snowboarding sidescroller

There wasn’t much snow in the mountains this winter, but this easy-to-play game might give you a taste of the fun you missed, and you can finish a round during a commercial break.
Alto’s Adventure is a beautifully simple side-scrolling snowboarding game that is simple to pick up but hard to master. The game is accompanied by a satisfying soundtracks and papercraft-style animation.

You play as Alto, who need to snowboard down a never-ending mountain to catch his escaping llamas, and perform a few tricks along the way. You’ll have to hop over rocks, jump across chasms, and grind down bunting to build up your score.

The controls are basic. The screen is just one big button that you hit it to jump and hold to do a backflip. Just jump on the bunting wire to grind, no need to control your balance. As you get further down the mountain, chasms get bigger and rocks get more frequent. It’s a seamless leveling system that’s found in a lot of these types of casual games.

While you can collect coins to buy new snowboards with special features, there is no in-app purchasing. That’s a refreshing twist in today’s freemium gaming environment. There are no ways to level up without getting good at the game and collecting coins, and no way to buy your way up the leaderboard. You do have to pay $1.99 for the app, but it’s well worth it to keep you entertained indefinitely.

If you’re looking for a simple game that can keep you entertained for hours or just during halftime, Alto’s Adventure is a great options. It’s available on iPad and iPhone for $1.99.