Alto’s Adventure has just been discounted to $0.99 on the iOS App Store. Nobody quite knows how long the new $0.99 price will last, so go get it while you can. The game was featured on Apple’s Best of 2015 and 15 Most Beautiful Games lists.
Going for the gold on this jump. #GameUpdate https://t.co/I2KrMzmgls pic.twitter.com/JHghitzCjv
— App Store Games (@AppStoreGames) June 5, 2016
In Alto’s Adventure, you guide a snowboarder through procedurally generated landscapes, tapping the screen to pull off flips and other tricks. Along the way — unless you’re playing in Zen Mode, which removes all possible points of failure from gameplay — you must avoid enemies and rack up points. Those points are good for upgrades and bragging rights.
The game is actually free on Android and Kindle devices, ported over by Noodlecake Studios. The freemium model, which works off video ads and an in-app purchase to double the number of coins earned in gameplay, is due to piracy, according to Noodlecake Studios.
"It made sense to us because of the state of mobile gaming and the reality that the vast majority of players do not pay for games," said Noodlecake Studios COO Ryan Holowaty to The Verge. "In addition, Android has a much larger install base than iOS internationally, and games that release in countries like China and Japan are basically free-to-play only at this point. So to really capitalize on the market internationally, it made sense to have a free version."
Alto’s Adventure is currently sitting at 92/100 on Metacritic, qualifying it for prestigious honor of “Universal acclaim.”
