Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey are equally fantastic games to play. Not only do they look and sound otherworldly, but both of their gameplay are among the smoothest and most responsive mechanics ever made. However, are there any differences between the two? Which is more superior than the other? Are there any advantages to playing one over the other? Let’s find out all of these in this article.
Oh, and do check out our port of Alto’s Adventure and Alto’s Odyssey here on Games.lol, which you can now play for free on the PC.
Release Dates
The very first game is Alto’s Adventure. It was released in 2015 by the developer and publisher Snowman. Initially, it was a paid game where you have to pay $3 to play it. Not long after, in just six months after its release, it became free to play (with ads to compensate for the free players). At the end of the year, it received the coveted Best Mobile Game of the Year by The Golden Joystick Awards.
Who wouldn’t love Alto’s Adventure? It was the only fast-paced, side-scrolling endless surfer game with breathtaking 2D graphics, a fantastic soundtrack, and F2P friendly mechanics. This game paved the way for other developers to create high-quality F2P games and not one that is an obvious cash grab from gullible tablet and mobile users.
In just under a year, Alto’s Adventure became one of the fastest-rising free casual games in the digital market. With over 10 million downloads today, the first game keeps on getting new updates, including crisper visuals, better control handling, and new character outfits. Thus, there is no reason not to try out Adventure.
To everybody’s surprise, Snowmen released the second game in 2018 called Alto’s Odyssey. Now under a new developer called Team Alto, which is still Snowmen but on a different division this time, Odyssey brought back all the good stuff from the first game and made everything better. From flashier visuals to broader horizons and larger verticality, Odyssey wasn’t just a sequel; it was a statement from Snowmen saying they have the most stunning endless platformer game ever.
Graphics
First, let’s talk about the graphics. Usually, the second game is much better than the first in terms of graphical fidelity. But for both Alto games, it’s all on par. Both are just amazing to ogle at. A reviewer once said, “Every second of Adventure and Odyssey is good enough to become a wallpaper” because it’s THAT beautiful.
The main difference between the two games is the location and setting. If the first one was in the snowy mountains of South Asia, now you are in the great deserts. The adventure was all about cool and chilly palettes that set the mood properly, especially for those that love snow-based games. Meanwhile, Odyssey is more of a mystical setting where the sun is screaming hot in the dunes while the moon lights up ever so vividly in the vast emptiness of the sands. That’s why we can’t tally which one is better because their 2D animations are phenomenal.
Sounds
One of the most iconic areas of both games is the soundtrack. If you love trance and chill-pop (or whatever sub-genre you want to call it), you are going to want to listen to the game on loop. You can even check out the music on Spotify, too, if you want to.
The songs also change depending on the weather and the day of the current stage. If it’s a cold, breezy night, the song is calm and slow. But, it becomes more aggressive and intimidating once the environment turns into a howling blizzard. Moreover, the Middle Eastern theme of the music in Odyssey also suits so well, conveying emotions of ambitiousness over the large adventures as Alto journeys to the unknown.
Gameplay
Nothing has changed much in the gameplay. You surf along the slopes, and you’ll find some points of interest along the way including railings to grind on, llamas to collect, and giant ravines to jump over.
However, unlike other runner games, you can do stunts while jumping. Specifically, you can do the backflip while jumping. When you hold the jump button, your surfer will attempt to do a full backflip. If you land sideways or on your head, you fall and lose the game.
You also collect coins along the way. You can use these to buy new characters to join you. These characters have different perks, including faster downward slide, longer combos, and quicker backflips.
In Odyssey, they have added some new changes, including water streams that boost your speed and tornados that will lift you so high in the air. We do miss the llama collecting from Adventure though. We thought that was one of the most unique parts of the first game.
Both are Good
In the end, they are just both amazing games. The only real difference here is the settings. If you like to collect llamas in the snowy mountains, pick Alto’s Adventure. If you prefer pure extreme sports in the desert, choose Alto’s Odyssey.
