Alto’s Adventure is such an immersive experience, it’s hard to believe it’s being channeled through a mobile-sized screen. Its beauty is in the details: the tiny shadow reflected in the snow as you leap into the air for a backflip, the birds flying away in fear as you tear down a hill, the satisfying sound of your board pressing down on the snow. Overhead, the sky is constantly shifting, drenching you in darkness and rain during a midnight storm, then offering solace a few moments later with the soft, rosy hues of dawn...

The app was built by Ryan Cash and Jordan Rosenberg, the founders of the Toronto-based software studio Snowman, with UK illustrator and developer Harry Nesbitt.