By: Robert Murphy
Ever since I first picked up the charming little game, Child of Light, it has been an effort of mine to find other titles of it's like that carry the same atmosphere to it and this brought me to Never Alone. I had underestimated the depth that the game would bring in such a short time, the alternate title for the game is Kisima Ingitchuna which is native Iñupiaq interpretation for the game. Yes, this game was in partnership developed with much support from Alaskan Natives to tell the story and open players to an unknown world and tale from their history. Every detail, down to the narration has served to engross you into this piece of folklore as you play a young native girl named Nuna and her spunky partner, an arctic lupine named Fox. The two of you set out to discover the origin of the never ending blizzards that are plaguing her village and causing pain and suffering for her people.
The gameplay is fairly straight forward as a platforming genre, Nuna and Fox will work together in order to make it through different obstacle along the difficult frozen wasteland. Switching between the two to face the icy terrain, Nuna and Fox complement one another, Fox has the ability to jump higher and climb walls. He also has a more mysterious ability to summon the aid of ethereal spirits that help him and Nuna reach higher points. Nuna though is no slouch and brings her own skills to the party, she can push or pull objects and also wields a bolo type tool that can break weak icy obstacles in their way. Now you don't have to switch between the two if you have a friend to play with, Never Alone offers a co-op system for another person to work alongside you but I spent this journey going alone and it went smoothly.
Now while all of this won't prove to be a daunting task for you, you will find it hard to notice the simplicity while the charm of the story is pulling you in. I could not help but take the time to listen whenever the narration chimed in with the elder Alaskan Native speaker telling you the tale as it unfolds before you. Never Alone was a game that clearly had the notion to create something with a love for the Alaskan Native people and wanting to have this story brought to life the way it was meant to. The game is the perfect example for the time old gamer saying that a good story makes the game with it's authentic feel and flow to it. Even though you may not understand the Iñupiaq language or culture, you will still feel the gravity of the situations you are in and story that is being laid in front of you.
But, despite the charming nature of the game, there were some flaws to the gameplay that came up while I was playing. One point in particular when I had to use Fox to summon an ethereal spirit to help Nuna get to a high point, Fox would either fall off of the edge or the spirit would go on without Nuna and I was unable to progress without resetting the checkpoint. Other issues like characters touching surfaces that aren't really there and funky glitches came up from time to time that caused me levels of annoyance. There is also the delay to which you are told about an oncoming threat and how you must handle the situation, it's not like a puzzle where you must sit and find the solution, no this is a death sequence you will have to endure while you figure out the way to escape the danger that threatens you.
Never Alone, may have had it's issues but it was still an enjoyable little platformer. I appreciated all the hard work that the developers went to ingratiate you with the Alaskan Native story and the natives who offered this great piece of folklore to the game as well. The atmosphere is also a perfect representation to the tough and harsh terrains of Alaska, I have never been there but you do not have to go there to know how dangerous it can be living in the cold, blizzards and isolation of it all. If some of the more basic issues were to be fixed, Never Alone would have been a perfect ride for me but it was still overall a very unique story told from real Iñupiaq people.
The gameplay is fairly straight forward as a platforming genre, Nuna and Fox will work together in order to make it through different obstacle along the difficult frozen wasteland. Switching between the two to face the icy terrain, Nuna and Fox complement one another, Fox has the ability to jump higher and climb walls. He also has a more mysterious ability to summon the aid of ethereal spirits that help him and Nuna reach higher points. Nuna though is no slouch and brings her own skills to the party, she can push or pull objects and also wields a bolo type tool that can break weak icy obstacles in their way. Now you don't have to switch between the two if you have a friend to play with, Never Alone offers a co-op system for another person to work alongside you but I spent this journey going alone and it went smoothly.
Now while all of this won't prove to be a daunting task for you, you will find it hard to notice the simplicity while the charm of the story is pulling you in. I could not help but take the time to listen whenever the narration chimed in with the elder Alaskan Native speaker telling you the tale as it unfolds before you. Never Alone was a game that clearly had the notion to create something with a love for the Alaskan Native people and wanting to have this story brought to life the way it was meant to. The game is the perfect example for the time old gamer saying that a good story makes the game with it's authentic feel and flow to it. Even though you may not understand the Iñupiaq language or culture, you will still feel the gravity of the situations you are in and story that is being laid in front of you.
But, despite the charming nature of the game, there were some flaws to the gameplay that came up while I was playing. One point in particular when I had to use Fox to summon an ethereal spirit to help Nuna get to a high point, Fox would either fall off of the edge or the spirit would go on without Nuna and I was unable to progress without resetting the checkpoint. Other issues like characters touching surfaces that aren't really there and funky glitches came up from time to time that caused me levels of annoyance. There is also the delay to which you are told about an oncoming threat and how you must handle the situation, it's not like a puzzle where you must sit and find the solution, no this is a death sequence you will have to endure while you figure out the way to escape the danger that threatens you.
Never Alone, may have had it's issues but it was still an enjoyable little platformer. I appreciated all the hard work that the developers went to ingratiate you with the Alaskan Native story and the natives who offered this great piece of folklore to the game as well. The atmosphere is also a perfect representation to the tough and harsh terrains of Alaska, I have never been there but you do not have to go there to know how dangerous it can be living in the cold, blizzards and isolation of it all. If some of the more basic issues were to be fixed, Never Alone would have been a perfect ride for me but it was still overall a very unique story told from real Iñupiaq people.
Good:
- The authentic representation of the Alaskan Native story
- A charming platformer
- Great atmosphere and art work present throughout the game
Bad:
- Technical issues such as character glitches and others
- Partner issues when switching between Nuna and Fox
Scully Rating: 7.0 out of 10
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