Never Alone (Wii U eShop) Review

Before this game, I had never heard of the Iñupiat people. I had known of them generally from TV and film, but not much beyond the idea that they were native to Alaska. I don’t claim to have been made an expert through playing, but I’ve left the experience a little more knowledgable than how I entered it.

Never Alone is a collaboration between Upper One Games and a range of Alaska Native representatives that aims to use games as a vehicle to share the culture of the Iñupiat with the wider world. The game manages to overcome issues that could potentially bog down the experience by being a unique and absolutely worthwhile journey through an unfamiliar culture.

Never Alone (or Kisima Inŋitchuŋa) weaves a story about Nuna and her Fox companion. Nuna finds that disaster has befallen her village, and she sets out on a journey to discover who, or what,  was responsible for the events. The story of Never Alone is by far its strongest element. Upper One Games went to great lengths to speak with Native Alaskan elders and storytellers, respectfully adapting the folktales that have been passed through generations of Iñupiat. Nearly every element of the game, from environmental design to the creatures that inhabit the world, feel like they have been pulled straight from these tales. Often when a new area or creature is encountered, an optional video is presented, allowing interested players to gain a deeper understanding of why things in the game world are the way they are. As they’re entirely optional they never impede progress for people who just want to get to the gameplay, these videos are a wonderfully rewarding way to help understand the significance of the places and entities you encounter for those that want to find out more.

The narrative of Never Alone is inspired by the Native Alaskan story Kunuuksaayuka. Rather than narrating in English, the entire game is narrated in Iñupiaq with English subtitles, lending a real sense of authenticity and respect to the overall presentation. Illustrated cutscenes are also used at key moments, and even the way these are presented is in keeping with the cultural inspiration of the game. Every aspect of the game has been presented in a way which shows a great deal of respect to the culture the developers sought to share and celebrate. At every stage of development, Upper One Games have done all they can to involve representatives of the Iñupiat in development process and end product, and it really shows.

Gameplay wise, Never Alone is a puzzle-platformer where your aim is essentially working out how to manipulate the environment to get from left to right. Early into the game, you encounter a fox, who appears to have a connection to the environment. The spirits that inhabit the world respond to Fox and his movements, and he can use this to help Nuna reach safety. Nuna is hardly defenseless however. She soon finds a weapon which she can use to defend herself as well as to break down barriers in the environment impeding her progress. Often, the two characters’ abilities will be used in tandem. If you’re playing alone, you can switch between Nuna and Fox with the press of a button in order to use each of their skills, but if you are playing with a friend you can each take control of one of the characters and play cooperatively instead. I played the majority alone and found no issues with switching between characters, but the game works well either way. The character who is not under player control is generally smart enough to follow you and react when you do something to help them. Fox did once jump to his untimely demise by himself though, poor little guy.

Never Alone is not terribly long at about 3 hours, but the length feels spot on. I found that I became a little tired of the type of puzzles on offer by about the last quarter of the game, so it’s probably for the best that it didn’t outstay it’s welcome. More than anything, I feel like Never Alone is an important game. I struggle to think of another game that has introduced me to a culture I had nearly no knowledge of before, in a way that feels unwaveringly respectful. I’ve learned a little more about the world we live in, without the game falling into the trap of becoming  tacky “edutainment” and to me, that’s pretty exciting. I hesitate to describe any of the gameplay as innovative, but the concept of sharing a cultural story like this through a game is almost entirely unprecedented and absolutely commendable. Don’t go into Never Alone expecting to be blown away by platform action or mind-bending puzzles, but keep your mind open to learning about another way of life and there is much to enjoy.