Never Alone (Kisima Innitchuna)

Every once in a while, an indie game comes out which deserves the attention that is normally reserved for big budget titles. Never Alone (Kisima Innitchuna) is made with such care and detail that it is one of those titles. Made in collaboration with Alaskan Native people, it tells the ancient story of a young Iñupiat girl and an arctic fox that form a bond of friendship as they search for the source of a blizzard and flee a wicked man that attacked her village.

In Never Alone you play as both characters, either switching between the two or playing co-op. The fox is able to climb walls that Nuna can’t and can guide spirits of the land to help her as platforms to jump or climb on. Along the way the way Nuna and the fox will find owls that unlock documentary footage featuring Native Alaskans that tell the player about the trials and hardships of survival in the tundra.

The weather is as much a character as any in the North.

Playing solo, the switch between the two characters is handled with ease. As you progress the puzzles get harder but they’re never hard enough to discourage young or new gamers. Co-op can be turned on and off at any time, avoiding the need to make a different file to play with friends. Blizzards blow snow and you will have to hunker down to avoid being blown back or use the wind to jump over large gaps. Most spirits help Nuna as platforms to get her across gaps or up walls, but some evil spirits must be avoided or they will carry off Nuna or Fox.

Help from spirits is important for survival.

As a platformer Never Alone is basic, but there is enough depth in the gameplay and challenges to hook any fan of platformers. Nuna will face off against weather, the changing landscape, wicked men, even bears and giants. An Alaskan tribal Elder narrates the story and although it is a children’s tale it contains some stuff that may be upsetting to younger players. Like any of the good old tales there is peril and hardship in store for young Nuna and her Fox as they try to save her village and her family.

Never Alone doesn’t rely on lives, but if you kill Fox or Nuna you will have to go back to the start of the challenge you are on. The game utilizes the ragdoll animation that has become popular with indie platformers, which is good because I managed to kill Nuna about a hundred times and the story is harrowing enough without realistic death animations.

Filled with extra features like documentaries and galleries of Native Alaskan tools and clothing, Never Alone manages the dance of education and entertainment masterfully. You can watch the short documentary features as you find them or at your convenience later, and most of them have some pretty fascinating facts about life in the north. The art and music direction are done with perfection and both add to the rich experience flawlessly.

Some spirits are best avoided though.

Never Alone was released on PS4, Xbox and PC last year, and just recently was ported to Wii U. You can play on or off the TV screen, but sadly it does not support screenshots for Miiverse posting. Other than that small issue which is fairly common for indie games on Wii U, Never Alone plays like it was meant for Wii U with no glitches or bugs that one might expect from a smaller developer. The AI with the “off” character is quite good as well. When my companion character died it wasn’t from a lack of intelligence in programming, but rather my flawed tactics.

Never Alone: Foxtales DLC is incoming on PS4, Xbox One, and PC on July 28; no word on Wii U yet, but as it came out a year after on Nintendo it may just take them some time to port it. On July 28^th the game will also be released on PS3 and Vita.

Never Alone was a pleasant surprise of a well-crafted game that appeals to young and old fans of good stories. The educational elements enhance the story, and the puzzles don’t get hard enough to dissuade casual gamers from enjoying the experience. With any luck the Never Alone formula will become a new trend to tell the stories of all of our pasts, before they are lost to the digital age.