Geekpr0n reviews Alaskan game Never Alone

As the world of video games expands, so too do the possibilities of what they can be used for. Most of the time they are created for entertainment. More often now they are also used to tell unique stories. Sometimes they are even used as a form of education. Never Alone, released recently by Upper One Games, attempts all three. And for the most part, it does so very well. In other ways…not so much.

Developed in collaboration with the Iñupiaq natives of Alaska, Never Alone (or Kisima Ingitchuna) tells the story of Nuna, a young girl separated from her tribe after a fierce blizzard ravages her home. Being stuck out in a blizzard in the arctic is bad enough, let alone with a polar bear eager to consume a slow moving target. Luckily for Nuna, a young arctic fox leaps seemingly out of nowhere, saving her and becoming her friend in the process. In the arctic, no one survives alone and the two must work together in order to get back home.

At this time of year, scenes like this just make me more depressed…

The story might seem an oddly paced one that takes turns from the strange to the stranger, but then that’s kind of the point. This is indeed an adaptation of an Iñupiaq story passed down the generations. The entire game is narrated by an actual elder in the Iñupiaq language, adding an authenticity and sincerity that hasn’t often been possible in games. The video game medium lends itself very well to oral storytelling. Watching it play out was very much like hearing a folk story or fairy tale. I was immediately swept up in it.

The graphics and design are a mixture of a realistic arctic environment and the far more stylistic supernatural elements that lurk in the dark corners of the world. In this land, miniature men scavenge homes for supplies, northern lights are the souls of children out to play and friendly spirits will transport you across vast distances. These elements take on a style much like an Iñupiaq and can be comforting and haunting all at the same time.

Yeah, they LOOK friendly, but you will learn…oh will you learn.

Then there are our two main characters. Although neither speak for the entirety of the game (apart from when the narrator provides their dialogue), their friendship is immediately endearing which of course leads to you fretting whenever one is in danger. Both characters are playable either in co-op mode or single player. Being a lonely soul, I ended up going with single player.

Each character also has their own special abilities. Fox is obviously the more powerful of the two, able to leap between walls and summon spirits to help him and Nuna through their travels. Nuna eventually gains a bola, a weapon normally used for hunting ducks, with which she can break ice and knock down spirits that are hibernating. They’re a well balanced combo and even with Fox having the somewhat more useful powers, Nuna still got plenty of attention.

Scattered throughout the game are “cultural insight” videos which you gain access to by finding various owls around the game. These fill out the educational aspect of the game and even though it tended to breakup the flow of the story, I still loved watching them the moment I found them (you can also watch them while waiting for a level to load). They would provide background to an item you just found or a character you’ve come across. The interviews are naturally with members the Iñupiaq tribe, who were not only informative, but provided that much more weight to the experience of Never Alone.

But it can’t all be good alas. Around the halfway point things started to fall apart for me. It should be noted that I played the PC version of the game. It was immediately apparent that control wise this would be a much more comfortable game to play on a console. The keyboard controls were somewhat awkward but worked well enough when I could take my time. When things got heated and quick reflexes were needed suddenly those somewhat awkward controls became an excruciating chore.

I also quickly learned that co-op mode was the ideal mode to play. Switching between the characters in a heated moment often meant one of them falling off a cliff or jumping into water and drowning. Part of this again might be due to the keyboard controls. The “switch character button” was right next to the “go left” button AND near the “manipulate objects” button on the keyboard, a distinction my pinkie finger never quite got the hang of. Toward the end of the game, it proved quite challenging when having to use all of the skills and experiences you have acquired to perform some complicated platforming endeavors.

You too will learn to hate this bear.

For the entire end sequence, I was screaming in frustration at the screen as poor Nuna was continually flung to her death due to my inability to switch over and manipulate objects fast enough.  I was completely pulled out of, what had been up until that point, a completely engrossing experience. For that reason, the grade unfortunately had to be lowered. After watching a “Let’s Play”, my suspicions were confirmed: Co-op mode is far less aggravating than single player, and playing on a console is far more intuitive. As hard as it is to come by a next gen console these days, I would probably avoid the PC version.

That being said, Never Alone is definitely worth checking out. It’s a beautiful, soulful story and a fascinating look into a culture that has managed to stay strong despite the hardships thrown at it. It’s further proof that video games can not only help preserve a culture but perhaps even revitalize it as well. Kudos to Upper One Games on the first of what is apparently a series of “world games”. I can’t wait to see what comes out next! Hopefully by that point…I’ll have a PS4.