Never Alone | |
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Developer(s) | Upper One Games |
Publisher(s) | E-Line Media |
Engine | Unity |
Platform(s) | |
Release |
Microsoft Windows November 18, 2014 PlayStation 4 Xbox One November 19, 2014 OS X February 26, 2015 Wii U PlayStation 3 Linux December 23, 2015 iOS June 2, 2016 |
Genre(s) | Puzzle-platformer |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Aggregate score | |
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Aggregator | Score |
Metacritic | (PS4) 73/100 (PC) 72/100 (WIIU) 67/100 (XONE) 66/100 |
Review scores | |
Publication | Score |
GameSpot | 4/10 |
Joystiq | |
The Guardian |
Never Alone, also known as Kisima Inŋitchuŋa ("I am not alone"), is a puzzle-platformer adventure video game by Upper One Games based on the traditional Iñupiaq tale, "Kunuuksaayuka", which was first recorded by master storyteller Robert Nasruk Cleveland in his collection Stories of the Black River People. Swapping between an Iñupiaq girl named Nuna and her Arctic fox companion, the player completes puzzles in a story that spans eight chapters. The game was the result of a partnership between the Cook Inlet Tribal Council and E-Line Media. It is one of a growing number of video games produced by indigenous people.
The player-character plays as the Iñupiaq girl Nuna and her Arctic fox. As an "atmospheric puzzle platformer",Never Alone's puzzles entail swapping control between Nuna and the fox. While the fox is fast, Nuna can pick up things and open new areas using her bola. The story and its structure is based on the intergenerational transference of wisdom. Told in the form of an oral tale, unlike traditional platformer games, which involve overcoming obstacles, killing enemies, and accumulating coins, Never Alone rewards players with collectible "cultural insights" - video vignettes of Iñupiaq elders, storytellers, and community members sharing their stories. The central plot revolves around discovering the source of the blizzard that has ravaged Nuna's village and restoring balance to nature. Other stories include that of Blizzard Man, the Little People, Manslayer, the Rolling Heads, and the Sky People. It takes place in a harsh physical environment.
The game also known as Kisima Inŋitchuŋa was developed by Upper One Games in conjunction with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit organization that works with indigenous groups living in Alaska's urban areas. The Council met with video game education company E-Line Media and generated the idea for Never Alone as part of a series that "shares, celebrates, and extends culture". The Council's for-profit Upper One Games is the "first indigenous-owned video game developer and publisher in US history". They built the game to explore "what it means to be human" and intergenerational stories. It is intended both to share the stories of native culture as entertainment, and to revitalize interest in Alaskan indigenous folklore. Proceeds from the game will fund the Council's education mission.