Never Alone

It makes me truly happy to see game developers creating high quality products such as Never Alone that push entertainment boundaries and demonstrate that games can be culturally important. We need to see more of this game, and I hope this is a roaring success so that other native culture organisations look at it and realise the sheer power of games to tell their own stores.

Never Alone is a fantastic game which offers insight in the Alaskan culture and folklore. The game has a very nice style and enjoyable gameplay, however it is very short. Still this is a must buy for anyone.

My heart felt good once I completed Never Alone after roughly 3 hours. Despite how straightforward the story is, the larger narrative and the way it ties into generations of storytelling tradition for the Iñupiat people is paramount.

Despite some occasionally frustrating difficulty spikes, Never Alone tells a fascinating, evocative tale that leaves a deep impression. A terrific platform game, despite its flaws.

Never Alone is a game that has gone from hardly being on the radar, to something that could quite possibly be a Game of the Year (2014) contender. Those who take a chance on this game will come away knowing they have been part of a unique experience that shows that games can be used as a serious vehicle for story telling.

It's a dazzling adventure that is not to be missed.

Anyone can play it, everyone would find something to enjoy about it, you can play it with a friend, and non-gamers would even enjoy watching you play due to the intermittent documentary clips and the beautiful art style.

I truly hope that more games attempt to give real world context in the same way that Never Alone does.

Never Alone delivers something different. It’s often frustrating, but hey, it’s windy out, Inuit? [January 2015, p69]

As a platformer, Never Alone is solid, but not exactly revolutionary.

Nuna & Fox’s story is wonderfully told through the native tongue of the Iñupiat, accompanied by artwork inspired by the tribe’s drawings and etchings, and brought to life by the beautiful designed of the environments and characters.

Maybe at first sight it could look like Limbo meets Pingu, but Never Alone is something more than just a clone: It's a true experience of feelings, loneliness and cooperation. An ancient tale of a fascinating real culture from Alaska which emphasizes in the uses of their traditions, art and folklore. It is short, easy for the most part; it needs some polish in the AI companion and the playability of one of its characters. But you let yourself go through this game, because this journey of a little girl, an arctic fox and the spirits of nature, is truly mesmerizing.

Despite my frustrations with some unfair aspects of the gameplay, I found Never Alone to be incredibly compelling.

For the price point at which Never Alone is currently offered, we can’t argue it’s amazing value for money. However, we do believe it’s a new experience in gaming, and a stellar proof of concept for what the developer/publisher combo wants to do. If you’re after a biographical and socially relevant gaming experience, invest in Never Alone and you won’t regret it.

Never Alone offers a very nice story and a superb artistic touch that should please the indie allergic gamers. The only real drawback is that you need to play this game co-op in order to get the most of it, as the solo might be quite tedious sometimes.

While I’m in no great rush to play it again, the appreciation I gleaned for a culture I knew practically nothing about is something I really cherish. If you can patiently plod your way through the game entwined with the story of the Iñupiat people, I suspect you’ll cherish them too.

On occasion, gameplay feels stale due to the lack of depth and frustrates with frequent death inevitable, but the authenticity of the folklore tale coupled with a great art-style and engaging video docs takes you on a journey that actually feels refreshingly unique and certainly worth a look at its modest price point.

Never Alone is one of those short, but enjoyable experiences. A recommendable game at the right price, since it's launch price is quite high due to the duration of the game, aiming the at least slightly environmental-concerned gamers who like folklore stories

Questionable game design choices and some irritating bugs just overpowered the storytelling for me.

A fragile container for a tale of such inestimable value, and what ought to be universally welcoming instead must be approached with caution: come expecting revelation on an emotional level, not a mechanical one. [Jan 2014, p.121]

Sadly, pretty looks and sweetly-edited shorts can't mask the lack of inspiration at its mechanical core. [Jan 2015, p.94]

Never Alone is just not an enjoyable or fulfilling experience, and that is why it is best left alone.

Never Alone makes experiencing this untouched world cumbersome and frustrating, draining the magic away from its promise and leaving a sketchy, unpolished game in its snow-covered wake.