Games You Might Have Missed: Never Alone

Never Alone, aka Kisima Innitchuna, is a puzzle platformer co-created and co-published by E-Line Media and Upper One Games in collaboration with the Iñupiat, a group of Alaska’s native people, to tell a cultural story.

You play as Nuna, a young girl whose village is being threatened by a nonstop blizzard. On her journey to find the cause of the blizzard, Nuna meets an arctic fox with a connection to the world’s spirits who accompanies her. Once the fox joins you, you can switch between the two to solve puzzles, or you can play co-op with another controller.

The puzzles aren’t terribly difficult, but still pose a challenge at times. Nuna and the fox bring different mechanics to the table, making the puzzles collaborative regardless of whether you’re playing single-player or co-op. The environments offer interesting challenges and scenery not many other games provide, like cracking ice and figures from Iñupiat folklore.

In my opinion, the coolest part of this game is its collectibles. Instead of having you collect trinkets that don’t do or mean anything, Never Alone’s collectibles are “cultural insights” which are videos of Iñupiat elders and storytellers discussing aspects of their culture that relate to the story you’re being told in-game. Most of these insights are gained just by traversing the levels, and those that are more hidden still don’t make you go too far out of your way to get them. I love this because it ensures that you won’t miss out on any pieces of these people’s insights over a lack of completionist instinct.

If you like puzzle platformers and want to support games that actually collaborate with the cultures they’re about, I would highly recommend Never Alone. It’s available on PS3, PS4, Xbox One, Wii U, and PC for $14.99 or on Android and iOS for $4.99.