In Never Alone, you play as an Alaskan Native girl as she embarks on a quest to find out why her village is being pelted by an endless blizzard.  Along the way, she teams up with a white artic fox.  Together, they’ll solve 2-D platforming puzzles and obstacles on an adventure with characters and settings based on actual stories and myths from Native Alaskan people.  Originally a downloadable title for PS4, Xbox One, and PC, you can now play it on the Wii U (Wii U version reviewed here).

In the game you’ll play as the girl and the fox, each with their own special skills and abilities.  Both characters can run and jump, as well as duck down and brace the ground so any windy blizzards won’t blow them away.  The girl can push and pull objects, climb ladders, and toss a bola, a Native Alaskan throwing weapon, to hit switches and other long distance targets.  The fox can jump higher, do wall jumps, and can sense animal spirits.  They’ll show up when the fox is nearby, and both the girl and the fox can use these spirits like platforms to reach faraway ledges. You can switch between the two characters in single player mode, or a second player can join in, which makes the game go by much faster and easier.

As you play, you’ll come across owls that unlock videos you can watch when you find them.  These videos explain various parts of the game, which unfolds in a storytelling narrative.  So when you come across Little People, Northern Light Monsters, or animal spirits, the videos explain where these came from in Native Alaskan stories and legends.  The game makers just didn’t pull ideas out of their rear ends; everything in the game has a story behind it.  Also, exclusive to the Wii U version are pictures and descriptions of actual tools, clothes, and other cultural artifacts from the Smithsonian Institute that the Native Alaskan tribes used.  So the game is very educational, like a Social Studies class.

However, the game does have a few problems as well.  Sometimes there are glitches that can make you fall through platforms or get stuck in walls.  It doesn’t break the game or anything, but it can get slightly annoying.  Luckily if you die, you start off pretty close to where you messed up, glitches or not.  Also, the game is very short.  You could probably beat it in an afternoon or two.  Even if you only played a couple of levels every day, you’d beat it in a week.  You can always replay levels to find hidden owls, but I found all but two in my first playthrough and I wasn’t even trying that hard.  Even with these problems, this is still a very creative game, and as one of my friends put it, “very calming.”  If you are interested in learning about Native Alaskan people and their culture, this is a great way to do it.

Kid Factor:

Never Alone is rated E-10 with an ESRB descriptor of Mild Violence.  If you get hit by icicles, polar bears, fall into pits or water, your character will just fall over while the other cries or whimpers.  But that’s about it.  About two-thirds into the game, something happens to one of the main characters.  I’ll try to not spoil it for you, but young children who are sensitive to the plight of animals may get a little upset at first.  Younger players may need help with some of the jumps and puzzles, but luckily another gamer can join in to play as the other character.  And the game isn’t very hard anyway.  Reading skill is helpful for the text, and the game definitely could be considered educational.  I bet kids could even write reports in school using things they learned from this game.  I know I certainly learned a thing or two by playing.

Tags: Game Reviews