Never Alone (2014)

 PC
User Score
6.2

Mixed or average reviews- based on 126 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 126
  2. Mixed: 63 out of 126
  3. Negative: 27 out of 126

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. zombiechan
    Jan 1, 2015
    8
    It's a cute little puzzle solving platformer. It's pretty simple game play and has a few bugs but it is a great game to pick up for your kid. The characters are cute and the game has little videos educating about the culture.
  2. Ramshack
    Dec 26, 2014
    8
    I'm responsible for a poor review written previously, that I would like to take back. There were some glitches in the game that I saw as being major pitfalls, but they were not impossible to get past, merely frustrating. I just beat the game and have since changed my opinion. It's not "unplayable", as I had previously written, my completed play through was proof of that. The mainI'm responsible for a poor review written previously, that I would like to take back. There were some glitches in the game that I saw as being major pitfalls, but they were not impossible to get past, merely frustrating. I just beat the game and have since changed my opinion. It's not "unplayable", as I had previously written, my completed play through was proof of that. The main difficulties are not from actual game difficulty level, but slow game response which causes deaths in quick scenes and sometimes the AI will run directly to their death. But aside from that, the game IS playable and very captivating. The characters are lovable and the art style is amazing. The story was also worth playing through.… Expand
  3. matteda
    Apr 9, 2015
    7
    Bugs,Poor Controls makes it difficult to play & proceed -1
    otherwise an easy game
    Great Platformer +1
    game is good I finished it anyway
    Narration -1
    Story +1

    7/10
  4. smilzoboboz
    Jun 19, 2016
    6
    Not good still not bad either.

    Mechanics are interesting, concept and story are inspired and enjoyable but there are two strong flaws in my opinion: graphics, which are ok but devs could have done much better with very little effort and the difficulty of the game. About this last one, if you make a game entirely story-driven everyone should be able to appreciate the story, even people    Not good still not bad either.

    Mechanics are interesting, concept and story are inspired and enjoyable but there are two strong flaws in my opinion: graphics, which are ok but devs could have done much better with very little effort and the difficulty of the game.
    About this last one, if you make a game entirely story-driven everyone should be able to appreciate the story, even people that just like to relax and watch/listen while moving their characters on the screen. Towards the end I died 3,4 even five time per "puzzle" disrupting completely the flow of the plot.
    So, well, the game was too hard for a game with this concept; I don't know if it was done to reach the 3h average gameplay time or what (the game lasts from little less than 2h to little more than 3h total), but that in my opinion was a huge mistake, mostly because, again, it disrupted the pace of the story-telling.

    In the end the game is still nice and aside from the difficulty, everything else is very interesting, especially the (huge) section of cultural descriptions and insights.    … Expand
  5. posthuman
    Sep 7, 2015
    6
    Interesting story and nice graphics, but that's all there is to it. The puzzles are too easy and the whole game is just a walk in the park. In fact, the only think difficult about are the controls which respond slowly and sometimes do not react at all. For a game that requires some really precise jumps, this is a major drawback. I mostly played the co-op mode and often the game wouldn'tInteresting story and nice graphics, but that's all there is to it. The puzzles are too easy and the whole game is just a walk in the park. In fact, the only think difficult about are the controls which respond slowly and sometimes do not react at all. For a game that requires some really precise jumps, this is a major drawback. I mostly played the co-op mode and often the game wouldn't pick up which player used keyboard vs controller the next time it is started. Sometimes I had to close and restart the game 4-5 times until the right order of plugging in the controller and pressing in-game buttons would work. One of the rare games that made me rage quit 3-4 times. And I finally gave up.… Expand
  6. Mr_Robot
    Aug 16, 2020
    0
    Прошли до конца, я и мой друг песец. Очередная слезовыжималка, которую и зафастранить не получится, так они затягивают игру специально.
  7. Technopiper
    Dec 9, 2014
    2
    Adorable main characters and political correctness cannot hide the fact that this is a very poor game. All you do is jump, skid, and hop. Then you are rewarded by a short native lore. That's it, that's the only connect between native culture and this game. I was attracted by the two main characters but they are the only thing appealing in this game. That isn't good enough. Don't play this.
  8. Woodness
    Nov 28, 2014
    8
    Great way of telling a unique story and give information about a culture. While the gameplay is a bit of standard, the way of giving information is wonderful.
  9. Ne42
    Jan 9, 2015
    2
    This "game" could possibly be better if it was just a movie or an animation. The only challenge in this game is poor controls and unintuitive puzzles, which often make no sense. The 2 points are only for pretty visauls and movie clips, which are somewhat interesting. Other than that the game itself is zero.
  10. RichiMusha
    Nov 19, 2014
    6
    Interessant und sehr schön anzusehen aber einige Spielmechaniken sind einfach unbequem und frustierend, was mir komplett den Spaß am Spiel genommen hat.
    Kann mir außerdem nicht wirklich vorstellen wie das Spiel im Singleplayer ordentlich spielbar sein soll.
  11. kezzyhko
    Aug 5, 2020
    8
    ‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍‍
  12. TitaniumDragon
    Feb 24, 2016
    3
    Never Alone is a very hard game to grade in some respects, but a very easy one to grade in others. As a 2D platformer game, there is nothing special about it. While the dual character mechanic is vaguely interesting, other games have done it better (and many still weren’t very fun). The actual platforming is okay but nothing particularly fun in terms of flow. The funnest parts of the gameNever Alone is a very hard game to grade in some respects, but a very easy one to grade in others. As a 2D platformer game, there is nothing special about it. While the dual character mechanic is vaguely interesting, other games have done it better (and many still weren’t very fun). The actual platforming is okay but nothing particularly fun in terms of flow. The funnest parts of the game are the sequences where you run away from monsters or other things, which have a great sense of urgency to them, but many parts of the game are just you navigating various arctic environments which don’t feel very special.

    Some folks have complained about the looseness of the controls, but in the end, they are serviceable and work for the game. The real issue is that the game just doesn’t do anything very special gameplay wise.

    So what is hard about this game?

    Well, it is not just a game; it is meant to be an experience. The Inuit are trying to share a bit of their culture with the player, and they do this both via the story, which is an Inuit myth, and via these little “cultural insight” videos, little mini-documentaries spread throughout the game. The Inuit in the videos are very eager to share fragments of their life, culture, and mythology, and their integration into the flow of the game actually works quite well.

    The problem is that, ultimately, it just isn’t all that interesting. The gameplay is meh and I doubt I would have watched the documentaries without the gameplay. Overall, it was an okay experience, but… it just wasn’t anything special anywhere.

    Clocking in at about 3 hours and 20 minutes for 100% completion of the base game (I haven’t done the DLC yet), there’s just not that much here.

    My advice? Don’t buy this game. But if you already own it, it is a fairly harmless use of three hours.    … Expand
  13. ave
    Feb 4, 2018
    8
    I really enjoyed playing Never Alone and being immersed in Alaska Natives' folklore. The game is part story-playing, part documentary, and even if it is short by industry standards, it's a game quite inventive, with strong theme about friendship, courage and respect that you can play with your kids.
  14. Mykwon
    Sep 27, 2016
    4
    Well quite frankly, this game should have been awesome: it's beautiful, the cultural insight is interesting and the girl/fox relationship is lovely. The game mechanism borrows a little from "Brother - A Tale Of Two Sons" as you have to collaborate to solve puzzles.
    Unfortunately, it becomes quickly a (really bad) platformer, riddled with bugs. It was clearly not coded by people with    Well quite frankly, this game should have been awesome: it's beautiful, the cultural insight is interesting and the girl/fox relationship is lovely. The game mechanism borrows a little from "Brother - A Tale Of Two Sons" as you have to collaborate to solve puzzles.
    Unfortunately, it becomes quickly a (really bad) platformer, riddled with bugs. It was clearly not coded by people with gaming experience and you end up failing at simple jumps to restart more and more frustrated every time.
    The living forest level is a deal breaker and, even if I passed it because I'm stubborn, I was simply not enjoying the game anymore. A game has to be entertaining above all. When the fun goes away, the conclusion comes forward: it's a bad game. End of story.    … Expand
  15. Veska
    Mar 1, 2016
    3
    Beautiful graphics and documents about "snow life". That's about all the positive things. Horrible camera, stupid control, bugs with jumps or jump in texture. I don´t recommend. One error (walking tree) in the penultimate section doesn´t allow me to finish this "game". Very nice. Thx.
  16. ozzsoffy
    Mar 31, 2020
    10
    2 player 2D platform adventurer game (I played it as 1 player) with 3D art and hand drawing, with very good story narrative regarding Native Americans in Alaskan (like Eskimos) the are is very well done, and the documentary short videos were very well made and added to the overall experience of the game.

    Finished the game in 5 Hours, on PC. Recommend it to anyone who like this kind of    2 player 2D platform adventurer game (I played it as 1 player) with 3D art and hand drawing, with very good story narrative regarding Native Americans in Alaskan (like Eskimos) the are is very well done, and the documentary short videos were very well made and added to the overall experience of the game.

    Finished the game in 5 Hours, on PC.
    Recommend it to anyone who like this kind of games.
    Score 10/10.    … Expand
  17. BrianColfxire
    Aug 25, 2015
    7
    Total Playtime: 8.8 hours, two playthroughs of the main game and one playthrough of the DLC.

    This review will focus solely on the main-game. I would recommend getting the bundle with the DLC story on next-gen systems or Steam if the game does interest you. Gameplay Bug Bears There are plenty of outlets that have gone into great detail on the shortcomings of this game. Namely, the    Total Playtime: 8.8 hours, two playthroughs of the main game and one playthrough of the DLC.

    This review will focus solely on the main-game. I would recommend getting the bundle with the DLC story on next-gen systems or Steam if the game does interest you.

    Gameplay Bug Bears

    There are plenty of outlets that have gone into great detail on the shortcomings of this game. Namely, the gameplay. I don't really think I can say anything else than this game is a platformer: You jump, you solve simple puzzles with either the environment (mostly spirit guides) or some sort of tool (the projectile or a box or something).

    I have heard from people like Total Biscuit that the KB&M controls are a pain to deal with, but I play these games with a controller all the time. Even on the controller, the gameplay can be stiff, especially when you are in a chase-sequence and you need to wind-up your projectile to knock an obstacle under stress. You have to hold the aim-stick back, wait a second to charge it up, then fling the stick in the other direction to launch it. All while running as fast as you can.

    As a side note, I played this game solo, and yes, the AI will get stuck or get itself killed regularly, though I have found the AI fares better in the main-game now (but the DLC has the same problem). Local cooperative play is perhaps your best way of experiencing this game.

    What might interest you about this game?

    Let me try to entice you to want to play this game.

    The main thing this game does excel in is its aesthetic. Not only do the models of the protagonists, the tundra landscape and other animals look beautiful but the mythical spirits and other supernatural elements fit so perfectly that even the natural landscapes almost seem dreamlike. And throughout the game the environments keep you yearning to continue forward.

    Despite how simple are the puzzles, the game does feel well-made. Not everything mechanical is flawless; bugs, glitches or the delay on the projectile are minor, legit problems. But if you appreciate both the pace of a good 50 hour RPGs and the no-extra-fluff of a 2 to 4 hour title, then I think you'll enjoy this game.

    Lastly, there is obviously a lot of devotion put into honoring the creators' heritage, and it shows through the story and the art-style. I try to think ofthisgame as a game-adaptation of an ancient epic tale. Something you'd read out of The Odyssey. You have a heroine relying on her own skills and her companion, the Fox, to overcome the challenges of nature and to save her family and friends over the selfish interests.

    The story isn't going to be groundbreaking to modern tastes, obviously, but the story they do have touches on timeless human nature themes: Altruistic communities, the error in selfish pursuits, the afterlife within our natural world, supernatural forces, etc.

    I think the way the game handles telling these stories with only the narrator explaining what the protagonists are pursuing and thinking makes for a wonderful tale for adults. There are some dark tones that makes it feel very mature, yet nothing is too graphic for kids if you want to play this game with a younger sibling or child, unless death is too morbid of a topic.

    That is at least how I see the game, an interactive epic tale. At least that's how I've sold the idea to friends. You might think otherwise, and that is fine if this game seems like another artsy platformer. I wouldn't blame you.

    Intrusive Commentary

    As much as I appreciate being given cultural context,, I wished the commentary didn't feel so shoehorned. You are not forced to watch them, but every menu screen will remind you of any unseen cultural insights. By the way,these are the only collectibles to be found, and you're likely to come across them on your first run.

    Some of these clips do a good job in explaining what some characters, like the Owl Man, mean/represent and what purpose do they serve in-game. Others I thought were too preachy or trying too hard to make the culture sound more original when they were using the same themes found in other cultures.

    Also, some of the subtly is lost in the commentary, and sometimes they are reaching beyond what was shown to the player.

    For example, the introduction of Foxtales is of the fox chasing a mouse and the girl following along--this apparently is the devs showing that the two are disrespecting nature by playing with animals and not hunting them. Is this clear to the player? Not until the very last cultural insight are you told that was the moral of the story.

    This example doesn't ruin the experience, but it does stand out compared to other cutscenes that tell the lessons of the story through actions and gameplay.

    Conclusion

    No matter how much I have nitpicked at this game, and how there are legitimate issues with the gameplay, I still think I got my money's worth out of this game. Perhaps you might think the same if you give it a try.    … Expand
  18. Voyou
    May 16, 2021
    3
    Not much to do apart from walking, yet the rare puzzles there are manage to soft-lock. Beautiful failure of a game.
  19. Laer
    Mar 14, 2017
    5
    Un documental camuflado de juego, él cual nos intenta acercar la cultura Iñupiat, un pueblo de alaska.

    La parte jugarle es al estilo plataformas, donde manejaremos dos personajes, uno controlado por nosotros mismos y otro por la IA/un amigo (modo cooperativo). Está cumple sin llegar a destacar. La duración es corta si la comparamos con otros juegos (casi 3 horas), pero sabiendo lo    Un documental camuflado de juego, él cual nos intenta acercar la cultura Iñupiat, un pueblo de alaska.

    La parte jugarle es al estilo plataformas, donde manejaremos dos personajes, uno controlado por nosotros mismos y otro por la IA/un amigo (modo cooperativo). Está cumple sin llegar a destacar.

    La duración es corta si la comparamos con otros juegos (casi 3 horas), pero sabiendo lo que quiere contarnos y las características jugarles, es más que suficiente.

    Quizá un punto bastante malo, y que a mi personalmente me ha molestado, son los bugs, y más según te vas acercando al final que se vuelven mas constantes y molestos. Me he llegado a encontrar con uno que solo se solucionaba saliendo y entrando al juego de nuevo.

    El juego es curioso, bonito (sin llegar a destacar) y jugablemente del montón, pero nos enseña un poco de una de las ultimas culturas que viven en armonía con la naturaleza. Sin duda es una experiencia cuando menos curiosa y por el camino aprendes algo.    … Expand
  20. NightGeisha
    Feb 12, 2019
    7
    Sometimes the small stories are the important ones. And "Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)" is a fantastic small story that tells a big story of a people, a culture that is unknown to us in so many ways.

    This platform game is a fantastic visual experience, with a very interesting and unique visual, but in addition to being a phenomenal gaming experience this game is much more then that,    Sometimes the small stories are the important ones. And "Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)" is a fantastic small story that tells a big story of a people, a culture that is unknown to us in so many ways.

    This platform game is a fantastic visual experience, with a very interesting and unique visual, but in addition to being a phenomenal gaming experience this game is much more then that, it is a history lesson, because for a people of storytellers, to tell their stories and experiences in this way, is something really phenomenal.

    I fully recommend the game and hope you all liked it!
    I leave you guys a small video with some of the more intense moments of the game, spoiler free:
    https://youtu.be/qHM0je6lV3s    … Expand
  21. SilverOrlov
    Oct 4, 2019
    7
    An interesting story about northern people with an interesting idea of ​​video inserts from interviews by searching for owls in the game. But a completely tight control flavored with many bugs, when a girl or an animal can fall through the platform, or, for example, the box stuck and does not move, spoils the game’s impression very much (how much time has already passed since the release).An interesting story about northern people with an interesting idea of ​​video inserts from interviews by searching for owls in the game. But a completely tight control flavored with many bugs, when a girl or an animal can fall through the platform, or, for example, the box stuck and does not move, spoils the game’s impression very much (how much time has already passed since the release). And if such bugs can be endured by closing eyes to irritation in such places, then the control throughout the game is overly viscous. Oh yes, it still infuriated periodically when a character who was currently controlled by computer ran/jumped into the abyss and die.
    This is an interesting idea to tell about the northern traditions and mythology of the people through the game, but the implementation of this game and the fact that its bugs were not fixed after so many years will not allow me to give this game a high rating.    … Expand
  22. r03vg
    May 16, 2023
    8
    Довольно интересный способ рассказать о народах Аляски.
  23. Alexb1096
    Jul 24, 2020
    7
    ITALIAN:
    Buon gioco ma che non vale il suo prezzo, da prendere solo in forte sconto.
    AUDIO E GRAFICA: Gioco molto curato, ottimo stile grafico e buon audio, specialmente il narratore. Piacevole anche la colonna sonora, adatta al gioco. Sotto questo aspetto ci sono comunque cose che non mi hanno convinto completamente, come alcune animazioni imprecise e il costante dubbio di trovarsi    ITALIAN:
    Buon gioco ma che non vale il suo prezzo, da prendere solo in forte sconto.

    AUDIO E GRAFICA:
    Gioco molto curato, ottimo stile grafico e buon audio, specialmente il narratore. Piacevole anche la colonna sonora, adatta al gioco.
    Sotto questo aspetto ci sono comunque cose che non mi hanno convinto completamente, come alcune animazioni imprecise e il costante dubbio di trovarsi davanti ad un gioco 2D o 3D. Quest'ultimo aspetto è la cosa che mi ha convinto forse meno, in quanto avrei preferito una scelta chiara (secondo me, o fai come Inside o fai come Little Nightmares). Il risultato è piacevole ma un po' mi confonde.

    GAMEPLAY:
    Quello che abbiamo davanti è un puzzle game con meccaniche da platformer.
    Interessantissimo il dualismo tra i due personaggi, con abilità diverse e tra i quali si può scambiare liberamente (ma si può giocare anche con un amico). Il personaggio non controllato però non è sempre gestito bene dal computer e capita non di rado di vederlo morire o muoversi in maniera sbagliata. Si può intervenire manualmente ma un po' dà fastidio.
    Per il resto ci sono alcune belle trovate, come la presenza degli spiriti sui cui ci si può arrampicare, i segreti (che ogni volta sbloccano un mini documentario sulla popolazione della protagonista) e le bolas.
    Queste ultime sono uno strumento utile che può usare la protagonista, ma il loro controllo è abbastanza confusionario (soprattutto all'inizio, poi ci si abitua), avrei preferito qualcosa di molto più intuitivo.

    STORIA:
    Storia molto interessante perchè si basa su una leggenda (non so se vera o no) e sulla mitologia di una popolazione estremamente affascinante. A questo bisogna aggiungere la straordinaria empatia che crea la relazione tra i due protagonisti.

    In conclusione è un titolo piacevole, molto breve (circa 3 ore) ma ricco di idee interessanti e una storia convincente. Inoltre la possibilità di giocarlo con un amico lo rende ancora più appetibile.

    VOTO: 7/10    … Expand
  24. NewRadarGames
    Apr 24, 2023
    2
    Per quanto la narrazione legata alla cultura dell'Alaska sia interessante e suggestiva, il gioco fallisce praticamente in tutto, dalle sezioni platform legnose e sfiancanti, alla pessima IA, per non parlare dei frequenti bug (che costringono spesso a ricomincoare un livello dall'inizio) o delle animazioni ed effetti audio fastidiosi, esilaranti e completamente in disaccordo con l'atmosferaPer quanto la narrazione legata alla cultura dell'Alaska sia interessante e suggestiva, il gioco fallisce praticamente in tutto, dalle sezioni platform legnose e sfiancanti, alla pessima IA, per non parlare dei frequenti bug (che costringono spesso a ricomincoare un livello dall'inizio) o delle animazioni ed effetti audio fastidiosi, esilaranti e completamente in disaccordo con l'atmosfera generale che il gioco si propone di creare. Ve ne sconsiglio vivamente l'acquisto, ma se per caso lo possedete già o lo potete reperire gratuitamente, esso è il prodotto perfetto per soddisfare i vostri desideri masochisti.… Expand
  25. FRIST_008
    Jan 2, 2022
    3
    3 бала, для меня это: ты жмёшь alt+f4 и удаляешь игру как можно скорее.

    Это просто невообразимая поделка на игру... элементы платформера выполнены ужасно. Ты вечно не до прыгиваешь куда надо. В игре много багов, при смерти, камера может вообще улететь за пределы и не вернутся, и ты будешь умирать до бесконости и камера не будет возвращатся на место... в общем игра бесит тебя буквально    3 бала, для меня это: ты жмёшь alt+f4 и удаляешь игру как можно скорее.

    Это просто невообразимая поделка на игру... элементы платформера выполнены ужасно. Ты вечно не до прыгиваешь куда надо. В игре много багов, при смерти, камера может вообще улететь за пределы и не вернутся, и ты будешь умирать до бесконости и камера не будет возвращатся на место... в общем игра бесит тебя буквально всем, потому что всё сделано криво и банально не работает. Ужас, даже за бесплатно не надо!    … Expand
  26. tufekciero
    Mar 12, 2021
    5
    BRONZ zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
  27. zyllus
    Mar 16, 2022
    5
    A 2hr side scroller indie game about an Alaskan tribe with clunky controls. The story revolves around a girl being chased by a monster with no clear motivation as she is trying to stop a blizzard. Its a co-op game which you can play alone as well. You constantly need to change between the girl and the Arctic fox to cross the levels. Overall its a pretty average game since there are so manyA 2hr side scroller indie game about an Alaskan tribe with clunky controls. The story revolves around a girl being chased by a monster with no clear motivation as she is trying to stop a blizzard. Its a co-op game which you can play alone as well. You constantly need to change between the girl and the Arctic fox to cross the levels. Overall its a pretty average game since there are so many better games than this out there… Expand
  28. FeDoS
    Dec 3, 2021
    6
    It's interesting story about the inupiat's society. The game narrate their famous fairytale. It's quite game by indie studio with pretty entourage . It would be better to playing this game in coop. If you have evening free house, you can try this game and it will give you not bad experience.

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 30 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 30
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 30
  3. Negative: 2 out of 30
  1. CD-Action
    Feb 7, 2015
    65
    Never Alone has a fairy tale charm and educational values, and it’s a decent platformer. It’s a shame Alaskan temperatures failed to kill off the bugs. [01/2015, p.62]
  2. Riot Pixels
    Jan 25, 2015
    70
    I wish the game was just as amazing as the story it tells. For an adventure that takes 4-5 hours to complete, it relies quite often on repeating the same gameplay sequences.
    Read full review
  3. Pelit (Finland)
    Jan 21, 2015
    78
    An atmospheric platformer that offers little new gameplay-wise, but it's quite enjoyable while it lasts, especially with a friend. The fact that it's based on Alaskan indigenous folklore is what makes it really stand out. [Jan 2015]
See all critic reviews »