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, theTotal 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
Never Alone (2014)Your Score0 out of 10User Score
