Never Alone

78%
Game Brain Score Based on 3,820 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Never Alone Game Cover
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"Never Alone: Ki Edition" is an award-winning puzzle platformer inspired by an Iñupiaq tale, following Nuna and Fox on their quest to stop an eternal blizzard threatening their world. Players guide both characters through various environments, solving puzzles and facing enemies. With traditional Alaska Native art and narration, "Never Alone" offers a unique and poignant gaming experience.

  • iPad
  • iPhone
  • Mac OS
  • PC
  • Phone
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Windows
  • Xbox One
  • Xbox Series X|S
  • Android
  • Epic Games
  • Linux
  • Mobile Platform
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station 3
  • Tablet
  • Wii
  • Wii U
  • Xbox
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

78%
Audience ScoreBased on 3,820 reviews
story1,299 positive mentions
stability302 negative mentions
  • Beautiful visuals and art style that enhance the storytelling experience.
  • Engaging cultural insights and educational videos that provide depth to the narrative.
  • Charming characters and a heartwarming story that resonates emotionally.
  • Clunky controls and frustrating gameplay mechanics that detract from the experience.
  • AI companion can be unreliable, leading to unnecessary deaths and frustration in single-player mode.
  • Short playtime that may not justify the full price for some players.
  • story2,843 mentions

    The story of "Never Alone" (Kisima Ingitchuna) is a heartfelt exploration of Inuit culture, following a young girl named Nuna and her arctic fox companion as they seek to uncover the source of a relentless blizzard threatening their village. The game is rich in cultural insights, featuring documentary-style videos that enhance the narrative and provide context about the Iñupiat people and their traditions. While the storytelling is praised for its authenticity and emotional depth, many players find the gameplay mechanics frustrating, which can detract from the overall experience.

    • “Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is a beautiful and heartfelt puzzle-platformer that explores Inuit culture and storytelling.”
    • “The story revolves around a young Inuit girl named Nuna and her spirit fox, who embark on a journey to save their village from an endless storm.”
    • “With its engaging storytelling, stunning visual design, and collaborative gameplay, the game offers an entertaining experience that is both educational and inspiring.”
    • “The story is the highlight of the game, but the gameplay and controls are frustrating and detract from the overall experience.”
    • “The story is quite dull and lacks depth, making it hard to stay engaged.”
    • “While the story is based on interesting cultural elements, the gameplay is repetitive and the narrative feels disjointed.”
  • gameplay1,511 mentions

    The gameplay of "Never Alone" has received mixed reviews, with many players praising its cultural storytelling and artistic visuals but criticizing its mechanics. While the platforming and puzzle-solving elements are generally straightforward and accessible, they can often feel clunky, repetitive, and frustrating due to issues like unresponsive controls and AI behavior. Overall, the game is seen more as an interactive narrative experience rather than a robust gameplay offering, making it better suited for those interested in cultural insights rather than challenging gameplay.

    • “The gameplay is based on a clever combination of platforming and puzzle-solving.”
    • “This gameplay design is not only fun, but also reflects the game’s central theme of interdependence and teamwork, both important aspects of Inuit culture.”
    • “By integrating cultural and folklore elements directly into the gameplay, the game provides an immersive experience that is both entertaining and informative.”
    • “It's unfortunate that the moving story and incredible art can't save this from its clunky controls and frustrating gameplay.”
    • “The gameplay, unfortunately, is pretty weak platforming.”
    • “The gameplay is clunky and frustrating; however, I have to recommend this game for the documentary videos about the iñupiat people.”
  • graphics1,034 mentions

    The graphics of "Never Alone" are widely praised for their stunning visuals and unique art style, which effectively blend traditional Inuit aesthetics with modern design elements. Many reviewers highlight the beautiful environments, fluid animations, and the incorporation of cultural insights through visually engaging cutscenes. However, some players note that while the graphics are impressive, they can be marred by occasional bugs and clunky controls, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “The graphics and atmosphere complement each other.”
    • “The graphics are stunning, with the enemies in the game being both scary and charming, and of course, Nuna and the fox are both adorable.”
    • “The graphics are beautiful, the story is touching, but more importantly, this game honors and educates about Inuit life and culture as well as serving as a poignant reminder of our tenuous relationship to the natural world.”
    • “Mediocre controls, mediocre graphics, your characters get stuck from time to time.”
    • “The game mechanics aren't great, the puzzles aren't fun, the visuals aren't particularly interesting.”
    • “Despite its cute aesthetic and concept, the level design and controls are janky as heck.”
  • music363 mentions

    The music in the game is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience and complementing the visuals and storytelling. Many reviewers highlight the soothing and immersive soundtrack, which effectively captures the game's themes and cultural elements, while some note its subtlety and minimalism. Overall, the combination of music, sound effects, and narration creates a captivating auditory backdrop that resonates with players long after the game ends.

    • “The music and other audio, especially the voice over, are solid.”
    • “The soundtrack was very complimentary to the atmosphere of the whole game as well.”
    • “The music, sound effects, and voice over fit very well with the game and the story!”
    • “The soundtrack is rather minimal.”
    • “The music plays into this atmosphere, but there weren't many particularly memorable pieces in the score.”
    • “The music didn’t stand out to me too much as it was very slow and atmospheric in most parts.”
  • atmosphere326 mentions

    The atmosphere of "Never Alone" is widely praised for its immersive and beautifully crafted environments, which effectively convey the harsh yet enchanting essence of Alaskan culture and folklore. The game's art style, combined with a soothing soundtrack and cultural insights, creates a captivating experience that resonates with players, despite some criticisms regarding gameplay mechanics and controls. Overall, the atmospheric elements are considered the game's strongest aspect, making it a unique and engaging journey into the world of the iñupiat people.

    • “The game creates a wonderful atmosphere, but the controls are far from perfect.”
    • “The atmosphere created by the music and visuals is eerily beautiful.”
    • “The atmosphere, story, and environment are woven together in an artistic, well done way, making this a game that stands out.”
    • “Sadly, it feels that the narrator doesn't have any emotions and the atmosphere is lacking.”
    • “I understand the purpose is to create a cold, hopeless atmosphere, to make the players feel as if they are being assaulted by the blizzard themselves, but when the entire game is like this it just becomes dull.”
    • “As much as I wanted to enjoy the plot and the atmosphere, the gameplay ruined it for me.”
  • stability310 mentions

    The game's stability is widely criticized, with numerous players reporting frequent glitches, bugs, and unresponsive controls that significantly hinder gameplay. Many reviewers noted frustrating experiences, such as characters getting stuck, collision detection issues, and game-breaking glitches that require restarts. While some players found the game enjoyable despite these issues, the overall consensus is that the technical problems detract from the experience, making it difficult to recommend without reservations.

    • “No game is bug free, but there is a limit and Never Alone clearly surpasses it with flying colors!”
    • “And the Linux version, despite what I've read earlier, is fairly bug free and plays smoothly.”
    • “No glitches from the time I’ve played.”
    • “The game itself is incredibly frustrating, buggy, and breaks nearly constantly.”
    • “Absolute nightmare of a chore to finish the game with the title being riddled with game-breaking glitches that not a sane - and professional - person would allow to go live.”
    • “The game is buggy, you can't play it properly with a PS4 controller, AI is awful so single-player mode is a pain in the ass (maybe co-op is okay), animations are amateuristic, game design and level design are boring and no fun at all.”
  • emotional205 mentions

    "Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna)" is widely praised for its emotional depth and cultural significance, offering a heartfelt narrative that explores Inuit culture through the journey of a girl and her fox. Players report being deeply moved by the story, which is enhanced by beautiful visuals and poignant educational videos featuring real-life insights from the Iñupiat people. While some critiques mention gameplay issues, the overall emotional impact and cultural representation resonate strongly, making it a touching experience that often leaves players in tears.

    • “Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is a beautiful and heartfelt puzzle-platformer that explores Inuit culture and storytelling.”
    • “The storytelling and artwork are beautiful and really affect me emotionally.”
    • “Never Alone is a beautiful, atmospheric game with a touching story and some unique gameplay elements.”
    • “Boring story, boring gameplay, and it's really short.”
    • “Boring story and poor ending.”
    • “The storyline was a bit lackluster, with a lot of unanswered questions, and frankly, a pretty boring story.”
  • grinding61 mentions

    Overall, players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, particularly in the later stages where platforming challenges become repetitive and mechanically inconsistent. While the game features beautiful graphics and cultural insights, many reviewers noted that the controls are clunky and the gameplay often feels like a chore, especially when managing two characters. The experience can improve when played with a friend, but solo play tends to amplify the tedium.

    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “The gameplay itself was enjoyable, though towards the end the platforming becomes much more difficult and in some places downright tedious.”
    • “The game looks great and it offers a very well-made documentary about the Alaskan natives, but unlocking the documentary requires playing a boring and tedious platformer that fails to offer any real enjoyment or creative level design.”
  • replayability51 mentions

    Overall, the game has been criticized for its low replayability, with many players noting that once the short playtime (typically around 3-6 hours) is completed and all collectibles are gathered, there is little incentive to return. While some mention the potential for co-op play to enhance the experience, the consensus is that the game primarily serves as a one-time narrative journey rather than a replayable challenge. Players recommend purchasing it on sale due to its limited replay value.

    • “Definite replay value for me and hopefully can play with a second person sometime.”
    • “The game is about 4 to 5 hours long, and throughout it you get insight into the Inuit culture which is where the story originates by unlocking 'cultural insights'. It also has great replay value for someone who is just looking to enjoy a nice story.”
    • “While the replay value is very low once you complete the game, it is a beautiful story that is worth playing over and over.”
    • “I would recommend buying on sale due to the overall short playtime and lack of replayability.”
    • “There's little reason to come back if you've already gathered all the cultural insights, though I say that not as a flaw - the game is about conveying a story and introducing you to the Iñupiat's culture, and to tack anything else on for the sake of replayability or length would feel like unnecessary filler, especially because the gameplay doesn't hold itself as a main reason for playing Never Alone.”
    • “It's a short game (I completed it with all achievements in 3 hours in no particular rush) and not one with much replay value once you've found all the collectibles, but the price is well worth it just for the culture/history lesson on its own.”
  • optimization44 mentions

    The game's optimization has received significant criticism, with many players reporting performance issues, glitches, and poor controls, particularly on PC. Users noted that the game is better suited for consoles, leading to frustrating experiences for those using keyboard and mouse setups. While some players found the visuals appealing, the overall performance detracted from the enjoyment, with frequent warnings about low performance and the need for manual adjustments to settings.

    • “Good game, but they must optimize performance!”
    • “Overall the game runs smoothly, with a beautiful atmosphere conveyed.”
    • “Performance was decent, and I didn't encounter any bugs nor technical issues.”
    • “The game actually locked up to recommend 'change video settings to improve performance' in the middle of one of the most dramatic and moving moments of the game.”
    • “I just plain didn't have fun playing it and it was so poorly optimized that my i5 4690k overclocked to 4.6GHz and R9 390 overclocked to 1.15GHz ran this game choppily even with all the settings turned down.”
    • “It suffers from being poorly optimized, which pulls the gamer out of the experience at times.”
  • character development21 mentions

    Character development in the game is largely minimal, with many reviewers noting a lack of depth in the characters' arcs, particularly for the main characters, Nuna and her fox companion. However, the character designs are frequently praised for their creativity and cuteness, contributing to an engaging visual experience that enhances the storytelling. The game's focus on atmosphere and cultural insights, rather than complex character development, is seen as a positive choice that supports immersion in the narrative.

    • “But the character design and interactions make my heart happy, and the storytelling is well-incorporated into the game.”
    • “It has a really unique atmosphere to it; the story and character designs are beautiful, and the part I love most is how it also educates you with Alaska Native stories, which relate to what part you're playing in Never Alone. The more you progress through it, the more interesting cultural insights you unlock!”
    • “It's atmospheric art style, engaging co-operative gameplay, and character design meld together to hook the player into the lives and legends of the Iñupiaq tribes.”
    • “There's no plot to it, no character development.”
    • “No character development, just a basic there-and-back-again set in the harsh snowy desert, with some magic thrown in.”
    • “Simple conflict/resolution, very minimal character development.”
  • humor21 mentions

    The game's humor is a standout feature, blending charming character animations and amusing gameplay moments with a touching narrative. Players often find themselves laughing at both the quirky interactions and the occasional control mishaps, which add a lighthearted touch to the experience. The inclusion of educational insights is also presented in a humorous way, making the game enjoyable for both gamers and non-gamers alike.

    • “You can get through the whole game in just a few hours, and my mom was leaning over my shoulder laughing through my errors and enjoying the insight videos without getting bored.”
    • “The ice, the fox, they also animate the characters very funny, although it's a sad story.”
    • “The most hilarious death I've encountered so far is when I did the simplest leap over a pit, whereas my AI fox partner felt it was necessary to end its life prematurely by jumping into said pit with its enhanced jumping abilities.”
  • monetization3 mentions

    The monetization aspect of the game is criticized for prioritizing advertising over gameplay, focusing heavily on promoting Alaskan culture and tourism. While the DLC is considered worth its cost for enhancing the atmosphere and story, players find the controls frustrating, detracting from the overall experience.

    • “But it's not just a game; it's mostly an advertisement for Alaskan tribes and tourist features of Alaska.”
    • “More like advertising the culture and nothing else!”
    • “The DLC is worth its cost and adds more gorgeous atmosphere and story to the tale, but once again suffers from badly designed controls, which can be extremely frustrating to work with.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
7hAverage play time
3hMain story
4hCompletionist
3-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 41 analyzed playthroughs

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