Developed by Upper One Games, the first indigenous video game company in the U.S., Never Alone (also known as “Kisima Ingitchuna” in Iñupiaq, a language of the Alaska Native people in the Arctic) will be released in fall 2014 for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC at $14.99.
Described as “an atmospheric puzzle platformer that combines traditional folklore, stories, settings, and characters handed down over many generations by Alaska Native people,” Never Alone places you in the shoes of Nuna, a young Iñupiaq girl, who is joined by an Arctic Fox.
To get a look at the gameplay of Never Alone, check out this trailer:
Gloria O’Neill, President and CEO of Upper One Games and Cook Inlet Tribal Council, talked about Never Alone:
We’re extremely proud and excited to be building a truly unique game. We’d like to think we’re creating one of the most authentic – and fun – games of the year. Video games are powerful tools for making the history, tradition and culture of indigenous peoples relevant to both the next generation of Native people and the rest of the world.
Here’s some of the features you’ll find in Never Alone:
- 1- and 2-player modes, both involving cooperative play (in single-player mode, the player can switch between the roles of Nuna and Fox at any time)
- 8 sweeping chapters that take players across treacherous ice floes, Arctic tundra, ice caves, boreal forests, cliff-built coastal villages, and more
- Game story, settings, characters and gameplay inspired by traditional Iñupiaq folklore, including the story of Kunuuksaayuka (Koo-nook-sah-yoo-ka) that has been handed down for generations among the Iñupiaq people
- Encounters with traditional Alaska Native folklore characters such as Manslayer, Blizzard Man, Sky People, the Little People and the Rolling Heads
- Exclusive unlockable insights into the Iñupiaq way of life, told by both Alaska Native elders and youth.
What do you think of Never Alone? Let us know in the comments below.
