For thousands of years, the Iñupiat people passed their stories from generation to generation. These stories helped them understand how the world worked as well as their place within it. But stories are useless unless their knowledge is shared. This is why Never Alone exists. Developer Upper One Games is working with Alaska Native storytellers and elders to turn their folklore into an interactive world.
Never Alone digs deeply into the Iñupiat people's storytelling traditions. The puzzle platformer looks a lot like LIMBO on the surface, with simple stage layouts, main characters who have realistic physical abilities, and fierce dangers ripped straight from the natural world. Here, however, the aim is to tell the story of Kunuuksaayuka that has been handed down for generations, all while evoking a strong sense of survival in a cold, harsh world.
Never Alone is heading to consoles and PC sometime this fall. It features local co-op for two people with a solo mode that allows a player to switch between the two main characters. Really, listing features and details doesn't convey the emotions Never Alone is attempting to express. It certainly seems like one of those games you need to experience first hand.