By Liyo Kikon
Every now and then a game comes out which is so beautifully made that you can’t help but admire it. With gorgeous graphics and great sound, Never alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) does not disappoint along with its simplistic gameplay and it works great with a game controller for your mobile device.
It is a story about a young girl named Nuna and her fox in an Eskimo village who goes in search of food during a blizzard while the rest of her villagers are trapped inside their houses. The story is based on a traditional story that has been shared across the generations by the Alaska Native people of Iñupiat. It is narrated by an elderly man in their native tongue with subtitles and that brings a kind of authenticity to the game and makes you feel like you are around a fireplace listening to a mystical tale being told by a grandfather. It definitely helps if you have a pair of headphones while playing the game since the environment sound and the subtle music is so well made that it adds more points to the value of the game. The game starts off simple with a simple move and jump control as you get chased by a huge polar bear and along the way, you meet a white fox who ends up being your companion for the rest of the game. You can control either the girl or the fox with the push of a button and they both have their own unique uses and abilities to help you solve puzzles as you move along the game. This game kind of reminded me of “limbo” but unlike limbo, the game is not as dark. Each puzzle feels like it has been carefully designed and easy to grasp like for example if you see a box, you can bet that you will be able to push or pull it to get to a certain area. Along the way, you will meet different characters who will give you tasks to complete but the main task remains that you need to find a man who has destroyed the girl’s village and everyone in it. Some puzzles require you to use the fox’s ability to climb walls and ‘control’ spirits, Yes, there are spirits who will help you get to certain areas. The spirits work more like platforms as you can climb on top of them but when the fox climbs on top of a spirit, the spirit can be moved and thereby helping the girl get on top as well to get cross areas.Some other characters are the mysterious “little people” who also remind me of the strange characters in limbo – I know, I’m comparing this game to limbo even though they don’t necessarily look the same, but the whole essence of the game feels like they are very similar and just like limbo, this game is very well made. Coming back to the “little people”, they hurl rocks at you and try to attack you but you can use that to your advantage as you can use those attacks to solve puzzles instead.
There are four main buttons – the jump, switch characters, duck, grab. With a game controller, you can use the “X”, “Y”, “A” and “B” key to do the same. And then there is the move joystick which moves the character. As you progress through the level, another control appears – the right joystick which helps you hurl ice which can be used as an attack tool. Even though these may seem like it has a lot of controls for such a simple platform puzzle game, you never feel overwhelmed by it since you will rarely be in a hurry to figure out the puzzles.
Aside from the puzzle aspect of the game, it has a beautiful story line attached to it and the cut scenes makes you feel like you are reading it from a parchment. I wouldn’t want to give you any spoilers but take my word for it, if you want a game which is easy to play and has great graphics along with a tale which will make your ‘heart’ smile, then this is the game for you.
This game is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for a price of Rs. 300/-
