While announcing a new release of award-winningNever Alonefor the Nintendo Switch, publisher E-line Media revealed that a sequel of the puzzle-platformer is in the works: we might get to see little Luna and her fox on their adventures one more time.
First published in 2014,Never Aloneis a unique game that immerses the player in the Iñupiat culture, a beautiful, respectful voyage in the life and folklore of the indigenous people inhabiting Alaska’s northern shores. More than that, the game has been critically acclaimed, as well as beingnominated for the 2015 Game Developers Choice Awardsin the Best Debut category.
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Shown with a trailer, a new iteration of the title - the Arctic Collection - will land on the Nintendo Switch on February 24th, featuring the base game as well as the story-expandingFoxtalesDLC.The player guides Luna, a young girl, together with her little fox companion in a mission to find the source of a never-ending blizzard: the journey and the puzzles can also be tackled with a friend, thanks to thesolid co-op feature.
The very closing moments of the new collection’s video preview revealed that the next title in the series is being worked on, without, however, giving out any meaningful detail, other than the recurrence of the previous two characters. A little more insight was offered by Alan Gershenfeld, E-Line Media president, who declared: “We are pleased to announce that we’ve begun pre-production on a sequel toNever Alone, building upon the same inclusive development partnership for sharing and celebrating Alaska Native culture and storytelling with a global audience.”
Never Aloneand its sequel stand out among the vast sea of puzzle-platformer games for their unique take on indigenous culture, adding to the ludic aspect a hardly encountered educative ingredient. Theacclaimed first title from 2014was created thanks to a deep collaboration with the Alaska Native Community, and, in particular, with the Cook Inlet Tribal Council, a non-profit organization that works with indigenous groups living in Alaska’s urban areas; developers Upper One Games are the first game company owned by indigenous people in the United States. Moreover, not only the title offers many cultural insights such as documentary snippets, but the story itself is narrated in the Iñupiak language.
We know little, at the moment, regarding the ETA ofNever Alone 2, but it is certain to be another interesting title. By tackling the cultural theme with the same dedication, research and respect already shown by Upper One Games, all ingredients are there for another unique experience, especially if the technical issues of the first game are not repeated.
