Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) news & patch notes

Why hello there. There might be a reason we're polishing a few things up - for example, maybe a sequel is in development? Hmm.

• Fixed issue that was causing an infinite death loop in the Ice Floes section of the game
• Added support for 64-bit Mac OS
• Added support for two controllers to play co-op
• Fixed issue preventing Cultural Insights from playing on Steam Deck

We’d like to share another story…

We’re excited to give you a first look at Never Alone 2, the upcoming 3D sequel to the BAFTA award-winning adventure drawn from the Iñupiaq storytelling tradition. Unveiled today at the Triple-i Initiative indie gaming showcase in collaboration with publisher Humble Games, Never Alone 2 sends players on a journey through the breathtaking Alaska wilderness as Nuna and Fox, her spirit companion, along the way unearthing an epic mystery that threatens your entire community. Never Alone 2 is being developed using an Inclusive Development process with the Alaska Native community. It tells an original story from an award-winning Iñupiaq writer and draws from tradition and stories that have been shared across generations. Designed to be played co-op (online and couch), Never Alone 2 invites you to explore environments ranging from the harsh frozen tundra to forest valleys filled with ancient willows as you traverse beautifully realized landscapes that are filled with wonder. Together you will work to navigate these wilds, forge connections with the spirits, and experience how the Alaska Native people have survived and thrived for over 10,000 years in one of the harshest and most breathtaking parts of the world. Our work on the sequel is well underway, but we’re just getting started sharing what’s in store next for Nuna and Fox. Wishlist now: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2154420/Never_Alone_2/

It’s been a while since our last update on Steam, but we’ve been hard at work releasing Never Alone: Ki Edition for iOS and Android. Now that those versions are released, we've turned our attention back to updating the game for PC, Mac and Linux users! This update includes the following great new features:

• Added Steam Cloud Save: You can now save your game progress and pick it up where you left off on any Steam-supported device.
• Added Hint System: New tips and hints making for smoother gameplay have been added throughout the game.
• Improved controller support: We've added support for Sony PlayStation 4 controller on the Mac and fixed miscellaneous issues with various controllers, including the Steam Controller and XInput Devices.
• Improved Companion AI behavior.
• Additional miscellaneous bug fixes and performance improvements.

It’s been a while since our last update on Steam, but we’ve been hard at work releasing Never Alone: Ki Edition for iOS and Android. Now that those versions are released, we've turned our attention back to updating the game for PC, Mac and Linux users! This update includes the following great new features:

• Added Steam Cloud Save: You can now save your game progress and pick it up where you left off on any Steam-supported device.
• Added Hint System: New tips and hints making for smoother gameplay have been added throughout the game.
• Improved controller support: We've added support for Sony PlayStation 4 controller on the Mac and fixed miscellaneous issues with various controllers, including the Steam Controller and XInput Devices.
• Improved Companion AI behavior.
• Additional miscellaneous bug fixes and performance improvements.

Never Alone is now officially released for Linux - If you currently already have Never Alone in your Steam Library, you'll automatically have access on a Linux (+SteamOS) platform now! And if you don't have it yet, you should check out the great deals going on now in the Steam Winter Sale: 75% off! You can find more details andf requirements for Linux here. Happy Holidays from the Never Alone team!

Never Alone is now officially released for Linux - If you currently already have Never Alone in your Steam Library, you'll automatically have access on a Linux (+SteamOS) platform now! And if you don't have it yet, you should check out the great deals going on now in the Steam Winter Sale: 75% off! You can find more details andf requirements for Linux here. Happy Holidays from the Never Alone team!

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/FoxtalesLogo_700x401.jpg Never Alone: Foxtales, our first DLC expansion to the original Never Alone, is now available. Spring has come to the Arctic as Nuna and Fox climb aboard their umiaq (a sealskin canoe) and take to the waters of the coasts, rivers and lakes of Northwest Alaska. Foxtales features three all new levels full of environments to explore, puzzles to solve and enemies to face. Once again developed in partnership with the Alaska Native community, Foxtales contains five new unlockable Cultural Insight videos that include the family of Willie Panik Goodwin, Sr., whose telling of “The Two Coastal Brothers” inspired the game.

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/FoxtalesLogo_700x401.jpg Never Alone: Foxtales, our first DLC expansion to the original Never Alone, is now available. Spring has come to the Arctic as Nuna and Fox climb aboard their umiaq (a sealskin canoe) and take to the waters of the coasts, rivers and lakes of Northwest Alaska. Foxtales features three all new levels full of environments to explore, puzzles to solve and enemies to face. Once again developed in partnership with the Alaska Native community, Foxtales contains five new unlockable Cultural Insight videos that include the family of Willie Panik Goodwin, Sr., whose telling of “The Two Coastal Brothers” inspired the game.

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Announcement.png We’re thrilled to announce that Never Alone is now localized into six new languages:

• Polish (Polski)
• Dutch (Nederlands)
• Norwegian (Norsk)
• Finnish (Suomi)
• Danish (Dansk)
• Swedish (Svenska)

It’s great to make new friends in Europe. We hope you enjoy the award-winning atmospheric experience of Never Alone! 1.6 Update Notes FAQ Link

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Announcement.png We’re thrilled to announce that Never Alone is now localized into six new languages:

• Polish (Polski)
• Dutch (Nederlands)
• Norwegian (Norsk)
• Finnish (Suomi)
• Danish (Dansk)
• Swedish (Svenska)

It’s great to make new friends in Europe. We hope you enjoy the award-winning atmospheric experience of Never Alone! 1.6 Update Notes FAQ Link

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/BAFTA_Award_02.jpg Photo courtesy of BAFTA When we said we were honored just to have been nominated for awards from DICE, GDC, SXSW, Games for Change, BAFTA, and IndieCade, that wasn't just a turn of phrase. It really was an honor to be recognized alongside such an inspiring and spectacular collection of game creators. It's even more of an honor to have won the 2015 BAFTA Award for Best Debut Game. The previous winners of the award are Gone Home, The Unfinished Swan, and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. That's some pretty great company. Also great company: Shovel Knight, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Hitman GO, The Banner Saga, and CounterSpy. All of our fellow nominees for the Best Debut Game of 2015 are just as deserving of the award, and we're overjoyed to have received it. We wish Yacht Club Games, The Astronauts, Square Enix, Stoic, and Dynamighty even more success with their forthcoming projects as they've already enjoyed — and we look forward to what they're up to next. There are more awards ceremonies coming in the next few weeks. We're nominated for the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award alongside Goat Simulator, This War of Mine, Valiant Hearts, and The Last Of Us: Left Behind at the SXSW Gaming Awards on Saturday, March 13. Then, we're nominated in two categories (Best Gameplay and Most Significant Impact) at the Games for Change Awards in New York on April 22. For now, though, thank you to the British Academy for the nomination and for the award. Thank you to everyone out there who has supported Never Alone by purchasing the game, sharing it with their family and friends, and spreading the word about the new genre of World Games that we're helping to create. And most of all, thank you to the Alaska Native community whose generosity, wisdom and partnership made this entire project possible. Quyaana. -The Never Alone Team http://support.neveralonegame.com

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/BAFTA_Award_02.jpg Photo courtesy of BAFTA When we said we were honored just to have been nominated for awards from DICE, GDC, SXSW, Games for Change, BAFTA, and IndieCade, that wasn't just a turn of phrase. It really was an honor to be recognized alongside such an inspiring and spectacular collection of game creators. It's even more of an honor to have won the 2015 BAFTA Award for Best Debut Game. The previous winners of the award are Gone Home, The Unfinished Swan, and Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet. That's some pretty great company. Also great company: Shovel Knight, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, Hitman GO, The Banner Saga, and CounterSpy. All of our fellow nominees for the Best Debut Game of 2015 are just as deserving of the award, and we're overjoyed to have received it. We wish Yacht Club Games, The Astronauts, Square Enix, Stoic, and Dynamighty even more success with their forthcoming projects as they've already enjoyed — and we look forward to what they're up to next. There are more awards ceremonies coming in the next few weeks. We're nominated for the Matthew Crump Cultural Innovation Award alongside Goat Simulator, This War of Mine, Valiant Hearts, and The Last Of Us: Left Behind at the SXSW Gaming Awards on Saturday, March 13. Then, we're nominated in two categories (Best Gameplay and Most Significant Impact) at the Games for Change Awards in New York on April 22. For now, though, thank you to the British Academy for the nomination and for the award. Thank you to everyone out there who has supported Never Alone by purchasing the game, sharing it with their family and friends, and spreading the word about the new genre of World Games that we're helping to create. And most of all, thank you to the Alaska Native community whose generosity, wisdom and partnership made this entire project possible. Quyaana. -The Never Alone Team http://support.neveralonegame.com

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MacVersion_1920_1080_Updated.jpg Since the initial launch of Never Alone back in November, the most common questions we've heard from fans are about a version for Mac users. Well, for weeks now, we've been hard at work making sure that the Mac version is up to the same level of excellence as its PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 counterparts. And we're happy to announce that the wait is over: the Steam version of Never Alone is now available for Mac! If you've purchased Never Alone on Steam in the past, you now automatically have the Mac version. If you've been waiting to experience the journey of Nuna and Fox until the Mac version's release, welcome! The team at Upper One Games and E-Line Media are thrilled that you're finally able to play the game. Enjoy! -The Never Alone Team [email protected]

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/MacVersion_1920_1080_Updated.jpg Since the initial launch of Never Alone back in November, the most common questions we've heard from fans are about a version for Mac users. Well, for weeks now, we've been hard at work making sure that the Mac version is up to the same level of excellence as its PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 counterparts. And we're happy to announce that the wait is over: the Steam version of Never Alone is now available for Mac! If you've purchased Never Alone on Steam in the past, you now automatically have the Mac version. If you've been waiting to experience the journey of Nuna and Fox until the Mac version's release, welcome! The team at Upper One Games and E-Line Media are thrilled that you're finally able to play the game. Enjoy! -The Never Alone Team [email protected]

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NunaBear_soundrack_HD.jpg One of the most popular things about Never Alone is the game's audio. The wizards at Impossible Acoustic created an aural and musical soundscape that combined with the art team's atmospheric visuals to transport you to the frozen world of the Arctic. Even before the game launched back in November, we received many requests for a soundtrack based on the music in the trailers. Once everyone was able to play Never Alone for themselves and experience all of the game's music, those requests became even more frequent. Now, we're thrilled to announce that the complete Official Soundtrack for Never Alone is finally available for purchase on Steam. Included in the nearly hour-long soundtrack is a 33-minute audio journey through the world of Never Alone from composer and sound designer Brendan J. Hogan. From Nuna's first steps in the snow to the last leg of her journey, music and sound effects come together to create an experience that's almost as immersive as playing the game. The soundtrack also features ten bonus tracks of music from Never Alone's Cultural Insights and trailers (composed by Daniel L.K. Caldwell), as well as "Elegy", the music showcased in our launch trailer and composed by Colin O'Malley. Happy listening! -The Never Alone Team [email protected]

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/NunaBear_soundrack_HD.jpg One of the most popular things about Never Alone is the game's audio. The wizards at Impossible Acoustic created an aural and musical soundscape that combined with the art team's atmospheric visuals to transport you to the frozen world of the Arctic. Even before the game launched back in November, we received many requests for a soundtrack based on the music in the trailers. Once everyone was able to play Never Alone for themselves and experience all of the game's music, those requests became even more frequent. Now, we're thrilled to announce that the complete Official Soundtrack for Never Alone is finally available for purchase on Steam. Included in the nearly hour-long soundtrack is a 33-minute audio journey through the world of Never Alone from composer and sound designer Brendan J. Hogan. From Nuna's first steps in the snow to the last leg of her journey, music and sound effects come together to create an experience that's almost as immersive as playing the game. The soundtrack also features ten bonus tracks of music from Never Alone's Cultural Insights and trailers (composed by Daniel L.K. Caldwell), as well as "Elegy", the music showcased in our launch trailer and composed by Colin O'Malley. Happy listening! -The Never Alone Team [email protected]

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Great_for_the_whole_family.jpg Happy New Year, everyone! We had a rejuvenating holiday break at the end of 2014, and now that our batteries are recharged, we're going full speed ahead on our next projects here at E-Line / Upper One Games. First and foremost is the latest update for the Steam version of Never Alone. Our focus for this update was improving the experience of playing the game with a keyboard and mouse, so we've added support for remapping keys in the game. There were a lot of other keyboard-related changes as well, but most of them were of the "you shouldn't notice them" variety. See the update notes for more details: Update Notes FAQ Link We're not done making improvements to Never Alone. The Mac version is coming very soon, along with our next update featuring improvements to the game for players without high-end computers. After that, we're adding support for more languages, a downloadable soundtrack from our friends at Impossible Acoustic, and maybe even more stories featuring Nuna and Fox! Stay warm in these winter months, and keep an eye on our Facebook page for more updates soon. -The Never Alone team [email protected]

• Note: If you have already remapped your keys in the past by hand-editing a .cfg file, you will need to remap them once again in the in-game interface.
• Note: If you encounter issues with key remapping that can't be fixed in the game for some reason, please visit support.neveralonegame.com for a solution.
• Note: If you are using a non-QWERTY keyboard, some remapped keys will display the incorrect value after being remapped. They will still function correctly, however. This will be fixed in a forthcoming update.

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Great_for_the_whole_family.jpg Happy New Year, everyone! We had a rejuvenating holiday break at the end of 2014, and now that our batteries are recharged, we're going full speed ahead on our next projects here at E-Line / Upper One Games. First and foremost is the latest update for the Steam version of Never Alone. Our focus for this update was improving the experience of playing the game with a keyboard and mouse, so we've added support for remapping keys in the game. There were a lot of other keyboard-related changes as well, but most of them were of the "you shouldn't notice them" variety. See the update notes for more details: Update Notes FAQ Link We're not done making improvements to Never Alone. The Mac version is coming very soon, along with our next update featuring improvements to the game for players without high-end computers. After that, we're adding support for more languages, a downloadable soundtrack from our friends at Impossible Acoustic, and maybe even more stories featuring Nuna and Fox! Stay warm in these winter months, and keep an eye on our Facebook page for more updates soon. -The Never Alone team [email protected]

• Note: If you have already remapped your keys in the past by hand-editing a .cfg file, you will need to remap them once again in the in-game interface.
• Note: If you encounter issues with key remapping that can't be fixed in the game for some reason, please visit support.neveralonegame.com for a solution.
• Note: If you are using a non-QWERTY keyboard, some remapped keys will display the incorrect value after being remapped. They will still function correctly, however. This will be fixed in a forthcoming update.

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/Steam_Patch_1.2_Image_v2_1000.png Takunasaarnakuni! (Long time no see!) It's almost winter here in the Pacific Northwest, which makes it the perfect time to stay inside, keep warm, and play Never Alone with a friend, family member, or fox! We've been hard at work on more improvements to the game in the past few weeks — based on feedback from fans, comments from reviewers, and our own wish lists. We wanted to get this update to the world before winter in North America officially begins and the endless blizzard returns. Tonight's update (v1.2) includes the following improvements:

• Bola throws are more accurate for both mouse and gamepad, and are now aimed where Nuna's arm is pointing
• Many more minor improvements for the AI character in single-player mode
• In single-player mode, if Nuna and Fox don't move for a few seconds, the active character will glow to highlight who is currently controlled
• Blizzard gusts in the early levels are less punishing
• Nuna will encounter fewer issues with pushing and pulling objects
• Improvements for characters getting stuck in some spots
• Updates for a range of minor bugs across all levels

Please refer to the Update Notes for additional details and instructions: Update Notes FAQ Link Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Never Alone. It means a lot to the entire team and the Alaska Native Community. Sayakturutchiaq! (Cheers!) The Never Alone Team [email protected]

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Nuna_fox.jpg Unnusatkun! (Good evening!) A few weeks ago we launched Never Alone on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 and have been humbled by the warm reception to the game in these cold autumn months. We are very excited to reach such a diverse audience around the world and have been inspired by your feedback and suggestions. One simple but very common question we've been asked over the last few weeks is: will there be a Mac version? We're thrilled to announce that the answer is yes! Never Alone will be available via Steam on the Mac in early 2015. We can't wait to share the story of Nuna and Fox with an even wider audience. Stay tuned to our Steam page, follow us on Twitter at @neveralonegame, or like our Facebook page for a release date! Katigatchiarit, Mac users. (Pleased to meet you.) The Never Alone Team [email protected]

http://neveralonegame.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Nuna_fox.jpg Unnusatkun! (Good evening!) A few weeks ago we launched Never Alone on PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 and have been humbled by the warm reception to the game in these cold autumn months. We are very excited to reach such a diverse audience around the world and have been inspired by your feedback and suggestions. One simple but very common question we've been asked over the last few weeks is: will there be a Mac version? We're thrilled to announce that the answer is yes! Never Alone will be available via Steam on the Mac in early 2015. We can't wait to share the story of Nuna and Fox with an even wider audience. Stay tuned to our Steam page, follow us on Twitter at @neveralonegame, or like our Facebook page for a release date! Katigatchiarit, Mac users. (Pleased to meet you.) The Never Alone Team [email protected]

Halauġikpiñ! (Hello!) What an incredible week it's been! The positive response to Never Alone has been overwhelming, inspiring and humbling to all of us at E-Line / Upper One Games. We've tried to read every review of the game, watch every Twitch stream, and listen to all the public commentary to really understand the experiences that players are having. It's been wonderful watching all the great streaming and video playthroughs from around the world! Launching the game is just the beginning, though. We're working hard on improvements to Never Alone that will be available over the next few weeks, as we release regular patches and updates. We're excited to be able to share the first patch for the PC/Steam version today to address some issues we have been hearing about, and will also get those improvements out to the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions very soon. Tonight’s patch (v1.1) contains the following improvements:

• In single-player mode, the character you're not controlling will behave more intelligently
• The difficulty of the last few chapters of the game is more balanced with earlier chapters
• General control improvements
• It will be harder to accidentally switch to co-op mode when using the keyboard
• Fixes to address Save Game issues
• Fixed a bug where Never Alone would fail to launch when Steam was in Offline Mode

In addition, this patch includes a new key-binding text file that is optimized for play on AZERTY and DVORAK keyboards. You can find instructions on the support page Please refer to the Patch Notes for additional details and instructions: Patch Notes FAQ Link Stay tuned in the coming weeks for additional content updates! Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Never Alone. It means a lot to the entire team and the Alaska Native Community. The Never Alone Team [email protected]

Halauġikpiñ! (Hello!) What an incredible week it's been! The positive response to Never Alone has been overwhelming, inspiring and humbling to all of us at E-Line / Upper One Games. We've tried to read every review of the game, watch every Twitch stream, and listen to all the public commentary to really understand the experiences that players are having. It's been wonderful watching all the great streaming and video playthroughs from around the world! Launching the game is just the beginning, though. We're working hard on improvements to Never Alone that will be available over the next few weeks, as we release regular patches and updates. We're excited to be able to share the first patch for the PC/Steam version today to address some issues we have been hearing about, and will also get those improvements out to the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions very soon. Tonight’s patch (v1.1) contains the following improvements:

• In single-player mode, the character you're not controlling will behave more intelligently
• The difficulty of the last few chapters of the game is more balanced with earlier chapters
• General control improvements
• It will be harder to accidentally switch to co-op mode when using the keyboard
• Fixes to address Save Game issues
• Fixed a bug where Never Alone would fail to launch when Steam was in Offline Mode

In addition, this patch includes a new key-binding text file that is optimized for play on AZERTY and DVORAK keyboards. You can find instructions on the support page Please refer to the Patch Notes for additional details and instructions: Patch Notes FAQ Link Stay tuned in the coming weeks for additional content updates! Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Never Alone. It means a lot to the entire team and the Alaska Native Community. The Never Alone Team [email protected]

Halauġikpiñ! (Hello!) What an incredible week it's been! The positive response to Never Alone has been overwhelming, inspiring and humbling to all of us at E-Line / Upper One Games. We've tried to read every review of the game, watch every Twitch stream, and listen to all the public commentary to really understand the experiences that players are having. It's been wonderful watching all the great streaming and video playthroughs from around the world! Launching the game is just the beginning, though. We're working hard on improvements to Never Alone that will be available over the next few weeks, as we release regular patches and updates. We're excited to be able to share the first patch for the PC/Steam version today to address some issues we have been hearing about, and will also get those improvements out to the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions very soon. Tonight’s patch (v1.1) contains the following improvements:

• In single-player mode, the character you're not controlling will behave more intelligently
• The difficulty of the last few chapters of the game is more balanced with earlier chapters
• General control improvements
• It will be harder to accidentally switch to co-op mode when using the keyboard
• Fixes to address Save Game issues
• Fixed a bug where Never Alone would fail to launch when Steam was in Offline Mode

In addition, this patch includes a new key-binding text file that is optimized for play on AZERTY and DVORAK keyboards. You can find instructions on the support page Please refer to the Patch Notes for additional details and instructions: Patch Notes FAQ Link Stay tuned in the coming weeks for additional content updates! Thank you to everyone for your continued support of Never Alone. It means a lot to the entire team and the Alaska Native Community. The Never Alone Team [email protected]