Never Alone: Ki Edition

Never Alone offers beautifully handled single-player or two-player cooperative play, with each character using unique abilities: Nuna uses a bola to destroy barriers, while the fox can climb higher and enlist the help of magical Nature spirits. Beyond interesting playable characters, the coolest thing about Never Alone is the way action is motivated by the arctic environment. The game takes place during a blizzard, so the wind has a strong effect on your progress. It makes for more entertaining and challenging navigation. Also, the game looks gorgeous. Expressing beauty is clearly intentional in Never Alone, although it's a stark kind of beauty. The graphics alternate between delicately handled 3-D models and a more illustrative approach that looks like ancient cave paintings. The styles are surprisingly complementary and effectively communicate the true heart of the tale.

Never Alone's main problems are its inconsistent "follow" function and occasional misdirection. The first is a single-player problem that happens when the following character does stupid things like throw him or herself off a cliff. Clearly, the follower should be smart enough to wait to progress safely, but, alas, it isn't always so. The second problem occurs when your path of progression is unclear. This happens a handful of times and results in many untimely deaths. Fortunately, it's not a huge problem thanks to many closely spaced checkpoints and a fast reload. Overall, Never Alone is both good and good for you. Enhanced by a rich, rarely seen cultural tradition, it represents a near-ideal blend of beauty, educational information, and fun. This kind of game should come along more often.