Never Alone: Foxtales (PC) Review

By Jordan Hurst 17.01.2016

Review for Never Alone: Foxtales on PC

Why does the Never Alone DLC Foxtales exist? The base game used a middling puzzle-platformer as a vessel for an illuminating exploration of Iñupiat society, and apparently it exhausted that concept, because this expansion is mostly just additional middling puzzle-platformer action. The collectible documentary snippets return, but they are now reduced to familial anecdotes, which aren't exactly required viewing. Even the game's title is a bit of a mystery, as its secondary protagonist, an arctic fox, has no impact on the additional plot, and almost all of the new gameplay features have been handed to Nuna, the human protagonist.

Said gameplay features include a small paddle-propelled boat and the ability to destroy underwater barriers by dropping rocks from the surface, both of which replace the bolas and bracing mechanic of the base title. Given this new repertoire, it should be no surprise that Foxtales puts a greater emphasis on aquatic puzzle-solving than before. This change isn't unwelcome (stiff as the swimming feels, it's still better than the standard platforming), but the new mechanics suffer for their artificial physics. In particular, most of the fox's spirit helpers this time around create currents rather than platforms. They are functional overall, but they operate in an inconvenient middle ground between organic movement and binary activation.

This is especially evident in the final moments, which, continuing the pattern set by the original, present an unusually complex and difficult obstacle that the interface is simply not efficient enough to handle. Fortunately, the expansion mirrors the entire structure of the original, so the gameplay leading up to that final confrontation is more agreeable. It's all fairly straightforward, but it's also pleasant and reasonably atmospheric, and it offers a solid co-operative focus, to boot. Additionally, the time shift to early Spring helps to alleviate feelings of déjà vu by providing some visual novelty.

Screenshot for Never Alone: Foxtales on PC

Never Alone was always more than just a videogame, though. Its educational and entertaining qualities complemented one another - the interview segments would elaborate on in-game events, while the gameplay made learning about the Iñupiat way of life legitimately enjoyable. Foxtales is built identically, but it underestimates how important the connection between the two halves was. Now, instead of encountering real mythological entities, the primary obstacles are strange aquatic tentacles and a giant mouse, neither of which have any relation to Iñupiat beliefs (or at least, none that is explained).

Despite being all about storytelling, Foxtales isn't actually very good at it. While it doesn't suffer from the lack of connective tissue that the original plot did, it does retain its penchant for anticlimax, and then some. After that harrowing final encounter, the narrative simply ends. Its bewildering denouement claims that Nuna and the fox have learned their lesson, but no lesson was ever made apparent, apart from "Don't run afoul of giant mice." The fact that the plot can't logically exist either before or after the base game is a potential sore spot, yet it's healed with the knowledge that these are traditional stories handed down through generations, and, thus, intended to have a certain 'timelessness.'

Screenshot for Never Alone: Foxtales on PC

Cubed3 Rating

4/10
Rated 4 out of 10

Subpar

To reiterate: why does Foxtales even exist? Never Alone has an accepted reputation for having a high-minded concept that elevates its forgettable mechanics into something noteworthy. What was the point of producing a smaller version of the product with the all-important educational disposition reduced to background noise? This DLC isn't terrible by any means - it looks and sounds great, and it's reasonably functional - but it's bereft of everything that made the original worth owning. Considering owners of that are the only people who can even play this expansion, that's a pretty severe flaw.

Developer

Upper One

Publisher

Upper One

Genre

2D Platformer

Players

1

C3 Score

Rated $score out of 10  4/10

Reader Score

Rated $score out of 10  0 (0 Votes)

European release date Out now   North America release date Out now   Japan release date Out now   Australian release date Out now   

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