Comparison

Never Alone vs Elderand

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both games, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Never Alone

Embark on an atmospheric puzzle platformer adventure inspired by traditional Iñupiat stories. Guide two characters through a frozen world, solving puzzles and facing challenges to stop an eternal blizzard. Unlock cultural insights through video interviews.

Highlights
  • Atmospheric puzzle platformer gameplay
  • Cooperative play with two characters
  • Explore arctic environments
  • Unlock cultural video insights
  • Customizable touch controls
  • MFi controller support
Features
Currently charting
Read full description

A worldwide App Store Editors’ Choice. “Stunningly poignant - and quite brilliant. 10/10.” - Eurogamer “Ki” is the Iñupiaq word for “Let’s Go!”, and now you can play the award-winning indie hit on the go with Never Alone: Ki Edition. Never Alone (Kisima Ingitchuna) is an atmospheric puzzle platformer developed in collaboration with the Iñupiat, an Alaska Native people, drawn from a traditional story that has been shared across the generations. Experience the epic journey of Nuna and Fox as they search for the source of an eternal blizzard that threatens the survival of everything they have ever known. Guide both characters as you trek through frozen tundra, leap across treacherous ice floes, swim through underwater caverns and face enemies both strange and familiar. On over 75 "Best of 2014" lists and winner of "Best Debut Game" at the 2015 BAFTA Games Awards as well as "Game of the Year" and "Most Significant Impact" at the 2015 Games for Change Awards, nearly 40 Alaska Native elders, storytellers and community members contributed to the making of Never Alone. You'll explore awe-inspiring environments, perform heroic deeds and meet legendary characters from Iñupiaq stories — all narrated by a master storyteller in the spoken Iñupiaq language. Features Reimagined for mobile -- Never Alone: Ki Edition includes every level and all the excitement of the original game enjoyed by millions of PC and console players around the world. We’ve updated the game for mobile devices, adding brand-new touch controls, menus and hints along with optimized graphics and AI that bring the beauty of Never Alone’s ethereal, arctic environments to phones and tablets. Play as both Nuna and Fox — switch between the two companions at any time as you rely on the unique skills of each character to succeed in your quest. Nuna can climb ladders and ropes, move heavy obstacles, and throw her bola at targets to solve puzzles. Fox can fit through small areas that Nuna can't reach, scramble up walls, and jump to great heights. Explore the harsh world of the Arctic — run under, through, and atop the unstable structures of an abandoned coastal village. Explore the eerily quiet treetops of a mysterious, frozen forest. Brave the fierce winds of the eternal blizzard. Only with the aid of Helping Spirits will Nuna and Fox have any chance of survival in a land where survival seems impossible. Unlock fascinating video insights — Elders, storytellers, and other members of the Alaska Native community share stories and wisdom about their culture, values and the amazing Arctic world encountered by players in over 30 minutes of interviews. Customizable controls — Adjust the sensitivity or select an alternate layout for the game’s onscreen controls. For those who prefer a physical controller, the game also supports MFi devices. Support for 17 languages — Chinese (Simplified), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian, Spanish (European/Latin America) and Swedish.

About

Elderand

Embark on a brutal, skill-based action platformer in a Lovecraftian world. Wield diverse weapons and customize your character with RPG elements to battle terrifying creatures and explore a dark, hand-drawn pixel environment. Collect loot to upgrade your arsenal and uncover the land's secrets.

Highlights
  • Skill-based combat
  • Metroidvania exploration
  • Lovecraftian horror themes
  • RPG character customization
  • Diverse weapon arsenal
  • Hand-drawn pixel art
  • Loot collection and crafting
Features
Read full description

Become the hero of an epic quest in Elderand, a metroidvania that will test your will and skill. Heads will literally roll in this gruesome, retro-inspired action platformer, where only the strong will survive in brutal, skill-based combat against terrifying creatures. Through the darkness and madness, promised glory awaits. Wield a variety of killing instruments and abilities to test your metal against towering, bone-chilling bosses. Explore a twisted Lovecraftian world shrouded in darkness and madness. RPG elements allow you to customize your battle experience to your liking, from your character’s appearance to skills, stats, and weapons. Slay or be slain as you collect glory and treasure in this nightmarish 2D world. Glory and riches await those who can spill the required blood and guts to collect it. KEY FEATURES: •Wield an arsenal of killing devices, including whips, swords, daggers, axes, bows, and more. From a magical staff that shoots bursts of energy to a giant sword, different weapons have different stats and capabilities, so find the ones that you enjoy battling beasts with the most! •Satisfying Metroidvania-style exploration meets terrifying Lovecraftian creatures in this detailed hand-drawn pixel world with glorious gothic aesthetics and handcrafted level design. •RPG elements let you customize your experience to best suit your play style, from your character’s appearance to their skills, stats, and weapons. Collect loot from exploration and fallen enemies and then use it to upgrade your weapons via crafting. •Travel to the many corners of this perilous land, such as an inviting village with merchants, a forest, a temple prison, floating islands, a cursed Cathedral, and the hellscape that is Elderand itself. •More than 60 different enemy types and around a dozen bosses for your slaying pleasure. •Collect lost letters and other correspondence from the poor souls who came before you to learn more about the darkness taking hold of this grim land.

Screenshots

Never Alone4 screens
Elderand4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is update cadence: Elderand at weekly against Never Alone's every 2 months. Elderand also leads on review sentiment (74% vs 65%). Never Alone's advantage is ratings volume (480 vs 36) and chart position (#136 vs unranked). On rating, ads, in-app purchases and device support there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Never Alone costs $4.99 and Elderand $6.99 up front. Neither carries in-app purchases, so what you see is what you pay.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 4.3 for Never Alone against 4.2 for Elderand. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Never Alone has 480 ratings behind it against 36, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews are what separate them: 65% of Never Alone's written reviews are positive against 74% of Elderand's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Never Alone ships an update every 2 months, Elderand weekly. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 14, 2026 respectively.

Scorecard7 real differences · 4 level
Never Alone versus Elderand: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterNever AloneElderand
Price$4.99 — better$6.99
Rating4.3 (480 ratings) — better4.2 (36 ratings)
Positive reviews64.9% of reviews73.7% of reviews — better
Number of ratings480 — better36
Update frequencyEvery 2 monthsWeekly — better
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesNoNo
MonetizationPaidFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank#136 — better—
DevicesiPhone, iPad, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod
Requires iOS8.0 — better11.0
Further details — not scored
Size638 MB818 MB
Age rating9+12+
DeveloperE-Line MediaPlug In Digital

Customer experience

Never Alone

All ratings480 ratings
Positive80.2%
Neutral8.1%
Negative11.7%
Written reviews487 reviews
Positive64.9%
Neutral13.6%
Negative21.6%

Elderand

All ratings36 ratings
Positive77.8%
Neutral11.1%
Negative11.1%
Written reviews38 reviews
Positive73.7%
Neutral7.9%
Negative18.4%

User reviews

Never Alone

From 480 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💎 Beautiful graphics
  • 🎨 Wonderful art style
  • 🕹️ Interesting gameplay
  • 📚 Cultural insights
  • 🎬 Engaging story

Room to improve

  • 🎮 Finicky controls
  • 🔋 Drains battery quickly
  • 🐛 Occasional glitches
  • 🕰️ Short gameplay length

Elderand

From 36 App Store ratings

What we love

  • 👍 Great game overall
  • 🗺️ Deep lore and world-building
  • 🎵 Amazing music and audio
  • ⚔️ Challenging yet approachable combat
  • 🎮 Excellent controller support (mostly)

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Game crashes frequently
  • 🐛 Controls can be buggy and unresponsive
  • 🐛 Dash function sometimes not working
  • 🐛 Game freezes intermittently
  • 🐛 Bosses getting stuck in animations

Bugs and requests

Never Alone

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Controls getting stuck
  • Saved data being lost
  • Performance issues on some devices

Requested features

3 requests
  • More levels and stories
  • Optimization for newer devices
  • Controller support

Elderand

Reported bugs

11 issues
  • Permanent crashes
  • Character spawning underneath level
  • R button for subweapon not working on Steelseries Nimbus
  • Dash function not working
  • Game freezing for a moment
Show 6 more
  • Bosses getting stuck in attack animations
  • Campfire menu broken (cannot select options)
  • Lost save data after updates
  • D-pad moves on screen and becomes unusable
  • Joystick teleports to random spots
  • Virtual joystick bug with attack key

Requested features

7 requests
  • Full controller remapping for bindings
  • Multiplayer PvP 'Invasions' system
  • Cloud saves (iCloud)
  • Adjustable button layout and size
  • Ability to track materials acquired
Show 2 more
  • New game+ option
  • Boss replayability

In-app purchases

None

Never Alone

No in-app purchases

None

Elderand

No in-app purchases

Questions

Is Never Alone free?
Never Alone costs $4.99, with no in-app purchases.
Is Elderand free?
Elderand costs $6.99, with no in-app purchases.
Which has better reviews, Never Alone or Elderand?
Never Alone is rated higher. Never Alone averages 4.3 out of 5 from 480 ratings, while Elderand averages 4.2 from 36 ratings.
Do Never Alone or Elderand have ads?
Neither Never Alone nor Elderand shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Never Alone or Elderand?
Never Alone ships an update every 2 months, and Elderand weekly. Most recently, Never Alone was updated on October 16, 2026 and Elderand on October 14, 2026.

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