Manipulate the fates of an Inuit community in Inua

Inua: A Story in Ice and Time is based on the doomed real-life voyage to the Artic region known as Franklin’s lost expedition in 1845, in which the expedition became icebound two months later—with none of the crew members ever spotted again since then. This journey became an unsolved mystery that sparked an extensive search effort spanning decades long, following years of excavations and interviews with the Inuit community living in the region.  It has also led to one of the most haunting paintings inspired by the event: a macabre scene titled “Man Proposes, God Disposes”, of two polar bears ravaging the wreckage of the expedition, with a red tattered ensign and human bones caught in their teeth.

Rather than replicate the historical events that led to the event, Inua is told from the fictional perspective of the spirit of a great polar bear Nanurluk that lived 10,000 years ago, a beast killed by three humans driven by folly and greed. In this point-and-click game, you’ll get to influence the lives of three fictional characters—Taina, Peter and Simon—whose lives are more than a century apart.  You’ll also navigate through past events to right the circumstances of the present. The Franklin expedition is told through the remains and shipwreck found in Inua’s Artic, where you’ll get to retrace the steps of this ill-fated expedition, and gather clues as to what might have taken place.

What makes Inua so remarkable, aside from the game’s gentle, soft-hued illustrations, is that the tale, which is said to be inspired by Inuit spirituality, is fortunately also overseen by an Inuit author and a group of Inuit artists. 

Inua: A Story in Ice and Time doesn’t have a release date yet, but you can download a free demo of the game on Steam.