Thomas Was Alone
by ted2112, HSM team writer
Good games never seem to die. Thomas Was Alone was originally released back in 2010, as a Flash based game anyone could download. In 2013, the game got a new makeover in Linux, which in turn allowed it to appear in our own Play Station Store. And it’s here that the game was now exposed to millions, and has became an indie hit.
The name Thomas Was Alone is really not true at all. Thomas, who is a small red rectangle, is hardly alone. He has several unique friends to help him along on his journey: Chris, the group’s little square guy whose lack of self-esteem gets in the way of how useful he really is. John, who has the opposite problem, is the group’s egomaniac, proud of how tall a rectangle he is. Laura, whose frightened personality makes her just want to be alone, is the group’s flat rectangle who ends up helping the rest of the group bounce to new heights. And sad Claire, whom we meet seemingly in the act of committing suicide by flinging herself off a ledge, only to find she can float. These simple squares and rectangles must all work together to solve the game’s one hundred levels.
The themes of friendship and teamwork that run through Thomas Was Alone can only have come from an indie developer. The game was created by Mike Bithell and released by the tiny Blitz Games in the United Kingdom. The game’s simple mechanics are easy to understand, as you only use the left analog stick and the X button to work your way through a dark and foreboding labyrinth.
Jumping is key to Thomas Was Alone, and thankfully the game is programmed nicely, so you intuitively know where you can jump and where you can’t. It is a pet peeve of mine in many big budget games that require jumping, that all too often you end up trying to reach a glitchy platform, only to fall and back-track and repeat the process multiple times. In Thomas Was Alone, if you fall and die, no biggie — simply try again. In fact there is a trophy for dying one hundred times comically called “Big success.”
Thomas Was Alone is a narrated game similar in style to Little Big Planet, and it delivers big. The game’s narrator is celebrated writer and humorist Danny Wallace, whose soothing and distinct voice helps guide Thomas and his friends through their odyssey of trials with wit and humor. In fact, the only award Thomas Was Alone has won was for its narration, with the Best Performance Award at the 2013 British Academy Video Game Awards this past March. That in itself is amazing, considering how ignored indie games are in video game awards.
As you progress in the game, the landscape changes to keep the game interesting. You travel through a maze of cliffs, tunnels and waterways, and you can’t help but notice the game’s spectacular use of light and shadows. The game camera also conveys a sense of empathy as it pans out to show your fellow players, as you have to use one player at a time to help the others.
Thomas Was Alone is a spectacular example of excellent storytelling. The characters in the game are mere geometric shapes, but they become much more, as they take on their personalities and evolve throughout the game. And that’s what makes it a great game.
Thomas Was Alone is a simple family-friendly gem of a game, which you can find in the indie game section of the PlayStation Store. The game costs $9.99, and includes the Sony Vita version in the price.
June 7th, 2013 by ted2112 | 3 comments
ted2112 is a writer and a Bass player that has been both inspired and takes to heart Kurt Vonnegut words...."we are here on planet Earth to fart around, and don't let anyone tell you different."
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I got this about 2 or 3 weeks ago (I think) from my Plus sub. I’ll be honest, I might’ve let this pass me by if it wasn’t free, but now Ive played it (although not completed it) I’d be more than happy to put a tenner on this. The narrative direction and character that is put into simple shapes is testament to the old question; how much do graphics really matter.
Although there are some very nice visuals here, there’s no escaping the genius of managing to instal such depth of character to simple shapes. It’s a good un’, that’s for sure.
Thomas Was Alone is another good example of exactly why Sony are so good for this industry, we NEED the Indy scene to remind us what games truly are and can be. In the face of CoD 25 and Killzone 15, it’s games like TWA that bring gamers back to their roots, while still giving us a fresh perspective.
Nice review Ted.
This game’s storyline reminds me a lot of the social stories we’ve been working on with my son in order for him to understand how others feel and react. I definitely will be picking this game up.
Great review. I definitely wanna try out the game, sounds fun, challenging and exciting!!!