"Thomas was alone," begins the charming yet simultaneously sad-sounding narration to the hit indie game of that very name. A simple, yet very compelling game, Thomas Was Alone sets off to mix and match simple human personalities and emotions with its simple yet occasionally challenging game play. As a small puzzle platformer, it's easy to pass it off as a game that shoehorns its story and emotion in, but creator Mike Bithell intertwines the story with the gameplay that at times, is a textbook example of mechanics as metaphor.
The game puts the player in control of several rectangles. Navigating them through each level, the goal is to guide all available blocks into their appropriate "portal" (the outline of the portal matches a particular shape). Mostly, this process is accomplished through jumping, climbing, and building steps with other blocks. The beauty of the game is in its simplicity. While none of the puzzles are overly difficult, being a platformer as well requires a bit of skill. Unlike some other indie puzzle game I played - like The Swapper, where the puzzles were at times extraordinarily challenging - here I was mostly frustrated with my own inability to make certain jumps or pull off certain tricks. In a way, it plays a lot more like a basic platformer than it does a puzzle game.
Each rectangle is different in size, shape, color, and has a unique ability. Thomas, the red rectangle who kicks off the game, is arguably the "normal one." His jumps are average in height and distance. He is medium in size, so he's a good stepping stone for shorter blocks, but doesn't often need one himself. But there are about half a dozen additional rectangles. There's Chris, a short orange block who can't jump high or far and often needs help to get through the puzzles. Then there's the tall yellow one who can jump really high (John), the large blue square who can't jump high but has the ability to float in the deadly water (Claire), the elongated flat pink one that others can bounce on (Laura), the green one whose gravity is reversed and moves across the ceiling (James), and a short purple one who can perform double jumps (Sarah). The game ends following a bunch of grey rectangles that can inherent properties of the original batch of parallelograms.
Thing is, they're just rectangles, but if you noticed in the above paragraph, I refer to each one as "who." They are indeed characters. As you progress through the levels, the narrator fills you in on each character's personality. Each one is based around his or her respective power. Laura, for example, is a rectangle that others can bounce off of. The narrator informs us that she is wary of joining this group, concerned they're just using her like everyone else did. Then there's James, the one who falls up instead of down. He is unique and weird. The narrator reveals that that has been the source of bullying and thus, James has grown isolated. John, possessing the greatest jumping abilities, is overly confident and self-absorbed, thinking himself a superhero aiding the lesser rectangles to their destination. And Thomas? Well, he starts the journey simply curious about his world and his own purpose.
Each rectangle is a character, and a flawed one at that. Few video games feature such relatable characters, and Thomas Was Alone just features blocks! It's a credit to Mike Bithell's writing, and his philosophy to keep the design simple, that these characters stand out. And it gives this indie heart-throb of a game an edge over almost everything else.
All of these blocks come together. To be clear, these blocks are actually self-aware AI programs in the story. Between each new section of levels, we get a snippet from what might be a report or a book about the first AI programs that became aware. That plot is kind of funny and interesting, but the main plot is about these characters - blocks with personalities that are built around their special abilities - working together and overcoming their character flaws. John, for example, eventually realizes that he isn't a superhero leading these other characters. Instead, he is their equal and they are working as partners. Chris, ever the cynical block, learns that there are other AI programs that he likes. Laura realizes the difference between being used by others and being friends with others. Claire, who is self-conscious of her bulky size and poor jumping abilities, finds out how important she is with her ability to cross the water traps.
Though simple in design and writing, it is quite excellent. When plots get mixed in with puzzle games, it's easy to see it as forced in, seemingly unnecessary and borderline pretentious. With Thomas Was Alone, however, it is an integral part of the game. Each individual block and his or her respective abilities are tied to their characterizations and their subsequent development. This is where a basic puzzle platformer turns into a great, heartwarming game. It would also be disingenuous to suggest that the plot doesn't really matter to the game, as it is every bit a part of it as the game play, visual art style, and soundtrack (which is incredible and atmospheric - really hammering home some of the emotional impact of the narration).
Overall, there aren't too many negatives about it. It's a short game, which isn't necessarily a negative, but at some point I found myself really hoping it would keep going because I enjoyed it a lot. The levels are mostly solid, but there are a few moments here and there where if you don't do something correctly, you get stuck in No Man's Land. There's no where for you to go, so you can't die, but you also can't continue. In those moments, you must restart the level. I only noticed it a couple of times, so it's not a persistent issue.
But what's really refreshing about it is that the game wants you to get to the end. There's a line in one of the early stages from the narrator that mentions that the world seemed to be pushing the characters to a certain destination, and making it a point to include obstacles that could be overcome. "The world doesn't want us to fail," he says. That's the perfect way to describe the design of the game. There are occasional challenges, but nothing crazy. The game doesn't want players to fail, which might be unappealing to some gamers, but is something I really appreciate about Mike Bithell games.
For me, the fact that I could weirdly connect and relate to a bunch of geometric shapes more than I could most video game (or movie characters, for that matter) is a huge reason why I immediately took to the game. It's short, but it's worth the price of admission. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with a lot of indie games, but this is easily one of my favorite games of the past decade.
Thing is, they're just rectangles, but if you noticed in the above paragraph, I refer to each one as "who." They are indeed characters. As you progress through the levels, the narrator fills you in on each character's personality. Each one is based around his or her respective power. Laura, for example, is a rectangle that others can bounce off of. The narrator informs us that she is wary of joining this group, concerned they're just using her like everyone else did. Then there's James, the one who falls up instead of down. He is unique and weird. The narrator reveals that that has been the source of bullying and thus, James has grown isolated. John, possessing the greatest jumping abilities, is overly confident and self-absorbed, thinking himself a superhero aiding the lesser rectangles to their destination. And Thomas? Well, he starts the journey simply curious about his world and his own purpose.
Each rectangle is a character, and a flawed one at that. Few video games feature such relatable characters, and Thomas Was Alone just features blocks! It's a credit to Mike Bithell's writing, and his philosophy to keep the design simple, that these characters stand out. And it gives this indie heart-throb of a game an edge over almost everything else.
All of these blocks come together. To be clear, these blocks are actually self-aware AI programs in the story. Between each new section of levels, we get a snippet from what might be a report or a book about the first AI programs that became aware. That plot is kind of funny and interesting, but the main plot is about these characters - blocks with personalities that are built around their special abilities - working together and overcoming their character flaws. John, for example, eventually realizes that he isn't a superhero leading these other characters. Instead, he is their equal and they are working as partners. Chris, ever the cynical block, learns that there are other AI programs that he likes. Laura realizes the difference between being used by others and being friends with others. Claire, who is self-conscious of her bulky size and poor jumping abilities, finds out how important she is with her ability to cross the water traps.
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| My favorite piece of narration. (Read the text if you can.) |
Though simple in design and writing, it is quite excellent. When plots get mixed in with puzzle games, it's easy to see it as forced in, seemingly unnecessary and borderline pretentious. With Thomas Was Alone, however, it is an integral part of the game. Each individual block and his or her respective abilities are tied to their characterizations and their subsequent development. This is where a basic puzzle platformer turns into a great, heartwarming game. It would also be disingenuous to suggest that the plot doesn't really matter to the game, as it is every bit a part of it as the game play, visual art style, and soundtrack (which is incredible and atmospheric - really hammering home some of the emotional impact of the narration).
Overall, there aren't too many negatives about it. It's a short game, which isn't necessarily a negative, but at some point I found myself really hoping it would keep going because I enjoyed it a lot. The levels are mostly solid, but there are a few moments here and there where if you don't do something correctly, you get stuck in No Man's Land. There's no where for you to go, so you can't die, but you also can't continue. In those moments, you must restart the level. I only noticed it a couple of times, so it's not a persistent issue.
But what's really refreshing about it is that the game wants you to get to the end. There's a line in one of the early stages from the narrator that mentions that the world seemed to be pushing the characters to a certain destination, and making it a point to include obstacles that could be overcome. "The world doesn't want us to fail," he says. That's the perfect way to describe the design of the game. There are occasional challenges, but nothing crazy. The game doesn't want players to fail, which might be unappealing to some gamers, but is something I really appreciate about Mike Bithell games.
For me, the fact that I could weirdly connect and relate to a bunch of geometric shapes more than I could most video game (or movie characters, for that matter) is a huge reason why I immediately took to the game. It's short, but it's worth the price of admission. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with a lot of indie games, but this is easily one of my favorite games of the past decade.
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