Silent shapes never felt so real
By: Ryan Ramakrishnan
Reviewed on PlayStation 4
With every discovery of how to get out of a confusing puzzle, “Thomas Was Alone” left me utterly satisfied with the charm surrounding its story and gameplay. Beautiful music, interesting personality-driven characters drawn out of mere rectangles and squares and a relaxing yet engaging experience all in all come together to craft a platformer that’s equal parts unique and delightful.
Story
In retrospect, there is an interesting story being told in “Thomas Was Alone.” While the narrative isn’t blatantly executed like many other titles would do so, it does have a strong character study and a heartfelt one at that.
The most interesting thing in “Thomas Was Alone” is that the game gives personalities to its simple shapes of characters. The characters are nothing more than one-colored squares or rectangles. This is at least physically, as they have their own names and traits. Some are scared or self-conscious, others arrogant and cocky. The fact that the developer, Mike Bithell, gave personality traits to silent shapes is compelling.
It doesn’t quite stop there though. Any good story with multiple characters must have some interactions between them right? Bithell made some of the characters in the game grow fond of one another romantically. Others simply looked to impress and be the coolest. The squares each have their own abilities gameplay wise (more on that later) and the game uses those as well to create dynamic character interactions narratively.
The plot itself, outside of each character’s traits and what have you is not super clear at first glance. The narrative starts off with a red square named Thomas. The titular character soon meets many others. And then, as the game progresses, they separate and make new companionships. It ultimately wraps up to something a little obscure and unexpected. I didn’t enjoy the abrupt ending as much though. I found it to be most interesting in the beginning of every level and chapter when the narrator talked about how each character was feeling. It truly is the characterization of the shapes that makes “Thomas Was Alone” such a heartfelt experience.
Gameplay
“Thomas Was Alone” is a puzzle platformer that requires the use of multiple characters to get to point b from point a. The proper formation of each shape is key. You must fit each of the character, or squares into an end spot to conclude the level. Getting to your objective often requires moving multiple characters around to help one another, given their own abilities.
The many squares you’ll control come with their own abilities and quirks. While narratively they learn to help on another and come to terms with their hardships, mechanically they come together to create a fresh and fun puzzled experience.
One character for example can jump really high, while another is the opposite. One can float on water, while the rest die instantly upon touching it. One character can double jump; another is a trampoline in and of itself. This is a really clever way to shake things up and is cleverly executed almost always. Each level, especially later on in the game, begins to throw curveballs at you by giving you a bunch of squares to escort than just two or more often than not, teaming some characters up who you would, at first glance, fail to see how they’d benefit one another.
Graphics
In the visual department, “Thomas Was Alone” goes for a simple but stylish art direction. There was nothing to be blown away by graphically but I will say the way the levels are drawn out give it a certain visual appeal. Overall though, “Thomas Was Alone” is definitely not re-inventing the wheel in its appearance, which is acceptable thanks to its success in nearly every other way.
Sound
Arguably my favorite part of “Thomas Was Alone” is the music. The game’s score is beautiful and ever-so-catchy. I fell in love with the background music quickly and never lost that feeling. The game’s tone is quite relaxed, even when you’re confused. The tone is complemented exceptionally well by that music; as it plays smoothly and subtly behind you, you get a feeling of calmness and satisfaction thanks to the music’s quality.
Thanks to its way of describing and giving life to the many squares and rectangles on screen, narration is one of the best parts of “Thomas Was Alone” too. The title has a narrator speak in a soft, welcoming and well-executed manner, talking all about the emotions and situations the characters were undergoing. This made each level feel fresh when he had something new or funny to say. It even veered into fourth wall breaking territory and that is also always welcomed.
Conclusion
Once the credits rolled, I was immensely satisfied with my time with “Thomas Was Alone.” The game implements believable, dynamic and varied character traits and personalities into inanimate shapes and that alone makes it a wonder. But of course, “Thomas Was Alone” takes that interesting concept and pushes it with gameplay mechanics that are fun, compelling and interesting to partake in. The puzzle platforming and teamwork focus of it all help shape up one of the most charming and memorable indie games I’ve had the honor of playing.
Did you find “Thomas Was Alone” to be overly challenging or did you breeze through its puzzles? Which character did you resonate with the most? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
The plot itself, outside of each character’s traits and what have you is not super clear at first glance. The narrative starts off with a red square named Thomas. The titular character soon meets many others. And then, as the game progresses, they separate and make new companionships. It ultimately wraps up to something a little obscure and unexpected. I didn’t enjoy the abrupt ending as much though. I found it to be most interesting in the beginning of every level and chapter when the narrator talked about how each character was feeling. It truly is the characterization of the shapes that makes “Thomas Was Alone” such a heartfelt experience.
Gameplay
“Thomas Was Alone” is a puzzle platformer that requires the use of multiple characters to get to point b from point a. The proper formation of each shape is key. You must fit each of the character, or squares into an end spot to conclude the level. Getting to your objective often requires moving multiple characters around to help one another, given their own abilities.
The many squares you’ll control come with their own abilities and quirks. While narratively they learn to help on another and come to terms with their hardships, mechanically they come together to create a fresh and fun puzzled experience.
One character for example can jump really high, while another is the opposite. One can float on water, while the rest die instantly upon touching it. One character can double jump; another is a trampoline in and of itself. This is a really clever way to shake things up and is cleverly executed almost always. Each level, especially later on in the game, begins to throw curveballs at you by giving you a bunch of squares to escort than just two or more often than not, teaming some characters up who you would, at first glance, fail to see how they’d benefit one another.
Graphics
In the visual department, “Thomas Was Alone” goes for a simple but stylish art direction. There was nothing to be blown away by graphically but I will say the way the levels are drawn out give it a certain visual appeal. Overall though, “Thomas Was Alone” is definitely not re-inventing the wheel in its appearance, which is acceptable thanks to its success in nearly every other way.
Sound
Arguably my favorite part of “Thomas Was Alone” is the music. The game’s score is beautiful and ever-so-catchy. I fell in love with the background music quickly and never lost that feeling. The game’s tone is quite relaxed, even when you’re confused. The tone is complemented exceptionally well by that music; as it plays smoothly and subtly behind you, you get a feeling of calmness and satisfaction thanks to the music’s quality.
Thanks to its way of describing and giving life to the many squares and rectangles on screen, narration is one of the best parts of “Thomas Was Alone” too. The title has a narrator speak in a soft, welcoming and well-executed manner, talking all about the emotions and situations the characters were undergoing. This made each level feel fresh when he had something new or funny to say. It even veered into fourth wall breaking territory and that is also always welcomed.
Content
“Thomas Was Alone” doesn’t have much of an incentive regarding replaying the title. The game’s length is as long or short as you make it with your ability to solve the puzzles. It is ultimately a short but sweet experience though. I didn’t feel like I necessarily needed more to play and the amount of levels “Thomas Was Alone” does include seems to be more than enough overall.Conclusion
Once the credits rolled, I was immensely satisfied with my time with “Thomas Was Alone.” The game implements believable, dynamic and varied character traits and personalities into inanimate shapes and that alone makes it a wonder. But of course, “Thomas Was Alone” takes that interesting concept and pushes it with gameplay mechanics that are fun, compelling and interesting to partake in. The puzzle platforming and teamwork focus of it all help shape up one of the most charming and memorable indie games I’ve had the honor of playing.
Did you find “Thomas Was Alone” to be overly challenging or did you breeze through its puzzles? Which character did you resonate with the most? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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