- Genre: Puzzle/Platformer
- Platform: PS4
- Also Available On: Steam, PS3, Vita, Mobile, Xbox One, Wii U
Thomas Was Alone is ostensibly a game about colored blocks. At its core it takes a relatively simple visual style, and mixes it with simple 2D platformer mechanics in ways that have been done before. However, by being extremely mechanically tight, and by having a great atmosphere that happens along side of it, it becomes one of the best platformers I’ve played in recent times.
There’s really two things that stood out about Thomas Was Alone compared to most platformers, and both of them directly tie into how the blocks are treated as individual characters. The title of the game is no mistake, as each block is treated as a separate character within the game’s story. Each block has its own unique personality that is exposed as the story is told. Whether it’s the titular Thomas who is always taking note of the world around him and really doesn’t want to be alone, or Chris, who is initially a bit of a grump, but eventually ends up falling in love, or any of the other characters that you meet along the way, each block is elevated to a full character simply through fantastic writing and great narration. The overall characterization that is gained just through passive narration is reminiscent of games like Portal, where the depth of the game’s universe is a lot more than expected at first glance.
The individual character traits then extend directly into gameplay, giving each individual character their own style. The combinations of characters in each level then determine how the puzzles proceed in each level. For example, Thomas is the base character, and simply jumps a normal height. James has the same traits as Thomas, but has reversed gravity. Sarah can double jump, Chris has a short jump, but it also much smaller size and can fit through gaps, Laura can be used as a trampoline, etc. Each new character introduced adds another layer to the overall experience until you’re eventually completing puzzles using the entire gang’s unique abilities to finish up levels.
All of this is tied together in a package that is extraordinary in how reliable the mechanics all are. There were no situations in which I felt like I was misjudging my jumps or unsure of where I was trying to get to. New characters would seamlessly integrate into my puzzle solving experience as soon as I learned what their ability or benefit was. The game, as is appropriate in puzzle games in general, was never about the where, but the how of finishing each area.
I think in the end the best thing I can really say about Thomas Was Alone is that I accidentally finished it in one sitting. Sure, it was only about 4 hours long, but there’s not many games that I play for four hours straight, and even fewer where I don’t even realize that four hours had gone by. I suppose I should have gotten to this one sooner.