Thomas Was Alone Review

Since the days of the original PlayStation, I have always had a place in my heart for puzzle games. I have also always loved a great story, especially one that gets me to love the characters and their plights. Thomas Was Alone fits both these criteria, creating a delightful puzzle-platformer about AI becoming self-aware, and trying to find purpose and companionship in the world he lives in.

A great story to be told

Thomas Was Alone is a charming little game about polygon shapes, who represent various AI that are becoming self-aware. This story is the best part of Thomas Was Alone. It feels so original, and is an example of great writing. Watching these little squares as they progress is entertaining, and is the main draw of this game. Never before have I thought I would care for colorful little shapes, and want to see where they all end up. Thomas Was Alone is a great example of how to tell an amazing story, and succeeds in its attempt to portray the story of these multi-colored squares.

Along with the great story, there are great characters. Though the characters are little multi-colored squares, they all have their own distinct personalities. They differ heavily from each other, and round out a diverse cast.

All of the characters also have a unique ability (except for poor Chris), such as a high jump, the ability to float in water, and being able to bounce other characters off of themselves. These powers also effect the personality of the characters (John, the high jumping shape, is eager to show off his jump). The game is constantly introducing new characters, and puzzles to fit the abilities of those shapes. With such a diverse cast, there is a lot of different puzzles to solve, helping to keep things fresh.

Another area that Thomas Was Alone shines in is the audio.

The music is soothing, and compliments the mood of the game. I loved sitting back and enjoying the soundtrack, and enjoyed the relaxing nature it brings to the game. The game feels like it never takes itself too seriously, and is a great way to relax. Amidst all these high-octane, fast action games that are all over the gaming industry, it is refreshing to get a get like Thomas Was Alone, and be able to truly relax during a game.

The narration during Thomas Was Alone is also great. Danny Wallace does a great job guiding players through the game, and like the rest of the title, is calm and relaxed. The characters of the game do not actually speak themselves, yet their thoughts and personalities really do come through in the narration. It is a great way to tell the story, and the game executes this incredibly well, lending more charm into the game.

While Thomas Was Alone does a lot right, the biggest gripe that I had with the game is the difficulty. There are some really clever and intriguing puzzles that utilizes all the different characters’ powers, but they are all incredibly easy. I breezed through the game, and never had any real trouble. There were no puzzles that really stumped me, nor are there any real brain teasers. For me, this is a big problem in a puzzle game, as I want to have that challenge. The game oozes originality, yet it brings itself back down by having a lack of difficulty, which is quite unfortunate.

Overall, Thomas Was Alone is a solid game.

It is a creative and artful game, and gets you to actually care about little different colored squares. So much of the game is right, and it is a fresh breath from a lot of the titles that we see out there today. However, Thomas Was Alone gets dragged down by a lack of difficulty. If you are looking for a simple puzzle-platformer that is unique in its own way, than Thomas Was Alone is the game for you.