Thomas Was Alone

            Thomas was Alone is not as simple as it looks. This game, developed by Mike Bithell, looks from the screenshots like something a child with a surprisingly robust knowledge of game design could do; all of the characters are quadrilaterals and the environments all exist in weirdly-geometric abstract spaces. Even the gameplay is pretty simple for the most part, with the player jumping from platform to platform while avoiding water and spikes. It sounds like every 90’s platformer from Super Mario Bros. to Aladdin, but without any enemies to fight. The difference, as always, is in the story. Thomas was Alone is a beautifully written game, and the integration between the story and the gameplay is done exceptionally well. No game has ever made you love a rectangle as much as this one will.

            The game starts with an AI spontaneously generating a personality. His name is Thomas. His first thought is that he’s alone, and his second thought is how he would like that to change. He proceeds through a few levels, making observations and generally wondering about his existence, when he comes across another AI named Chris. Chris is a surly guy who would rather not hang around Thomas if he can avoid it. Unfortunately for him, they need to work together to progress through the levels and continue moving up and to the right. AIs keep showing up, each with a different personality, jumping ability, and in some cases a special ability. Claire, for instance, can float. The player can switch between these characters with a simple push of a button. The player will need to use the skills, abilities, and varying heights of the group of friends to escape an evil cloud of pixels as well as wherever it is they are.

            Though the quadrilaterals never speak themselves in the game, the BAFTA-winning narrative performance of humorist Danny Wallace provides plenty of insight into the mind of an artificial intelligence. Each shape is infused with so much personality that you quickly become attached to them. It is truly remarkable how willing we are to anthropomorphize anything and everything. The narration is sharp and funny, but is often tinged with a bit of pensivity or even melancholy as the game progresses. This is aided by the wonderful score. The mixture of string instruments and mechanical beeps and boops is both atmospheric and evokes the mixture of the mechanical and the natural or spiritual embodied by the AI.

            While I really enjoyed this game, it is not perfect. There are some wonky control issues. Because the quadrilaterals don’t have legs, it’s hard to get a sense of where they are on the platform sometimes. This is especially true when you are trying to jump. A few of the jumps need every nanometer of space, but if you are slightly off then your character won’t jump at all. Also while the game isn’t ridiculously difficult, but there were a few times where I needed to restart many times because of poorly spaced checkpoints. There is also some question as to the actual message of the game. It raises interesting questions about the nature of life and friendship, as well as the necessity of sacrifice for the survival of a community. However, the game sort of just ends after a somewhat confusing stretch of plot. After a certain point in the game, and you will know it when you see it, everything feels sort of out of place. It left me more than a little puzzled considering how well-constructed the story had been up to that point. It isn’t horrible, and it isn’t so jarring that it ruins the game. It was just something I noticed could have been better.

            This is a truly great game. Even though it has some flaws and can be very simplistic at times, you become so invested in it and it is so charming that it’s hard not to like. The writing is superb, the gameplay is ingenious in its simplicity, and the sound design is spot on. It also raises a lot of big questions about the nature of life and community.

I highly recommend it.

            As a side note, I’ve realized lately that I don’t give a lot of bad reviews. The worst I’ve said about a game so far is that it’s just ok. Part of it is that I’ve mostly been reviewing cheap indie games I picked up in the Humble Bundle or for free. It’s hard to hate something when it’s cheap and you have no expectations. I try to point out the flaws in things, and I think I’m getting better at it, but it’s not always easy when you genuinely enjoyed something. I’m still getting the hang of this style of writing, so bear with me. Thanks for reading; I’m sure you are attractive and extremely intelligent.