Thomas Was Alone: a marriage of platforming and storytelling

Like running and jumping? Discuss it here!
Post Reply
User avatar
J T
Next-Gen
Posts: 12417
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: Seattle

Thomas Was Alone: a marriage of platforming and storytelling

Post by J T »

Thomas Was Alone

Image
*Click for official site*

I just completed this game and I'm very excited about it. There is more heart and soul in these little rectangles than there is in countless other more 'graphically advanced' characters. These aren't just mere four-sided geometrical figures. They are Thomas, and Chris, and Claire, and John, and Laura. Each with a unique personality and charm. They are all A.I.s inside a machine and they have suddenly gained consciousness. Now it is time for them to 'square off' against the machine (sorry, I love a good pun) and find freedom outside of their computerized environs.

What's so wondeful about this game is that each of the personalities of the characters is captured rather beautifully in the game mechanics. Thomas has well balanced handling and makes a good leading man. Chris is stout and slow and can barely jump at all. He's also a grumpy curmudgeon that hates other people, but also depends on them for his survival. John can jump exceptionally high and has little trouble getting around, and as a result he is a bit cocky and egotistical. He also has a bit of a narcissistic need to be admired.

I don't want to say much more about the characters than that because much of the joy of this game is getting to know who they are by playing each one, and by using them collectively to solve puzzles. This game is very similar to Lost Vikings in that regard. You click a button to switch between the different characters that you can control and you need to take advantage of each character's unique skills to solve the puzzle and you need to use teamwork to compensate for the weaknesses of certain members of the team.

What this game does better than Lost Vikings though is that it tells a story full of adventure, teamwork, love, jealousy, isolation, and hope. This is done in large part by some beautfiul narration work done by Scottish actor Danny Wallace who provides a running commentary about the thoughts and feelings of these characters as they move along their journey. He gives the tale a fairytale-like quality to it that is full of optimism and great heart. You won't find a game that better marries its narrative to its gameplay, so if you are looking for a fun platformer that tells a great story, this is definitely the game for you.
My contributions to the Racketboy site:
Browser Games ... Free PC Games ... Mixtapes ... Doujin Games ... SotC Poetry
User avatar
J T
Next-Gen
Posts: 12417
Joined: Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:21 pm
Location: Seattle

Re: Thomas Was Alone: a marriage of platforming and storytel

Post by J T »

Thomas Was Alone is 50% off for a limited time:
http://www.thomaswasalone.com/

This one is really worth it. It's such a great example of how gameplay can add personality to characters.
My contributions to the Racketboy site:
Browser Games ... Free PC Games ... Mixtapes ... Doujin Games ... SotC Poetry
Post Reply