Opinion: Thomas Was Alone

Thomas Was Alone is an indie platforming puzzle game made by Mike Bithell. Billed as 'A game about friendship and jumping', what appears to start as a simplistic game about a rectangle becomes a absorbing game about an assorted crew of rectangles full of character.

Before I get into the characters, I should mention what an amazing job Danny Wallace does as the narrator of the game (check out the trailer at the bottom of the post for a sample). He's the only voice in the game, delivering the character's thoughts to the player in third person, whilst advancing the plot of the game from level to level. Each level has narration accompanying it, the writing is consistently great throughout, making what could be considered mundane levels with little detail feel worth navigating, whilst imparting character to the shapes you control.

So, you start out as a red rectangle named Thomas, able to navigate through levels by jumping over obstacles in search of an exit hole. This is the main mechanic of the game; steer shapes through levels, jump and find exits. Soon enough you meet a small squat orange square by the name of Chris. As a diminutive square that can't jump very high, Chris has something of a complex about his lack of mobility compared to Thomas, jealous of his comparative sprightliness. You swap between Thomas and Chris, using the two characters as boosters for jumps or to press buttons, allowing each of them to reach their respective exits.

The game continues in this fashion, introducing more and more characters, like Claire, the giant blue square who discovers she can float in water and starts to believe herself to actually be a superhero, blessed with a power and the responsibilities that come with it. Then there's James, the socially awkward green rectangle who happens to disobey the laws of gravity and feels like he doesn't quite fit in. There are more characters, each with an interesting and flawed personality that fits their 'ability', each has their thoughts shared through the narrator, building up an empathy with the player and becoming more than just simple shapes in a simple puzzle game.

The story is divided into chapters, each starting with a quote that frames the narrative of the chapter. These imply that the story we're playing through is occurring within a computer and that the events have great significance. The plot has a surprising amount of power considering you are just moving little shapes around to find exit holes, with each chapter being sewn through with character development, plot twists and a dash of suspense.

The overall plot arc is enhanced by the beautiful music. Composed by David Housden, it's a laid-back instrumental affair with a slight chip-tune edge that perfectly complements the game. It builds gradually in energy towards the end of the game, imparting a feeling of hope that, when combined with Danny Wallace's narration of the characters, really captures the feeling of an epic story playing out.

Whilst a very simplistic game overall, the puzzles never really become very tricky, I'd argue that the game isn't about the puzzles at all. It's about the experience. The strange and silly and captivating story of a little rectangle called Thomas, and the others who come to follow him. And strange as it seems, by the end of the game, I actually really cared about them and the adventure they embarked on.

Thomas Was Alone is avaiable on PC and Mac through Steam or direct through Mike Bithell's site (where you can also grab a demo of the game). It's also available on PS3 and Vita through the PSN store.