Title: Thomas Was Alone
Maker: Mike Bithell
System: Mac
Cost: Humble Indie Bundle 8
Feeling it for quadrilaterals
I’ve been sitting on the Thomas Was Alone Review for awhile, because I’m not quite sure how I felt about the game. Full disclosure: I read several reviews for TWA, and I remember everyone praising the music, the narrator, and the fact it brings personality to little colored rectangles. And while that’s all true for awhile, pretty soon the narrator starts to grate ( I don’t know if you can call it self-importance, but he sure seems pretty proud of the job he’s doing), the music veers so hard into Explosions in the Sky that it’s shameless, and all you’re really left with from those first positive impressions, is the fact that you’re having feelings for these little rectangles. But really, that’s quite an accomplishment.
Graphically it’s more than serviceable, because while it’s simple, it’s exactly what it needs to be, clean. The platforming controls feel good, but the action itself isn’t all that satisfying. Often the action breaks down into trial and error puzzle solving, instead of actual platforming. However, this isn’t to take away what from what’s been created, as the platforming gracefully ties in the personalities and abilities of each specific block. This gives more life to small quadrilaterals, than the characters that exist in games with budgets a hundred times larger.
Conclusion: You have to pay tribute for what’s been created. Even if it’s not bringing gaming bliss, it’s laid out a pretty good road map for bringing any character to life.
Review: 3 Stars (Out of 5)
Memory: The square that tries to drown herself
