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"[GAME] Thomas Was Alone (PS3/Vita)"

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This thread has been linked to the game 'Thomas Was Alone'.
Mon 08/07/13 at 16:26
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Thomas Was Alone but now he isn’t. And he is starring in a platforming style puzzle game dealing with friendship, trust, doubt, suspicion and teamwork.

As a game, Thomas Was Alone has every right to be terrible. Graphically the game could have lived on the Atari 2600. The characters are all quadrangles, jumping quadrangles. There is nothing more to their detail other than their shape and colour, no eyes, no smiley faces. The levels are all blocks with some water and spikes being as advanced as it gets. The sound effects are as basic. But add in some narrative, give the quadrangles some character and throw is some lovely music (which doesn’t sound basic) and suddenly you see past the crude visuals and start to be won over by the charm of the overall package.

The opening levels serve as a tutorial and you will realise quickly that there is more to this game than meets the eye. Each level begins with some narration from Danny Wallace which tends to give you some insight into the thoughts of the cast involved. It naturally starts off with just Thomas and he is as confused. He isn’t sure where he is, why he is there or what is going on. To be fair, the player, at this stage isn’t any more informed. Controlling Thomas with left and right directional input and an ability to jump, you transport Thomas across the terrain to the outline at the end.

Before long Thomas meets other characters but he isn’t sure what to make of them. Each new character comes with a different personality which keeps the narrative interesting. They each have different thoughts about the situation they find themselves in and different feelings towards the other characters.

Each character must arrive at the appropriately shaped outline in order for the level to be completed. Each character has a unique attribute; some can jump higher than others, one of the characters can float, another can doubt jump and another has a bouncy surface allowing that character to act like a trampoline for the others. James, the green anti-gravity rectangle really turns the world upside down though.

The early levels are solo experiences where characters can reach the exit on their own but for the majority of the time, some team work will be necessary. No character is a passenger and you will need to use the attributes of each and every one of them to ensure all of them can reach the exit.

As the levels progress the more characters you will have to see safely to the exit and the greater the challenge becomes. Water presents a deadly hazard for some characters and spikes are fatal to all. There is a puzzle element to the game, switches need to be pressed by the relevant character, the correct character will be needed to allow others to progress and later levels see characters being granted attributes that aren’t native to them. It is an enjoyable challenge which usually just involves a moment’s thought rather than anything taxing.

There are 9 stages with 10 levels within each stage and plenty of variety throughout. The platforming is basic in a sense but enjoyable. The levels never take long to complete which makes it perfect for handheld short bursts of gaming on the move but that ‘one more level’ aspect comes into play to prolong the session.
The greatest achievement in this game is how it gradually makes you become fond of these characters. The narrative is well written, amusing at times and you can almost sympathise with the confused characters as they doubt the intentions of others.

Thomas Was Alone is a game which many will disregard after a few minutes but give this game a chance and you might just find yourself becoming surprisingly interested in the fate of some faceless shapes.

8
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Mon 08/07/13 at 16:26
Regular
"And in last place.."
Posts: 2,054
Thomas Was Alone but now he isn’t. And he is starring in a platforming style puzzle game dealing with friendship, trust, doubt, suspicion and teamwork.

As a game, Thomas Was Alone has every right to be terrible. Graphically the game could have lived on the Atari 2600. The characters are all quadrangles, jumping quadrangles. There is nothing more to their detail other than their shape and colour, no eyes, no smiley faces. The levels are all blocks with some water and spikes being as advanced as it gets. The sound effects are as basic. But add in some narrative, give the quadrangles some character and throw is some lovely music (which doesn’t sound basic) and suddenly you see past the crude visuals and start to be won over by the charm of the overall package.

The opening levels serve as a tutorial and you will realise quickly that there is more to this game than meets the eye. Each level begins with some narration from Danny Wallace which tends to give you some insight into the thoughts of the cast involved. It naturally starts off with just Thomas and he is as confused. He isn’t sure where he is, why he is there or what is going on. To be fair, the player, at this stage isn’t any more informed. Controlling Thomas with left and right directional input and an ability to jump, you transport Thomas across the terrain to the outline at the end.

Before long Thomas meets other characters but he isn’t sure what to make of them. Each new character comes with a different personality which keeps the narrative interesting. They each have different thoughts about the situation they find themselves in and different feelings towards the other characters.

Each character must arrive at the appropriately shaped outline in order for the level to be completed. Each character has a unique attribute; some can jump higher than others, one of the characters can float, another can doubt jump and another has a bouncy surface allowing that character to act like a trampoline for the others. James, the green anti-gravity rectangle really turns the world upside down though.

The early levels are solo experiences where characters can reach the exit on their own but for the majority of the time, some team work will be necessary. No character is a passenger and you will need to use the attributes of each and every one of them to ensure all of them can reach the exit.

As the levels progress the more characters you will have to see safely to the exit and the greater the challenge becomes. Water presents a deadly hazard for some characters and spikes are fatal to all. There is a puzzle element to the game, switches need to be pressed by the relevant character, the correct character will be needed to allow others to progress and later levels see characters being granted attributes that aren’t native to them. It is an enjoyable challenge which usually just involves a moment’s thought rather than anything taxing.

There are 9 stages with 10 levels within each stage and plenty of variety throughout. The platforming is basic in a sense but enjoyable. The levels never take long to complete which makes it perfect for handheld short bursts of gaming on the move but that ‘one more level’ aspect comes into play to prolong the session.
The greatest achievement in this game is how it gradually makes you become fond of these characters. The narrative is well written, amusing at times and you can almost sympathise with the confused characters as they doubt the intentions of others.

Thomas Was Alone is a game which many will disregard after a few minutes but give this game a chance and you might just find yourself becoming surprisingly interested in the fate of some faceless shapes.

8

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