QCF: Thomas Was Alone

ver the years we've seen video games grow from a simplistic collection of various shooter, puzzle, and platform titles to a wide array of entire virtual worlds that players lose themselves in for weeks. With the combined work of multiple developers on a single team, the standard modern video game consists of realistic visuals, compelling soundtracks, and an overall story-driven environment that often leaves players craving more.

With games continually following these new trends, it's harder for more simplistic throwbacks to convey any highly compelling story elements – that is, if they're not created with enough heart or offer players enough groundbreaking elements. However, not too long ago, one creative indie darling proved this could still be done with a minimalistic presentation created with few resources: Thomas Was Alone.

The overall objective consists of directing pixel blocks from screen to screen and placing them all into their corresponding portals at the same time. Thomas Was Alone starts out simple enough, but the game's difficulty progresses steadily as additional characters appear and the story continues. In some cases you'll even need the help of one character to allow for another's progression. For instance, the low jumping characters Chris and Claire can't launch higher up until they meet Laura, a longer rectangle that causes others to bounce if they jump on top of her.

When you switch characters and move around, you'll really feel the difference in the way each block moves, which is an excellent testament to this game's overall physics. Though players get an unlimited amount of attempts at maneuvering chambers and dodging obstacles, consequences arise if one should either fall victim to a hazardous condition or fail to execute maneuvers in a certain order. In some cases, should certain characters become stuck, you'll have to restart the entire level. This seems like a rare occurrence but it happens.

The hallmark storytelling style in Thomas Was Alone consists of a single narrator, Danny Wallace, explaining what each pixel block thinks about as the team progresses from chamber to chamber. Wallace's exceptional performances contain a level of emotion and passionate description that's comparable to other story-driven narratives such as the Portal series and Bastion, which really aids in getting players attached to this potentially endless puzzle dimension. The way Thomas Was Alone presents itself leaves players wanting to know more and more about the group's overall fate as the game progresses, offering players a strong emotional bonding experience with such seemingly simplistic characters.

As cited in a previous GDC article we published on storytelling with a small budget, Thomas Was Aloneuses very little to get fans attached. In some cases, various artists even created their own interpretations of what each block might look like based on their physical abilities and brief personality descriptions in the game.

Though beautiful in their own way, the visuals consist of simplistic and block-like foregrounds and backgrounds with various pixel effects reminiscent of an Atari 2600 game. When it comes to the music, each track sounds more beautiful than the last, and successfully sets the mood based on environmental conditions and story progressions. These tracks, unlike other aspects of the game, involve more complex tones blended with gentle and nostalgic elements. Sometimes tracks sound peaceful, while others come off as damn right eerie. Nothing seems more perfect for a game such as this while players progress from section to section, and anyone who hits "mute" in favor of their usual playlist (unless you're that used to this game) will surely miss out.

Simplistic yet satisfying, Thomas was Alone uses a minimal amount of resources to craft a maximum experience for anyone lucky enough to play. Wallace's voice performances contribute toward a brilliant element to the game's overall presentation, and the amount of storytelling involved with such a basic title leaves players wanting more as they complete puzzle after puzzle. Anyone looking to score a deal on a PC or Mac version should definitely check out the latest Humble Bundle while they still can for the next few hours. Otherwise, they could secure the game for the regular price of $9.99 (which still seems like a steal).

Unlike crippling loneliness (sad day), sessions with Thomas was Alone leave no gaping voids after everything's said and done. As for other emotions, well... that's for you to discover as you stick with Thomas to the very end.