Thomas Was Alone Review

Thomas Was Alone

Created by Mike Bithell

Published by Curve Digital

Thomas Was Alone is a game about an AI named Thomas who wants to escape the computer he's trapped in. As Thomas makes his escape he manages to make some friends along the way. By working together all the AI overcome many challenging platformer levels until they reach their end.

All of the characters in this game are absolutely charming. Even the AI's who are suppose to be assholes are charming. 

• First there is Thomas, the first AI that we meet who upon his creation starts noting everything he sees which in turn helps you notice more about the game as well. He's a confused little block of red but he loves the friends that he makes and has such an upbeat spirit.
• Chris is the second AI that we meet and his attitude is like a sour puss gnawing on a warhead candy. This orange little square doesn't want help and he never asks for help and he thinks he can do things fine on his own. Eventually he warms up to everyone, especially to a certain someone.
• Thirdly there's John, a tall, yellow rectangle who is quite a peacock. He revels in being the center of attention and tries to show off his amazing jumping skills as much as possible. John is also one of the most loyal characters in this game.
• Next we meet Claire the first female shown to us. She's a large, blue square who can't jump or move on land very well and she's very self conscious about this. Once Claire does some self discovery she become quite the hero and starts being more open with her comrades. Trying her best to protect her friends any way she can.
• Then you meet Laura. This poor AI has the lowest of self esteem one could have. She's a wide, thin, pink rectangle who can barely jump and has been used by many AI in the past and then abandoned. She doesn't believe these other AI would actually care about her but she learns to love herself and the new friends she's made.
• James likes to consider himself the weird one. On account that he has an inverted gravity and that he's green. James would love to make friends but is uncomfortable around other people mainly because he is uncomfortable with himself. Thomas helps James a lot with his comfort levels.
• Lastly we meet Sarah, she's a tiny, purple rectangle and a bit of a manipulator. Sarah is on her own personal quest when she met up with Thomas. She misses her old friends and is willing to do anything to finish her quest. Unfortunately life doesn't go that well for her.

The artwork and design of Thomas Was Alone is very minimalistic but in all the best ways. The most striking colors you see are from the AI with muted colored backgrounds and the platformes are black. Since this game is about abstract compute AI and the computer world that the AI are trapped in, they had to hold back on the colors and put more effort into the design of the world. What the designers did for this game is absolutely beautiful. The way the light trickles through the game, casting shadows on and around the characters gives this world a 3D effect. The way the platformes are shaped in interesting squares and rectangles in various ways is never boring to the eyes. I love how the platforms that move, move with the rhythm of the music. the design and artwork mesh so well together it's almost peaceful.

Speaking of peaceful, the music is very lovely. A lot of the music is electronic as one would expect from a game about AI's trying to escape a computer but it's not harsh or over dramatic. The electronic music is soft and cozy sounding. Lulling you into a sense of security letting you better understand the characters you play as, through the music you hear from the background. I also recommend getting the soundtrack from the game all together, Thomas Was Alone's soundtrack is one of those soundtracks that is great to listen to when you need to calm down, relax, or get over something stressful you recently went through.

The game play of Thomas Was Alone is very simple. It's a platformer game. You use each of the AI's special abilities to place everyone in their appropriate portals so you can move on to the next level. Some of the levels can be a bit challenging but it's not over the top challenging. This is a perfect game for casuals to play and for hardcore gamers who are needing a game to relax to after playing Dark Souls or Cuphead.

You can get Thomas Was Alone from Steam for $10, from the Playstation Store for $10, and for you Xbox One for $10. Just to name a few places as to where to can get this game.

I give this game a 5/5 stars. Thomas Was Alone is a chill game that has a story to tell. I highly recommend this game.