Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Thomas Was Alone
The PC indie puzzle platformer, Thomas Was Alone, has received much praise since its release last July. The game is now being ported to the PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3, so players can solve the multi-character, 2D puzzles on the go. We checked it out at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and the simple little downloadable surprised us.
The game starts out simple, teaching players how to move a single little box around a stark environment. Eventually more rectangles are added, each of varying heights and jumping abilities. Players swap between the three Lost Vikings-style in order to solve environmental puzzles. Sometimes you’ll have to use one box character as a stepping stool for the other, or as a bridge to cross a gap. The platforming feels fluid and each box’s differing abilities are readily apparent. While the game starts out simple, the complexity of the bite-sized levels evolves into anti-gravity brain-teasers and VVVVVV-esque falling sequences.
A trailer for the PC version.
Thomas Was Alone also stands out thanks to its inventive narrative. An English-accented gentleman adds color to the goings on by describing the nondescript boxes’ personalities. A simple line about two plain-looking boxes resenting one another adds a surprising layer of personality to the visually sterile game.
The game, originally developed by Mike Bithell, will be available digitally on the Vita and PS3 April 30.
Products In This Article
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
