Cubist Colony
Review for Thomas Was Alone (PC)
1-player puzzle/platformer, Developed by Mike Bithell
When a game called
Thomas Was Alone opens its blurb with "and then he wasn't," you know you're in for a treat. Before you're even playing it,
Thomas Was Alone provides both a dry wit and a tongue-in-cheek, self-aware charm. What it doesn't hint at, however, is that there's a deep, emotional core buried in
Thomas Was Alone. I think.
Y'see,
Thomas Was Alone is one of those minimalist platformers that has you (well,
me, at any rate) digging for a deeper meaning. Digging for something that you're convinced the game provides. So minimalist and open to interpretation is
Thomas Was Alone, that it definitely convinces me there is, at least, something
to interpret. It's one of those art games - and it is an art game, make no mistake - that provides hints at meaning without being overtly pretentious in presenting it to you. So,
fair warning -
Thomas Was Alone, for how delightfully presented it is, may actually not be as deep as I think it is. That's exactly what I like about art, though - not everyone sees the same thing in any particular work. With that in mind - let's see what
Thomas Was Alone provides for those who will only look for what's there, and then maybe later I'll get into why I love it so much, not just as a videogame, but as
art.
...won't
that be thrilling, boys 'n girls?
