Thomas was Alone
(
2012
)
It seems that every critic, including those I respect and those I disdain, thinks that Thomas Was Alone is a masterpiece of deft characterization, marveling at how the game made them feel an emotional connection to a collection of colorful rectangles. I'm mystified how so many people, of such desperate backgrounds, views, and abilities, could all somehow manage to reach the same absurd conclusion. While I will admit that each colorful pixel does have a name, saying that each has a character or even much of a personality is going a bit far. Indeed, it would be better to say that each character has a list of traits, and sometimes that list consists of a single item.
Who could forget such diverse characters as John who can jump very high and is quite proud of the fact and Sarah who can jump even higher (double jump in fact) and is even prouder of the fact? Thomas, the titular figure, is fortunately not defined by a singular trait, as he simply doesn't have any traits at all besides a generic desire to understand his world and progress through it. It makes it very difficult to believe that Thomas is willing to sacrifice himself (and his friends) to give all the other AIs in the system a chance to escape. We are simply told that Thomas is selfless and asked to accept without any evidence either for or against.
At least these characters are only tiresome, Claire the giant blue square that can float on water is given the cringe-worthy trait of thinking she is a superhero. Not only does this make her sections extremely obnoxious, but it also raises a question the writer has not considered in the slightest: If Thomas and his pals are AI spontaneously generated in a computer somewhere how do they have any concept of a “superhero?” Indeed, how did they come to have human names and motivations at all? Wouldn't a spontaneously generated AI have an entirely different worldview, something so alien to a regular human being as to be all but incomprehensible? I realize that I'm perhaps asking too much of a game that considers “his name is John and he likes to jump” to be adequate character development, but the game's premise has raised the question. If we can't understand who these characters are and how they came to be, how can we possibly hope to grow emotionally attached to them?
It's not all dreadful, the game comes dangerously close to creating a character in the form of Charlie the orange square that has no special abilities and mostly resents the others wishing they would leave him alone. I found myself hoping, along with Charlie, that the other characters would bugger off for a couple of levels so both Charlie and I could have a break from them. It is not a particularly deep characterization, but at least Charlie can surprise the player, particularly when he falls immediately in love with Claire, the pink rectangle that functions as a portable trampoline. This revelation re-contextualizes Charlie; he's not just a miserable old bastard who hates everyone, he has a soft side that he has deliberately kept hidden. Indeed, it's likely that his apparent misanthropy (for want of a better word) is little more than an attempt to protect his soft heart. The romance between the two dots even plays out in the gameplay in a charming fashion, as of course the block that is the worst jumper of the cast would have a particular attachment to the block that facilitates higher jumping. After all, he's going to need her the most.
Still, one somewhat compelling character in a cast of seven is not exactly a stellar success rate. I for the life of me cannot grasp how so many otherwise reasonable people have been bamboozled into thinking this game has strong writing. Maybe my peers are mistaking sad piano music for deep, compelling writing. This would at least explain why Gris [2018] was so well-received and praised for its nonexistent story and puddle-deep themes.
That said, the core gameplay here, while pretty rudimentary, is at least more engaging than the other ultra-minimalist puzzle platformers like Almost There [2019] and Deleveled [2020]. Controlling a variety of different characters with a variety of different sizes, shapes, and movement abilities at least has the advantage of keeping the gameplay fresh for longer, and Thomas Was Alone is wise enough to keep its play-time well under five hours. I'm sure that much more would have rendered the simplistic game utterly tedious. So, if you're looking for a solid if somewhat unimaginative puzzle game, feel free to mute the music, turn off the subtitles, and dive in.