Review: Thomas Was Alone (PS Vita)

Not every game involves hundreds of hours of play or countless agonizing deaths—some games make for a pleasant afternoon ride that is engaging without being overly demanding. Thomas Was Alone is one of those games. It is short, sweet, and satisfying.

This puzzle platformer is as minimalist as it gets. The characters you control are quadrilaterals that vary in terms of size, shape, and jumping abilities. They travel through a world made up of equally minimalistic black shapes with gray backgrounds. But Thomas Was Alone's aesthetics are deceptively simple: The game tells the story of several AI creations who have been discarded by their human programmers and who must make their own way through an increasingly hostile digital world. The colorful shapes you pilot are actually characters with personalities, and Danny Wallace's good-humored narration makes you feel like you have actually gotten to know each one. The squares and rectangles you meet throughout the game have flawed but lovable personalities, and experience jealousy, insecurity, megalomania, friendship, and even love.

Thomas Was Alone has notably smooth, precise gameplay. It is full of puzzles with fun mechanics that involve different sorts of jumps, as well as abilities to float and defy gravity. None of the puzzles will make you tear your hair out, and only a few need to be completed under time pressure. The game isn't particularly challenging, but that's okay—I found that the mild difficulty level led to a smooth, meditative ride. The trance is deepened by a quality soundtrack that complements the gameplay without ever intruding on it. At times, the ride is a little too smooth. I actually found myself stunned to reach the end, because I never registered any powerful climactic or concluding moments. But in the end, that didn't detract from my fun.

Verdict: If you like puzzles and platformers, Thomas Was Alone is an excellent choice. The game is short, it's sweet, and it doesn't overstay its welcome. I found myself truly enjoying the story and rooting for its quadrilateral protagonists. My afternoon with Thomas Was Alone was an afternoon very well spent.