Recent reviews by THeFraz 199

This is unequivocally one of the most important games ever made. It has so much insight into game design, narrative theory, linguistics, and human pride. I can't give anything away, because going into it as blind as possible is imperative (honestly, you reading this review is kind of a mistake). But this is necessary play for anyone who takes games seriously as an artform.

If there is one thing that Home knows how to create, its mystery. With its simple presentation and gameplay, that is really all it has going for it. The game gives itself the horror tag, including a suggestion to wear headphones and turn off the lights like many recent games have done. However, the game isn't intensly scary at all. If there is one lesson to be learned from Slender, it is that sound design can make for very terrifying and suspenseful situations. Home didn't apply this lesson (though it could have been due to fiscal restraints. They credit freesounds.com as where they got some of their samples). THe atmospheric noise isn't all that tense, and only twice does a loud noise occur that gives me a small jump. More like a bounce actually. Sounds also abruptly stop like when the door animation finishes, or if you suddenly stop your character moving. Its sorta nitpicky, but it took me out of the game. As well as the audio, the aesthetics are just nothing to write home about. It has very plain looking pixel art, and nothing truly looks grimy or dusy or anything that the character narrates. One doesn't need immense graphical fidelity to make an image foreboding or creepy, but rare spatters of pixel blood just don't do the job.

The actual gameplay is simple point and click adventure fare. You interact with objects, and the player character has text describing what it is, or if it can be used to proceed through the game. There aren't any puzzles, just you traversing through these semi-familiar locations.

Whether or not you choose to do certain things in the game (e.g. pick up a gun, go to certain places that may contain extra information) will lead to a different ending. Home plays with the idea of player choice, and makes the mystery turn out however you feel it is going while you make decisions. I can't elaborate too much for fear of spoiling anything, so I have to leave this part thin. There are multiple endings from reading the forums for the game, but I am content with taking the one I ended with.

In the end, the game is very underwhelming. This is clearly an early attempt by a new designer, so it is flawed. I think I just wanted this to be something more. As a horror game, it fails. As a story, it is just interesting enough to recommend, but nothing so thought provoking as a new insight on narrative through play, or even as a mind bending thriller.

Thomas Was Alone is a minimalist puzzle platformer. You play as several rectangles/squares, each with different names and varying personalities. After a serendipitous fluke, an A.I. named Thomas is created. He decides he wants to learn about the world, and as his adventure goes on, he meets other A.I.s. When people talk about fusing narrative with gameplay, TWA is a great example of this. All of the characters abilities and (limited) appearances reflect their personalities and their motives. For some strange reason, I became emotionally invested with these simple geometric shapes. There are even some tear-jerker moments strewn throughout, which delightfully caught me by surprise. The writing (all of it narrated, reminiscent of the Stanley Parable... the mod came out before) for them is very comedic and charming, making you want to keep seeing these shapes interact and finish their goals. I would like to say more about the narrative and characters, but anything is really a spoiler, and it is better to experience it without any prior knowledge.

The presentation for the game is quite pretty actually. Like I've said, the art style is minimal, but it doesn't make the game look boring. The lighting effects look nice while the squares slide through the environment, and their pastel colors contrast the stark black obstacles and the shaded background. It shows they have life in the dead computer world they inhabit.

Along with the art style is the soundtrack. The songs consist usually of violins, piano, and a reoccuring electronic melody. It is gorgeous, and really enhances the emotional impact of the more melancholic levels. One of my favorite pieces included ascending guitar tremolo, very similar to popular post-rock sounds (Sigur Ros, Godspeed You! Black Emperor). It just heightened everything I was feeling so much, that it is one of the most memorable gaming moments I have had yet.

However, the game isn't perfect. The thing is, the game really leaves you wanting more with the characters. A narration only happens twice (I might be wrong on that, but I'm pretty sure) within a stage, so it is very limiting to how much anyone can talk. The game is quite short, taking four hours and 100 stages, leaving only (approximately) 200 bits of dialogue.

The biggest problem with the game is the puzzles. I think "puzzles" is the wrong term for what you navigate in the game. They are more akin to obstacle courses, where you have to avoid spikes or hot water, and have to use teamwork between the squares to press buttons, make jumps, and get to each shape's respective portal. These obstacle courses leave much to be desired. Sure, the ones in the game already do make the characters seem to have a better connection when they have to help each other finish a stage. If there was more challenge to finishing a stage, they would seem more dependent with each other's help, and the catharsis of completing a hard puzzle would be like a high-five moment between them.

Thomas Was Alone is an interesting gem. I found its story/characters just as interesting as bigger indies like Braid and Bastion, but it lacks in the overall gameplay department. I can see this being a staple for my future children, as it is simple enough for them to play, and has a light-hearted atmosphere with some poignantly sad moments sprinkled throughout to (hopefully) keep it memorable for them. Thomas Was Alone definitely is for me.