[Video Game Review] Alone

ThomasjServo

15244 Posts

September 11 2014 18:22 GMT

In an effort to distract myself from the stellar job UPS has done with my PC which was supposed to be here tomorrow, but is now slated for Monday, I thought I would do a little write up on a game that has done a better job than UPS at keeping me entertained these last few weeks. The game Alone , has been the joy of my commute, and keeping me away from my desk for much longer than my boss would like for the last couple of weeks.

I found out about the game one very hungover morning, and I have to say, this was one of the better decisions I've made while hung over in my life. Then again, it touches on a few themes that get me almost every time:

Same reason movies like Wall-e, books like 1984, and just about anything Phillip K. Dick ever wrote pulled me in, the, "story," if you can call it that (outline may be better?), is only alluded to as a last ditch effort to survive. It is almost like the back story to Adventure Time which is touched on ways that drive you mad with curiosity, but they never beat you over the head with (For those who don't know, Ooo is supposed to be Earth after a great war kills everyone and magic returns to the planet). There is just enough to go on to whet ones appetite though I've not completed the game yet, so I don't know if there is any real resolution to it.

Now in essence, and in terms of game play, this is not a new concept. Since the days of Newgrounds and before thread the needle/avoid walls has been done again and again. With Alone, you must reach an goal distance in order to reach the next stage of difficulty.

If you've played this, you get the just of Alone

What is different is that the controls are really dialed in, to the point where when you first but your thumb to the screen, you'll likely be taken slightly aback at how sensitive your little shuttle really is. Three or four runs later, you'll not even be batting an eye about it. The other brilliant bit, about how Laser Dog breathed life into what is likely a homework assignment in Flash 101, is the level progression. This isn't get 500 m, welcome to level two, it is 4000m for level one, and only goes up and gets more difficult from there. No microtransactions, no pay money for a boost to your shields it is you, your thumb and some amazing music against the universe.

The Soundtrack is an amazing component to the game as well, and a unifying component to the experience as a whole. Give a listen at their Bandcamp and you won't be disappointed. The music is running from level select screen to close, even through level resets which helps to tie everything together. Even if you were screwed out of making that 4000m mark you were so close to you are hardly taken out of things to the point where you want to put the game down.

I touched on aesthetics earlier, and half the reason I bothered to pick up this game, beyond being hungover and needing something that would mean I didn't have to listen to people on the train in, was the design; specifically that it reminded me of a game called Thomas was Alone, which I had picked up during a Steam sale and thoroughly enjoyed for its excellent narration. Despite both having excellent use of minimal graphics, and music, the similarities otherwise are not really there.

Now, I am generally against the status quo when it comes to some elements of popular design. My girlfriend, who does graphics for a local company, is often subjected to my questioning which thin font, and how many circles she is going to use in the next project she does (She does excellent work, it is in a loving fashion, and I just like to poke fun), you'll know what I've mean if you've seen those annoying little FB messenger bubbles on your phone, have an iPhone period, or have Gmail/a google plus that you never use.

Larger rocks knock shields down by two units, shooting stars (I assume) to the same

This game uses just enough modern, minimalist style to make the who experience as fluid as the controls, and as simple as the concept for the game itself. I am not generally wont to spend money on a game either, but this one was not one I've experienced a moments regret about. If you are in the market for a game for your commute, or something to futz about with on the couch, give this a look over.