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PlayStation Plus 'massively inflated' my audience, says Thomas Was Alone creator
Thomas Was Alone "sold really well" on Vita and PS3 since its April launch according to creator Mike Bithell, and in particular through PlayStation Plus where uptake has been "ridiculous" and "amazing." Bithell told Joystiq Thomas Was Alone, or "the rectangle game" as he self-mockingly called it, found its way into more hands through Plus than any other "platform" up to that point - the indie platformer launched on PC last summer before coming to Steam later in the year. "And that's exciting," Bithell told us, "Because that's a whole bunch of cool players who are really into their games - that's why they have PS Plus - who know who the hell I am now." "As someone who's making the difficult second album," Bithell added, "I need as many people onside, and knowing what Thomas Was Alone is, and maybe even knowing who I am, so it means something when the trailer comes out and it says 'From the creator of Thomas Was Alone.' And that's what PS Plus was awesome for. It just massively inflated my audience beyond what a normal esoteric indie platformer would have, which is great." Bithell said he plans to unveil 'Project 2,' that difficult second album, in the coming months. He was enthusiastic, however, to reflect on Thomas Was Alone, which started life as the story-less product of a 24-hour jam, and was so called because one of Bithell's friends joked he should give it an "emo" title so people would read meaning into it that wasn't there. Nearly three years later, Thomas Was Alone took four stars in our review, which lauded the story for making us care about rectangles.
Humble Indie Bundle 8 serves up Hotline Miami, Proteus, more
The Humble Indie Bundle 8 launched today, offering up downloadable Windows, Mac, and Linux versions of Thomas Was Alone, Awesomenauts, Little Inferno, Dear Esther, and Capsized as part of its pay-what-you-want base package. Buyers who beat the average purchase price (currently around $5) will also receive Hotline Miami and Proteus. The package additionally includes a free Awesomenauts character skin; if you ever wanted to dress up as a chicken while playing a side-scrolling MOBA, today is the day that your dreams become reality. All games are available as DRM-free downloads, and Steam keys are included. Humble 8 also marks the first time that Dear Esther, Thomas Was Alone, Little Inferno, Capsized, and Awesomenauts are available for Linux. The Humble Indie Bundle 8 will be available through June 14.
Thomas Was Alone review: Mastering the inverted fall
On the surface, Thomas Was Alone appears unremarkable. It breaks platforming mechanics down to their most basic levels, quite literally, replacing characters with colored rectangles and environments with precarious arrangements of black rectangles. To reiterate: Thomas Was Alone is a platformer starring a cast of little, colored blocks. What's amazing is that, thanks to the a tiny injection of story and a bit of good writing, you may actually start to care about them.%Gallery-187303%
PSN Tuesday: Dead Island Riptide, Star Trek, Thomas Was Alone
The PlayStation Store update this week includes four full games, two new for PSN and three Vita games. The full games are Star Trek, SoulCalibur 5, Dead Island Riptide and Blazing Angels 2: Secret Missions of WWII, while PSN gets God Mode and Thomas Was Alone.Thomas Was Alone is a Cross Buy game, making it available on Vita today as well, along with Draw Slasher and Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus R.Fire Pro Wrestling Returns is out as a PS2 Classic and PSP gets Black Rock Shooter The Game. The Spring Sale is still on, with discounts on Resident Evil 6 and Thomas Was Alone this week.
Soul Calibur Broken Destiny free on PS Plus tomorrow, Spring Fever sale continues
PlayStation Plus subscribers can snag a free copy of PSP (and PS Vita-compatible) fighter Soul Calibur Broken Destiny tomorrow when the PlayStation Store update drops. Soul Calibur Broken Destiny launched on PSP in 2009 with a feature set largely similar to its console predecessor from 2008, Soul Calibur IV.Curve Studios' port of Mike Bithell's BAFTA-nominated puzzle-platformer Thomas Was Alone makes its debut on PS Vita and PS3 this week. The cross-buy enabled game takes place within a computer mainframe, tasking players with escorting erratic AI entities to their destinations.Finally, PSN's Spring Fever sale continues unabated, slashing prices across the entire Resident Evil series this week. Highlights include Resident Evil: Director's Cut for $5, Resident Evil 6 for $21 and Resident Evil 4 at $14.
Spring Fever PlayStation Store event details, discounts for PS Plus members
Sony's Spring Fever PlayStation Store event will kick off later today (after the PSN update), with four indie games featuring PS3 and Vita cross-buy functionality, and 20 percent off discounts for PlayStation Plus members."PlayStation fans have been vocal about their desire to see more independent games on PSN, and Spring Fever is the perfect opportunity to show what makes PlayStation the premier destination for new and unique experiences from talented developers," said Adam Boyes, VP of Sony American developer and publisher relations.First up is Guacamelee!, available today for $14.99 (PS Plus price: $11.99). Followed by Dragon Fantasy Book I and Thomas Was Alone over the next couple weeks for $9.99 (PS Plus price: $7.99). Finally, on April 30, Zombie Tycoon 2: Brainhov's Revenge seeks brains for $9.99, with PS Plus members receiving the game free as part of the instant game collection.
PS Plus for EU ambles into April with Thomas Was Alone, The Cave, more
The April update for PlayStation Plus in Europe not only slings another slew of Instant Collection games our way, but also a brand new one in Thomas Was Alone. The European launch of the indie minimalist platformer will see it be free for Plus subscribers on the continent. Curve just announced Thomas Was Alone is coming to PS3 and Vita in Europe on April 24, and April 30 in North America.The other subscription-based freebies headed the continent's way are Okami HD, Lord of the Rings: War in the North, and The Cave, all for PS3 on April 3, along with Zero Escape: Virtue's Last Reward for Vita on April 10.As always, a few games now find themselves in PS Plus' last chance saloon. Departing from the service are Mass Effect 3, Mortal Kombat, and Guardians of Middle Earth, all on April 3, as well as Metal Gear Solid HD Collection on April 10, and Puddle on April 24.
Thomas Was Alone on PS3 and Vita April 24 in EU, April 30 in NA
Thomas Was Alone will find companionship on your PS3 and/or Vita starting April 24 if you're in Europe, and on April 30 if you're in North America. Curve Studios, who is developing the PlayStation port of Mike Bithell's platformer, also noted in a recent newsletter the game will be free in Europe at launch for PlayStation Plus members.The European PlayStation Blog, in its announcement of the deal, also shared the above video, which shows the new DLC level.
Minimalist platformer Thomas Was Alone comes to PS3 and Vita
Thomas Was Alone on PC, but now he'll have company on PS3 and PS Vita. Developer Mike Bithell is bringing his minimalist platformer, about the coordinated escape of a rectangle and his new friends the, um, other rectangles, to Sony platforms with Cross Buy this spring.As you go through the levels, using different quadrilateral characters' different properties together, " you'll hear an awesome story narrated by Danny Wallace (Assassin's Creed) and scored by the epically talented David Housden," Bithell explains. "On PS Vita, you can use the touchscreens to select characters, or to control the camera."The new console version of the game will include "creator's commentary," and will be the first version to receive a DLC prologue "about a square who is given a jetpack."
Thomas Was Alone, and then he launched on Steam for 10% off
Thomas Was Alone isn't above paying for some new friends – it just launched on Steam and is 10 percent off now through November 19, for $9.Thomas Was Alone is a minimalist platformer that follows a group of sentient rectangles as they attempt to exit each environment with their diverse sets of skills, by floating, hopping and building bridges... of camaraderie. Thomas Was Alone is developed by Mike Bithell, who is also lead designer at UK developer Bossa Studios. His game has been tumbling around the internet in some form for at least two years.
Mike Bithell conceptualizes a game based on Source Code
Bossa Studios lead designer Mike Bithell, whom you may remember as the creator of the 24-hour project Thomas Was Alone, knows a thing or two about coming up with compelling game concepts. We're not surprised that he recently turned his sights on gameifying one of our favorite movies of 2011 so far: Source Code. On his personal blog, Bithell explained how the film's penchant for Groundhog Day-esque repetition would translate over to a game mechanic, even drawing a handy diagram to illustrate his ideas. Personally, we'd love for his vision to come to fruition, if only to achieve our dream of getting our Gyllenhaal fix in a video game format. We can't just keep playing Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and pretending, you know. It's not healthy.
Thomas was alone: a minimalist game about friendship
If you're not too busy shooting all the aliens, you might want to give a new indie game on Kongregate a go. "Thomas was alone" was made by Blitz Games Studios designer Mike Bithell on October 16th and 17th, during a span of just 24 hours. As Bithell notes, "I went from blank screen to decent puzzle platformer in less time than it takes Jack Bauer to save the world. That's a pretty cool achievement." Thomas was alone is part minimalist platformer, part geometric buddy road-trip. Things get interesting once Thomas encounters his first friend, a dull, prim-and-proper Puritan and all-around square. Also, he's literally a square. By taking control of different pals and taking advantage of their unique dimensions, you'll be able to solve simple platforming challenges and progress. Describing it as a block-stacking game is accurate, albeit unimaginative. We've enjoyed one of Mike Bithell's games before (surely you remember Visiting Day from 2006?), and while this one's bothered by slippery controls, it's an effective reminder of how simple, immediately decipherable mechanics form the basis of any worthwhile game, regardless of the presentation. The impressive 24-hour construction period is also motivational to any budding designers out there. Why, just look what Blitz Games Studios has to say on the matter: "The games you make don't have to be epic masterpieces, they don't need to make use of bleeding edge graphics. A little bit of heart and a simple idea can go a long way. Frankly though, if Mike can manage it, so can you!"
