Benjamin's Flight is downloadable content available for Thomas Was Alone that, for $3.50, gives you 20 extra levels to play through, a new storyline with three new characters, and some added gameplay elements which feature a degree of challenge that was lacking in the main game. Please go here to read my review of the full game first for some reasonable background.

Alright, now that you're back, let's go over what Benjamin's Flight adds for the cost.

Benjamin's story of him and his father is fairly interesting and adds some context to the narrative of the main game, but it doesn't have the same level of tension or emotional impact. I didn't get that same feeling of becoming attached to the characters for one reason or another, even though it was pleasing to see some background story for Sarah from the main game. The ending did give me a bit of a pang of emotion, though, I'll admit that.

The main gameplay additions are a jetpack for Benjamin and some added difficulty. There was a level or two I had to try over and over again to get right, which is something that certainly never happened in Thomas Was Alone. I think part of the reason for the increased difficulty level is that it's tough to get Benjamin to float in a small space and one of the levels requires him to precariously suspend in a space between two dangerous spike walls.

What really kills Benjamin's Flight, for me, and why I can't recommend it for any but the most die hard Thomas Was Alone fans, is that your $3.50 only grants you an extra 20 minutes of game and there's not even a commentary track this time around. That's pretty abysmal value for any game that isn't life changing levels of amazing.

I have a personal rule that I can't take longer to write a review than it took for me to play the game, so this is invariably a short review. It's a simple case of me loving the main game and not really liking the downloadable content. Don't take this as a slight to Thomas Was Alone, which is for the most part a fantastic game that features some of the best storytelling I've had the privilege to experience in a game. But unless you just want to donate some money to the developer and Sony, or you find even the tiniest amount of more Thomas Was Alone gameplay to be irresistible, then I suggest skipping this one.

Reviewer's Note: A game's additional content is reviewed based on what it adds to the title. This means that the presentation is based solely on the story additions the episode contains, gameplay is about the new elements or levels added by the episode, and value is based on the episode's length and quality.

This review is based on downloadable content purchased for Thomas Was Alone on the PlayStation 3.