Jeremy from Bit Cultures writes: "Thomas Was Alone is a relatively short game; I think I clocked in somewhere at around six or seven hours at the most. But, what it lacks in apparent substance or longevity, it makes up in spades by having a wildly unique approach to the AI-focused story. The style of a 2D platformer is well known to most people, yet this game strays enough from the mold to feel fresh and very original. The story was inventive and paced very well. It does not hold any replay value, in my opinion; it feels like it wraps up at the right time, and on a poignant note. Whether Thomas Was Alone is discounted or at its full price, which is typically ten dollars, it is completely worth it. I look forward to seeing what else Bithell Games has to offer."
A number of new deals are up and running on the North American Switch eShop. These include 80’s Overdrive, Assassin’s Creed III: Remastered, Spice and Wolf VR, Thomas Was Alone, and more.
As it’s a package from 2013 of a game that reportedly sold a million copies, you probably already know if you need to get Thomas Was Alone. If you haven’t played it and you have a Switch then you absolutely must get the demo – right away, no excuses. Its playful elucidation of how games work shouldn't be missed by anyone interested in the medium. The full game gives you a few hours of good platforming with great presentation and a well-told story. And as an artefact of its era of indie games, Thomas Was Alone is a delight. The game can be experienced start-to-finish in a few short sessions and Bithell’s commentary provides a sort of meta-narration to motivate another playthrough if you haven’t heard it before. In short, Thomas Was Alone was pretty great when it came out, it’s held up well and now it’s on your Switch.
WTMG's Leo Faria: "I thought Thomas Was Alone was just going to be yet another pretentious indie darling, but I’m glad to know I was dead wrong. It’s not only a well-designed puzzle platformer with good controls, but also a story-driven treat for the eyes and ears, a game that will make you care about a bunch of moving rectangles, somehow. It might not be very replayable (actually, let’s double down on this: it’s devoid of replayability), but it’s still pretty fun while it lasts. No matter where you decide to play it – and believe me, there are tons of platforms to choose – this game is worth experiencing at least once."
Any game that can make you care about basic shapes is doing something right IMHO.
Undeniably, one of the the great "art games" out there.