Thomas Was Alone (2012)

So how does Thomas Was Alone hold up today? Well, it’s excellent, thank you for asking. I recommend it to anyone interested in trying out a bit of indie gaming history, any fan of the science fiction genre, anyone who enjoys platformers, for those who enjoy short, sweet stories, and to everyone looking to see how anyone could make a bunch of rectangles a memorable part of my adolescence.

As a whole, this game may look pretty basic upon first glance. But once picking it up, you will definitely spend hours trying to get all your new pals to safety. I fell in love with this game far harder than I expected to. I’ve played many platform games in my life, but this one stands out as one of the best for sure. Puzzles are fun and don’t repeat themselves, and everything seems oddly charming. Even down to the ominous black cloud which is never really explained. If you want to lose yourself amongst a handful of shapes for a few hours, I’d highly recommend this game.

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.

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.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, and you'll jump in Thomas Was Alone on Nintendo Switch. Whether you're leaping in for the first time or playing through the adventure yet again, this complete port does the iconic indie game proper justice and proves that great video game ideas are timeless.