<s>
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
is	O
a	O
puzzle-platform	O
game	O
created	O
by	O
Mike	O
Bithell	O
,	O
originally	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
Flash-based	O
browser	O
game	O
in	O
October	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
expanded	O
and	O
released	O
for	O
Microsoft	B-Application
Windows	I-Application
and	O
OS	B-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
in	O
July	O
2012	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
has	O
subsequently	O
been	O
released	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
,	O
iOS	B-Application
,	O
Android	B-Application
and	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
one	O
or	O
more	O
simple	O
rectangles	O
representing	O
several	O
out-of-control	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
entities	O
,	O
working	O
with	O
the	O
shapes	O
to	O
get	O
each	O
to	O
their	O
individual	O
end	O
points	O
on	O
each	O
level	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
takes	O
place	O
within	O
a	O
computer	O
mainframe	O
,	O
where	O
some	O
unspecified	O
"	O
Event	O
"	O
has	O
caused	O
several	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
routines	O
to	O
run	O
out	O
of	O
control	O
and	O
gain	O
personality	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
company	O
called	O
Artificial	O
Life	O
Solutions	O
experiments	O
with	O
various	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
solutions	O
,	O
but	O
something	O
unexplained	O
causes	O
some	O
AIs	B-Application
to	O
become	O
self-aware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
AIs	B-Application
perceive	O
their	O
digital	O
world	O
as	O
a	O
2D	O
space	O
with	O
themselves	O
represented	O
as	O
quadrilateral	O
shapes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
meets	O
other	O
AIs	B-Application
,	O
each	O
with	O
different	O
personalities	O
and	O
abilities	O
:	O
the	O
cynical	O
Chris	O
,	O
the	O
show-off	O
John	O
,	O
the	O
self-proclaimed	O
superhero	O
Claire	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
apprehensive	O
Laura	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pixel	O
cloud	O
soon	O
attacks	O
and	O
"	O
eats	O
"	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
five	O
AIs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
pixel	O
cloud	O
is	O
revealed	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
splitter	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
mechanism	O
that	O
attempts	O
to	O
fix	O
the	O
fact	O
that	O
multiple	O
AIs	B-Application
are	O
erroneously	O
being	O
placed	O
in	O
the	O
same	O
virtual	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
James	O
,	O
an	O
AI	B-Application
who	O
falls	O
upwards	O
instead	O
of	O
down	O
,	O
frees	O
Thomas	O
from	O
the	O
splitter	O
's	O
virtual	O
prison	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
meet	O
Sarah	O
,	O
a	O
purple	O
AI	B-Application
,	O
who	O
tells	O
them	O
about	O
"	O
the	O
fountain	O
of	O
wisdom	O
"	O
,	O
the	O
system	O
's	O
Internet	O
uplink	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
plans	O
to	O
become	O
an	O
"	O
architect	O
"	O
,	O
someone	O
who	O
is	O
able	O
to	O
modify	O
his	O
world	O
and	O
empower	O
other	O
AIs	B-Application
to	O
do	O
the	O
same	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
time	O
later	O
,	O
other	O
AIs	B-Application
,	O
all	O
in	O
different	O
shades	O
of	O
grey	O
,	O
emerge	O
and	O
start	O
using	O
"	O
shifters	O
"	O
,	O
coloured	O
patches	O
that	O
equip	O
them	O
with	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
skills	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
seven	O
architects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
new	O
characters	O
include	O
Grey	O
,	O
Sam	O
,	O
Jo	O
,	O
Paul	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
team	O
of	O
five	O
small	O
,	O
identical	O
AIs	B-Application
collectively	O
called	O
Team	O
Jump	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Together	O
,	O
these	O
disparate	O
AIs	B-Application
all	O
seek	O
the	O
final	O
portal	O
that	O
leads	O
them	O
to	O
the	O
outer	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Red	O
emergency	O
lights	O
flash	B-Operating_System
and	O
the	O
screens	O
display	O
pure	O
white	O
as	O
Sam	O
and	O
Jo	O
become	O
the	O
first	O
truly	O
free	O
AIs	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Later	O
,	O
many	O
other	O
AIs	B-Application
–	O
enabled	O
by	O
the	O
efforts	O
of	O
Thomas	O
and	O
his	O
friends	O
–	O
escape	O
the	O
mainframe	O
and	O
begin	O
to	O
coexist	O
with	O
humans	O
in	O
the	O
real	O
world	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
"	O
Benjamin	O
's	O
Flight	O
"	O
expansion	O
later	O
reveals	O
that	O
Thomas	O
and	O
his	O
friends	O
were	O
not	O
the	O
first	O
AIs	B-Application
to	O
attempt	O
to	O
reach	O
"	O
emergence	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
discovered	O
that	O
jetpack-wielding	O
AI	B-Application
Benjamin	O
had	O
attempted	O
to	O
reach	O
the	O
"	O
fountain	O
of	O
wisdom	O
"	O
before	O
,	O
with	O
AIs	B-Application
Sarah	O
and	O
Anna	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Mike	O
Bithell	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
game	O
was	O
a	O
Flash-based	O
browser	O
game	O
released	O
to	O
the	O
Kongregate	O
site	O
on	O
17	O
October	O
2010	O
,	O
though	O
since	O
has	O
been	O
removed	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
the	O
more	O
expansive	O
effort	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bithell	O
started	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
more	O
complete	O
version	O
of	O
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
in	O
early	O
2011	O
,	O
considering	O
this	O
a	O
means	O
to	O
teach	O
himself	O
how	O
to	O
work	O
with	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
game	I-Application
engine	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
he	O
became	O
lead	O
game	O
designer	O
at	O
Bossa	O
Studios	O
in	O
London	O
,	O
where	O
development	O
of	O
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
was	O
done	O
on	O
Bithell	O
's	O
off-hours	O
with	O
Bossa	O
's	O
blessing	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
Thomas	O
,	O
Housden	O
had	O
been	O
called	O
on	O
to	O
do	O
more	O
work	O
for	O
Bossa	O
,	O
composed	O
the	O
music	O
for	O
Bithell	O
's	O
subsequent	O
game	O
Volume	B-Application
,	O
and	O
has	O
been	O
signed	O
onto	O
a	O
music	O
outsourcing	O
agency	O
for	O
television	O
and	O
movie	O
productions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
for	O
Linux	B-Application
operating	I-Application
systems	I-Application
was	O
first	O
released	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
Humble	O
Bundle	O
package	O
in	O
May	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
February	O
2013	O
,	O
Bithell	O
announced	O
that	O
Thomas	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
subsequently	O
available	O
in	O
April	O
2013	O
;	O
the	O
title	O
features	O
cross	O
buy	O
,	O
allowing	O
the	O
player	O
to	O
buy	O
the	O
title	O
once	O
for	O
both	O
platforms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additional	O
time-exclusive	O
content	O
with	O
new	O
levels	O
and	O
a	O
new	O
character	O
named	O
Benjamin	O
who	O
has	O
jetpack-like	O
abilities	O
were	O
included	O
with	O
this	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2012	O
,	O
Ahmad	O
was	O
looking	O
for	O
content	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
and	O
after	O
encountering	O
the	O
April	O
Fools	O
 '	O
trailer	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
he	O
reached	O
out	O
to	O
Bithell	O
,	O
considering	O
his	O
novel	O
use	O
of	O
marketing	O
to	O
be	O
of	O
interest	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bossa	O
would	O
continue	O
to	O
help	O
develop	O
a	O
port	O
of	O
Thomas	O
for	O
iOS	B-Application
devices	O
that	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
May	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bithell	O
was	O
not	O
sure	O
of	O
doing	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
at	O
first	O
,	O
but	O
realized	O
that	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
success	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	O
platforms	O
,	O
he	O
believed	O
"	O
it	O
was	O
connecting	O
with	O
people	O
who	O
would	O
n't	O
traditionally	O
pick	O
up	O
a	O
game	O
on	O
a	O
console	O
or	O
[	O
personal	O
computer ]	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
was	O
also	O
assured	O
that	O
the	O
iOS	B-Application
port	O
was	O
a	O
proper	O
move	O
after	O
making	O
sure	O
the	O
game	O
felt	O
right	O
on	O
the	O
touch-screen	O
device	O
and	O
did	O
not	O
feel	O
like	O
a	O
money	O
grab	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
port	O
to	O
Android	B-Application
devices	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
July	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
additional	O
content	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	O
release	O
was	O
made	O
available	O
for	O
free	O
for	O
owners	O
of	O
the	O
Windows	B-Application
,	O
Mac	B-Operating_System
OS	I-Operating_System
X	I-Operating_System
,	O
and	O
Linux	B-Application
versions	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
26	O
June	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
also	O
released	O
on	O
Xbox	B-Device
One	I-Device
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
in	O
November	O
2014	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
September	O
2016	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Bithell	O
and	O
distributor	O
Limited	O
Run	O
Games	O
would	O
release	O
a	O
physical	O
version	O
of	O
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
Vita	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
Nintendo	B-Application
Switch	I-Application
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
19	O
February	O
2021	O
,	O
with	O
a	O
free	O
demo	O
being	O
released	O
beforehand	O
on	O
29	O
January	O
2021	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
received	O
positive	O
reviews	O
from	O
critics	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
use	O
of	O
narration	O
to	O
give	O
otherwise	O
simplistic	O
shapes	O
personalities	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
careful	O
introduction	O
and	O
pacing	O
of	O
puzzles	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
smooth	O
learning	B-General_Concept
curve	I-General_Concept
over	O
the	O
otherwise	O
short	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Aggregating	O
review	O
website	O
Metacritic	O
calculated	O
an	O
average	O
scores	O
of	O
80	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
79	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
for	O
the	O
Wii	B-Device
U	I-Device
version	O
,	O
78	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
version	O
,	O
and	O
77	O
out	O
of	O
100	O
for	O
the	O
PC	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
storytelling	O
and	O
characters	O
were	O
praised	O
by	O
reviewers	O
specifically	O
,	O
with	O
IGN	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
endearingly	O
characterful	O
game	O
about	O
jumping	O
rectangles	O
that	O
you	O
will	O
ever	O
play	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
Destructoid	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
tells	O
a	O
story	O
that	O
's	O
more	O
complex	O
than	O
games	O
orders	O
of	O
magnitude	O
more	O
expensive	O
and	O
difficult	O
to	O
develop.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Entertainment	O
Weekly	O
called	O
the	O
score	O
"	O
beautiful	O
"	O
,	O
noting	O
how	O
blips	O
of	O
electronic	O
music	O
start	O
as	O
"	O
staccato	O
interruptions	O
"	O
in	O
an	O
otherwise	O
acoustic	O
score	O
,	O
but	O
slowly	O
grow	O
to	O
replace	O
those	O
instruments	O
,	O
representing	O
how	O
the	O
AI	B-Application
characters	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
are	O
trying	O
to	O
escape	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
April	O
2014	O
,	O
Bithell	O
states	O
that	O
Thomas	B-Application
Was	I-Application
Alone	I-Application
has	O
sold	O
more	O
than	O
1	O
million	O
copies	O
,	O
not	O
including	O
free	O
downloads	O
during	O
its	O
appearance	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	O
Plus	O
program	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bithell	O
considered	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
larger	O
success	O
than	O
he	O
had	O
anticipated	O
,	O
and	O
attributes	O
part	O
of	O
that	O
to	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
videos	I-General_Concept
from	O
players	O
that	O
helped	O
to	O
increase	O
exposure	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Bithell	O
notes	O
that	O
it	O
was	O
due	O
to	O
this	O
simplicity	O
that	O
he	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
learn	O
the	O
Unity	B-Application
engine	I-Application
and	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
expand	O
on	O
that	O
with	O
future	O
projects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Due	O
to	O
the	O
game	O
being	O
available	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
title	O
in	O
the	O
European	O
PlayStation	O
Plus	O
program	O
,	O
Bithell	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
has	O
gained	O
an	O
appreciable	O
audience	O
and	O
recognition	O
for	O
himself	O
,	O
giving	O
him	O
some	O
clout	O
as	O
he	O
develops	O
his	O
second	O
title	O
,	O
Volume	B-Application
.	O
</s>
