Thumper Reviews
Blisteringly fast and relentlessly unforgiving, Thumper will keep you engaged for hours.
A glorious assault on the senses
Pac-Man, Dark Souls, the best Metroids and Marios and Zeldas—the true classics, the cornerstones of the medium that have made an indelible impact on how we play and think about games. Thumper is right up there alongside them. It is an essentially perfect realization of its own unique goals and concerns, and a game we’ll be playing and celebrating for decades, even if it leaves us afraid and confused.
Breakneck speeds, industrial music, and a shiny metallic beetle in a cybernetic reality come together to make one of the most original and difficult rhythm games in years.
Thumper wraps a trip through spectral hell, the sensation of travelling down an interminable barrel of a gun, and a pounding rhythm game into an articulate package. It condenses to a sensory rampage that feels as concerned with survival as it is as consumed by perfection. Hitting notes on highway isn't a new concept, but performing it under the threat of phantasmal horror, and somehow empowering progress, positions Thumper as a modern apex.
Thumper is a thriving rhythm game that includes an incredible VR mode. That's not to say the game isn't worth it if you have no interest in virtual reality, but indie developer Drool takes the game to new heights when you find yourself enveloped in the game's 3D space. Even being mediocre when it goes to playing on the leaderboards, I keep going back to Thumper every night for just one more run.
Thumper looks great and has some interesting ideas, but it's bogged down by strange decisions, obstacles that blend in with the environment, and a soundtrack that doesn't have much to do with the on-screen action.
Thumper is a right hook out of nowhere. It’s the right combination of speed, bizarre visuals, music, and difficulty that makes you want to replay it after the credits roll. The single button and stick controls also makes it eminently accessible to everyone, but difficult to master. Come for the bizarre visuals, stay for the even more bizarre bosses.
Thumper is a terrifyingly difficult game, but don't let that deter you from experiencing its rhythm violence firsthand. The Switch port takes advantage of the system's features quite well, and its speedy performance and killer sound design will rock your world.
Thumper is a fun and intuitive game based on rhythm that will demand close attention to the sound effects if the players are to make advances in the game's levels. Overall, Thumper needs its players to time their moves just right in order to fulfill with what it expects and those who won't appreciate its audiovisual and gameplay components will not be seduced by this game.
Review in Portuguese |
It's a great game overall. It doesn't pull any punches, and is relentless in its 'rhythm violence' and that makes it one of the most satisfying games out there. Now to try and S rank these songs.
Thumper makes an incredible case for the future of virtual reality. With an incredible level of quality paired with a reasonable price of admission, this should absolutely be one of the first titles that anyone interested in making the most out of their new PlayStation VR headset buys. With blistering speed and intensity to go along some easy to learn, difficult to master gameplay mechanics, the future of rhythm games – and, by extension, virtual reality – is bright.
Thumper is one of my favorite games this year, simple yet challenging, visually stimulating, and excellent sound use. Easy to play, hard to master is the familiar phrase that comes to mind. VR only adds to the experience, but even without that added element, the game shines
Thumper is a really hard game that stands out compared to other musical projects with unexpected concept and choice of setting. Beautiful and unusual visual design together with extraordinary music draws into the grim world.
Review in Russian |
On the outside, Thumper looks bizarre with its strange design and nightmarish visuals. But don't let that fool you, Thumper has it where it counts.
Simply put, Thumper is electrifying, and very, very close to being the perfect harmony of inspired visuals and fist-pumping audio. It’s ability to dazzle and awe with its wondrous visuals is matched only by its ability to hook you in for a relentless, downright intoxicating ride. Once you’re strapped in and speeding down that serpentine track, the biggest obstacle you’ll face isn’t the literal hurdles lying in wait — it’s putting down the controller.
Thumper is the most hellish and intense rhythm-action game you or I will ever play. While it's Xbox One port may lack some features available on other platforms—such as VR and portability—Thumper is still a fantastic and frightening game that's drenched in atmosphere and polished to the absolute max.
The best new rhythm action game for years, with a perfect blend of gameplay, music, and a frighteningly oppressive atmosphere.
I'd still recommend Thumper, though. Readily. But I would also advise not to get too wrapped up in fully finishing it. This road is long and winding and brutal. It might just drive you mad.
If you’re a fan of rhythm action games, Thumper is amongst the most intense, pure, and singular experiences within the genre, and its release for the PSVR should make it utterly essential for anyone that owns Sony’s headset.