Thumper Reviews
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 great game that is unique and difficult. Of course it is a specialty game, since rhythm isn’t a lot of people’s “thing,” but for what it is, it does it well. It is a game of pure rhythm that made me bob my head and try, try again.
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 well designed game that's more focused on challenging the players than providing a musical experience. If you're wanting to test your pure reaction times, look no further.
Blisteringly fast and relentlessly unforgiving, Thumper will keep you engaged for hours.
Thumper is a very good rhythm game, if obscenely difficult, and that should make it appeal to any fans of the genre. But it’s a lot more than that, too; it’s an experience unlike any other, one that pushes the bounds of pure audiovisual immersion even with its standard 2D display – to say nothing of its VR capabilities – and that makes it something that I think everyone should at least try.
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.
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.
Great art and a distinct approach to rhythm action makes this a brilliantly horrible twitch experience.
Out of the entire PlayStation VR launch lineup I’d have to say Thumper is one of the must plays. It’s certainly one of the best music rhythm games I’ve played in years and the best “rhythm violence” game. Playing in PlayStation VR is the best way to experience this game as the sense of speed and being in that visual showcase surrounded by thumping audio is made all the better by it. The fact that it offers plenty of challenge to incentivize return runs is one of the best parts about it and I know I’ll be playing it to improve my scores for quite some time.
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 far more than a simple, stunning rhythm game: it's an astonishing vertigo at crazy speed that messes up with your brain in a kaleidoscope of psychedelic colors and industrial tunes, an unforgettable trip into a sinister and mesmerizing dimension that thanks to PlayStation VR becomes real. Simply put, an instant classic.
Review in Italian | Read full review
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.
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's unique brand of "rhythm violence" should be experienced by every fan of rhythm games. It's an audiovisual delight that has been paired with challenging gameplay, and it creates such a captivating experience. While I definitely think it's a better game when played on PlayStation VR, regular PS4 owners will still find a stellar game here. Just one that is slightly more difficult and not quite as engrossing.
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 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.
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.
A total assault on your ears, eyes and reflexes. Thumper will beat you up, but you’ll enjoy it.
Thumper is a remarkably physical experience despite the fact that you control it with such modest thumb gestures.