Thumper Reviews

Thumper is ranked in the 93rd percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
5.8 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2016

Steer a metallic beetle down a fast-moving track, avoiding obstacles and collecting doodads along the way

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GameSpot
Top Critic
9 / 10
Oct 5, 2016

Thumper's unrelenting speed and menacing percussion are overwhelming, seeping into your subconscious in the best way possible.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 5, 2016

Thumper's difficulty continues to put a knife up to me and my 'X' button. The game thrives in it's mesmerizing atmosphere, soundtrack and difficulty, which is really all you need.

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8 / 10.0
Oct 9, 2016

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.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2016

You’ll spend ages playing through the different levels and adore every single step. The music is great, the visuals are better and everything comes together perfectly.

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IGN
Top Critic
9 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2016

Thumper’s brutal, breakneck speed and precision-based musical action kept me entranced for all nine of its bizarre, nightmarish stages, which contained enough nuanced high score-chasing tricks to demand several replays already. To really master Thumper’s many layers of rhythm-based mechanisms would take much more time than the 10 or so hours it takes to complete the first time – and that’s a challenge that I eagerly accept.

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10 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2016

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.

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9 / 10.0
Oct 10, 2016

Thumper is an absolute blast providing a nightmarish world filled with a desire for speed and brutal music based obstacles to maneuver through.

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4.5 / 5.0
Oct 11, 2016

By the end of Thumper, the speed is insane, the music wild and oppressive, and the feeling of just barely holding on to a beast that wants to send you flying so it can gnaw your bones is disturbingly strong.

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Unscored
Oct 11, 2016

THUMPER is the videogame you should play today.

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9.1 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2016

Thumper packs a punch, taking you on an audiovisual trip and demanding absolute focus. It's a fun, adrenaline pumping journey, though its extremely high difficulty isn't for everyone. If you don't mind failing repeatedly, you'll find an exciting and satisfying rhythm racer in Thumper.

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8.3 / 10.0
Oct 11, 2016

A nice surprise for those who have or have not PS VR. A game as easy to play as deep and extremely addictive.

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
9 / 10
Oct 13, 2016

The best new rhythm action game for years, with a perfect blend of gameplay, music, and a frighteningly oppressive atmosphere.

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81 / 100
Oct 13, 2016

Thumper is a remarkably physical experience despite the fact that you control it with such modest thumb gestures.

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82 / 100
Oct 13, 2016

A total assault on your ears, eyes and reflexes. Thumper will beat you up, but you’ll enjoy it.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 14, 2016

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.

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9 / 10
Oct 15, 2016

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.

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8.8 / 10.0
Oct 16, 2016

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.

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Oct 17, 2016

'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.

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8.5 / 10.0
Oct 17, 2016

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.

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