Thumper Reviews
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 a fantastic video game, an extravagant rhythm experience that's also a brutal assault on the senses. It's extremely difficult, painfully so at times, yet we feel the need to persevere, retrying tough stages over and over again. Even when that's done the drive for better ranks remains, simply because the game compels us to play on.The level of challenge, though, shouldn't be underestimated - even for strong players short sessions may become necessary in the latter third of the game, in particular. The only real flaw of Thumper, in actual fact, is that it offers so little respite and no 'easy' mode for players. Some may scoff at that, saying it's a game designed to be tough, but the downside is that without that optional concession the game will be inaccessible and impenetrable for some players.That's a pity, as for those up for the challenge it's a wonderful - albeit gruelling - gaming experience.
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 | Read full review
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
A glorious assault on the senses
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.
Not much has changed with Thumper in the jump from 2016 to 2017, but the little changes as well as accessibility options makes it so much more enjoyable. This is one of the must have titles if you care about music at all for the Switch.
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 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'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 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.
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.
If you like its aesthetics, its pounding beats, and a stiff challenge, there's really nothing holding me back from recommending it whole-heartedly.
No matter which version of Thumper you will play, you're definitely gonna love it. The first game from Drool offers the classic "easy to learn, difficult to master" gameplay, which feels even better on Nintendo Switch. On the new Nintendo console, the game offers the chance to move between the great TV mode and the awesome Handheld mode in a blink, while the HD Rumble on both Joy-Cons gives you a great sensation. A must-buy for every Switch owner.
Review in Italian | Read full review