Thumper

 PlayStation 4
Metascore
84

Generally favorable reviews - based on 40 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 40
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 40
  3. Negative: 0 out of 40
  1. CD-Action
    Jan 12, 2017
    70
    Thumper’s oppressive atmosphere is amazing. Soundtrack, abstract visuals, breathtaking speed and palpable collisions build tension you would never expect from a runner/rhythm game. It’s a very interesting experience, but every time I removed PS VR after playing Thumper, I was completely worn-out by this intense, perpetual assault on my senses. [13/2016, p.77]
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  2. GameCritics
    Nov 5, 2016
    70
    Thumper isn’t going to revolutionize rhythm games, nor is it the best example of VR out there, but it’s still worth taking a look at — just be sure to listen to your body as you play. If you feel fatigued, battered down, or depressed, then take the headset off and get some air. The overall experience will be better for it. Trust me.
  3. PlayStation Country
    Oct 25, 2016
    70
    Thumper has some great rhythm action to offer but the start setting and oppressive tone often makes it feel like what Rez might have been like if the Germans had won World War 2.
  5. Game Informer
    Oct 5, 2016
    58
    I enjoy challenging games when there’s a rewarding payoff. With Thumper, the reward of doing well is just more Thumper. If you’re really into the game’s bleak conceit, you may have the patience to hang with it for the duration. Personally, I was ready to leap out of the trough and never look back.

Awards & Rankings

33
#33 Best PS4 Game of 2016

User Reviews

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User Score
7.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 127 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 87 out of 127
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 127
  3. Negative: 23 out of 127
  1. 9DAN
    Oct 10, 2016
    10
    game is great, but really really hard and disorienting. instead of focusing on making a rhythm game with difficult execution, the devs didgame is great, but really really hard and disorienting. instead of focusing on making a rhythm game with difficult execution, the devs did everything possible to confuse and distract the player from being able to read the rather simple patterns, and to great effect. the note lane bends, contorts, flips, spirals, multiplies and dissolves while the pace rapidly climbs through the course until you encounter a boss. at that point, not only does the lane absolutely lose it as the central vanishing point is obliterated, but you are trapped in an infinite "do or die" 16-bar(ish) loop that requires building combos to power up shots you use to deal damage and clear the lane for the next pattern. do this several times, and you get dropped into the next section, and then fight a final boss after that.

    all in all, a single level can take somewhere around 20 minutes to over an hour (for me at least) depending on how much you fail. checkpoints are very generous, so you are rarely forced to replay much more than 20-30 seconds of a stage per failure. there are 9 levels so it is a good deal for the $20 imo especially since the replay value is high. not something i would play for an extended amount of time though, that's for sure. this one needs breaks.    … Full Review »
  2. joshp177
    Apr 24, 2017
    10
    I thoroughly enjoyed this game. The whole game is played in single player, and I was able to get 20+ hours of single player which is hard toI thoroughly enjoyed this game. The whole game is played in single player, and I was able to get 20+ hours of single player which is hard to find for most PSVR games at the moment. There was no motion sickness after the first play through for me. I think this is do to constantly focusing in front of you and what is ahead. This games difficulty ramps up, and the person playing needs to have fast reflexes. This game actually makes my adrenaline pump, and I enter a state pure focus for an hour at a time. I like to call this the "thumper zone", and I start playing worse right after leaving the zone.… Full Review »
  3. 8bitmissingno
    Mar 31, 2017
    10
    An unparalleled rhythm experience. Its combination of simple and intuitive controls, excellent visual and auditory feedback, and compellingAn unparalleled rhythm experience. Its combination of simple and intuitive controls, excellent visual and auditory feedback, and compelling depth in movement mechanics and player strategies break new ground in the rhythm game genre. It is a difficult game to master on its own, a general understanding of rhythm is often what is needed to finish later levels (of which there are 9). Though this seems daunting, levels are broken up in such a way that practicing and improving is as simple as playing them over and over. Though many rhythm games function like this, Thumper is different in that it asks you to memorize short rhythm sequences that are then later arranged into more complex patterns as opposed to entire songs. This makes the process of learning each level very streamlined and enjoyable because you begin to develop a feel for a set of rhythms and don't have to hold entire songs in memory. In VR, the game's visuals are incredible: an abstract, nightmarish glide through an infinite hell scape. They are so good that they often become a problem because you're not focusing on the track. Though it will likely be difficult and frustrating for those not accustomed to grind intensive, challenging game play, Thumper is a quintessential rhythm game for anyone interested in the genre, or in having an amazing VR experience.… Full Review »
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