Thumper Review

 

Heart Pounding Harmonies-A Thumper Review

Thumper was a game that left me pleasantly surprised from a game design standpoint. The simple, visceral, and moody atmosphere of this fast paced rhythm game perpetually kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly wanting more. 

Structural Perfection

Thumper’s main campaign has around 9 worlds, funnily enough called levels, each with around 20-30 individual levels each. I bring this fairly standard structure for video game campaigns up because of how fluid Thumper handles level to level transitions. A hard level will leave you exhausted, but, just when you think there will be a break, Thumper loads you straight into another level without any loading interruptions or hub world interaction. Each world comes to a satisfying conclusion with bosses that look like creatures descended from heavy metal albums, with every finale to a world feeling unique. As you slide, tap, drift, and fly to any set beat within Thumper, you’ll be entranced by its particle effects and sound design. 


It was this design choice that had me quite literally glued to my screen playing for ungodly amounts of time each time I boot it up. For a game that is around 5-10 hours, feeling so comfortable that I finished it within 2-3 sessions is a triumph of game design. 

The most important thing I gained from playing this game was an appreciation for Drool’s PERFECT difficulty curve. In watching back some of the recordings for this game, I was surprised I had the dexterity to finish some of these levels later on, but then I realized that Thumper was so well constructed that the progression from level to level was just right. Many, and I mean many, historically difficult games struggle with balancing difficulty and fairness, but Thumper was so eager to teach you everything you need to know that it never got frustrating. Honestly, the only thing comparable to this kind of structure is the carefully laid out level hazards of giants like Mario. Not very often do you get the opportunity to compare the work of a small indie game studio to that of an industry giant. Thumper truly is something special. 

I’d say the only thing I didn’t enjoy was how the visuals tend to remain similar throughout the entire experience. Don’t get me wrong, Thumper will mix things up from time to time, but as an experience the steel and metal aesthetic will wear its course. A small nitpick, but in watching back footage I noticed just how “same-y” some places can feel.

Verdict

Thumper is an excellent example of how to ease a player into a challenging game without overwhelming them with mechanics and things they couldn’t see coming. It is genuinely heartwarming to see such excellence in video game form. 

9.5/10-Heavy Metal Heaven


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