| Attack of the Fanboy |
Lewis White |
4.5 / 5 stars |
08-21-2017 |
Thumper is the most hellish and intense rhythm-action game you or I will ever play. While it’s Xbox One port may lack some features available on other platforms—such as VR and portability—Thumper is still a fantastic and frightening game that’s drenched in atmosphere and polished to the absolute max. |
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| CGMagazine |
Jed Whitaker |
8.5 / 10 |
10-14-2016 |
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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| Cubed3 |
Shane Jury |
8 / 10 |
08-11-2017 |
More than living up to the “rhythm violence” tagline, Thumper leaves a lasting impression. Presenting a distinctive and adaptive score, together with an insane visual style and a difficulty level that rarely shows mercy, Thumper is a very effective showcase for the hardware abilities of the Switch, and a highly engaging experience on its own merits. |
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| Destructoid |
Jordan Devore |
8 / 10 |
10-09-2016 |
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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| Digital Chumps |
Eric Layman |
8.8 / 10 |
10-16-2016 |
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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| Digitally Downloaded |
Matthew C. |
4 / 5 stars |
10-27-2016 |
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. |
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| Eurogamer |
Christian Donlan |
Recommended |
10-21-2016 |
Great art and a distinct approach to rhythm action makes this a brilliantly horrible twitch experience. |
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| FNintendo |
Manuel Piçarra |
7 / 10 |
06-27-2017 |
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. |
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| Game Informer |
Jeff Cork |
5.8 / 10 |
10-05-2016 |
Steer a metallic beetle down a fast-moving track, avoiding obstacles and collecting doodads along the way |
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| Game Revolution |
Aron Garst |
4 / 5 stars |
05-18-2017 |
Everything that originally made Thumper a fantastic game is still here to be found in the Switch version. It’s incredibly fun and this time around can be played for both short bursts and long car rides. It’s a fantastic addition to the Switch’s growing library. |
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| GameMAG |
ACE |
8 / 10 |
06-28-2017 |
Thumper is a really hard game that stands out compared to other musical projects with unexpected concept and choice of setting. Beautiful and unusual visual design together with extraordinary music draws into the grim world. |
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| Gamerheadquarters |
Jason Stettner |
9 / 10 |
10-10-2016 |
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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| GameSpew |
Matt Eakins |
8 / 10 |
10-27-2016 |
Blisteringly fast and relentlessly unforgiving, Thumper will keep you engaged for hours. |
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| GameSpot |
Peter Brown |
9 / 10 |
10-05-2016 |
Thumper’s unrelenting speed and menacing percussion are overwhelming, seeping into your subconscious in the best way possible. |
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| Gaming Nexus |
Matt Mirkovich |
9 / 10 |
10-18-2016 |
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. |
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| GamingTrend |
Elisha Deogracias |
90 / 100 |
05-31-2017 |
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. |
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| Geeks Under Grace |
LJ Lowery |
9 / 10 |
06-27-2017 |
Thumper is one of the more artistic video games I have ever played, it puts a spin on a genre in such a way that no one else has. It may be challenging, but it begs to be conquered. One of the best video games you can buy on your Switch at the moment, especially with a great pair of headphones. |
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| God is a Geek |
Chris White |
9 / 10 |
10-10-2016 |
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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| Hardcore Gamer |
James Cunningham |
4.5 / 5 stars |
05-18-2017 |
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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| IGN |
Chloi Rad |
9 / 10 |
10-10-2016 |
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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| IGN Italy |
Marco Mottura |
9.2 / 10 |
10-18-2016 |
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. |
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| IGN Spain |
David Soriano |
8.3 / 10 |
10-11-2016 |
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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| Kill Screen |
Dan Solberg |
81 / 100 |
10-13-2016 |
Thumper is a remarkably physical experience despite the fact that you control it with such modest thumb gestures. |
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| Marooners’ Rock |
Douglas Spears |
9.6 / 10 |
11-09-2016 |
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. |
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| Metro GameCentral |
GameCentral |
9 / 10 |
10-13-2016 |
The best new rhythm action game for years, with a perfect blend of gameplay, music, and a frighteningly oppressive atmosphere. |
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| New Game Network |
Alex Varankou |
74 / 100 |
10-30-2016 |
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. |
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| Nintendo Life |
Thomas Whitehead |
9 / 10 |
05-18-2017 |
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| NintendoWorldReport |
Justin Nation |
8.5 / 10 |
05-18-2017 |
If you like its aesthetics, its pounding beats, and a stiff challenge, there’s really nothing holding me back from recommending it whole-heartedly. |
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| Paste Magazine |
Garrett Martin |
10 / 10 |
10-10-2016 |
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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| PC Gamer |
Keza MacDonald |
82 / 100 |
10-13-2016 |
A total assault on your ears, eyes and reflexes. Thumper will beat you up, but you’ll enjoy it. |
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| PlayStation LifeStyle |
Michael Briers |
8.5 / 10 |
10-17-2016 |
Simply put, Thumper is electrifying, and very, very close to being the perfect harmony of inspired visuals and fist-pumping audio. Its 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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| Push Square |
Graham Banas |
9 / 10 |
10-15-2016 |
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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| Rock, Paper, Shotgun |
Alec Meer |
Recommended |
10-11-2016 |
THUMPER is the videogame you should play today. |
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| SelectButton |
Kevin Mitchell |
9 / 10 |
10-25-2016 |
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. |
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| TechRaptor |
Samuel Guglielmo |
5 / 10 |
11-01-2016 |
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. |
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| TheSixthAxis |
Dominic Leighton |
9 / 10 |
10-24-2016 |
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. |
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| TheXboxHub |
Gareth Brierley |
4.5 / 5 stars |
08-26-2017 |
To conclude, I have loved my time with Thumper and will carry on loving this mad, mental, skill based music mayhem of a game. There are moments when you might feel it all gets too much and too similar, but take a break before going back and you’ve fall in love with it once again. |
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| ThisGenGaming |
Justin Oneil |
9.5 / 10 |
10-21-2016 |
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. |
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| VGN |
Filippo Scaboro |
8 / 10 |
05-18-2017 |
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. |
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