Game review: with its rhythmic play and psychedelic look, Thumper could become a VR classic
The indie game, seven years in development, stands out among recent VR releases – let’s hope it doesn’t end up as a cult favourite that arrived too soon
Thumper
Drool
4/5 stars
Here they come: VR games, or virtual reality for all you old-fashioned types.
The first wave was never going to be earth shattering – this happens every time new technology rears its head – and there has been a flood of VR games released in recent weeks seeking to cash in on the trend ahead of the Christmas sales boom. And going by the majority of reviews, it seems it’s best to wait until they get better.
But there’s usually an outlier in these situations – a rogue game that slips through the cracks and ends up being lost in time as a gone-too-soon cult favourite. Whether that’ll be PlayStation 4 VR title Thumper is anyone’s guess, but the tiny indie release, seven years in development, has all the makings of a classic. There’s the overall psychedelic vibe, a hallucinogenic trip into a Tron-like world in which the player hurtles down a sleek, otherworldly highway. There’s the rhythm-action premise, a genre that appeals to hardcore and casual gamers alike, and one that’s sadly been mostly forgotten in this gaming era dominated by open worlds and role playing.