THRASHER

Mixed feelings. I'd give it a 6/10. I like it, but the lack of visual clarity is a bit frustrating (playing with mouse). It's also a shame that the leaderboards do not work, even though this game has just been released.. this is one of the reasons to play for me. Still worth the friendly asking price though.

GOTY 2025 (with mouse tho)

This game is visually stunning and surprisingly difficult. The fun kind of difficult that you actually want to go back into, and not put down, never to be played again.

great spiritual successor to THUMPER! music is great, mechanics rule, visuals kick ass

An incredible and unique title from one of the creators of my favorite games, VR once again adds a level that is so insanely fun in comparison to as mouse or a controller. Phenomenal.

Congrats for turning the crappy 3D printed dragon you can get at every third comic convention booth into a video game character.

Thrasher, developed by Puddle and published by Creature Label, is an unapologetically abstract arcade experience that prioritizes sensation, rhythm, and movement over conventional storytelling or structure. Rather than guiding players through a clearly defined narrative, it throws them into a surreal, constantly shifting space where the primary goal is to maintain momentum and control while navigating waves of obstacles and targets. You take command of a serpentine entity that glides through these environments, and from the very first moments, the game makes it clear that success depends less on traditional reflexes and more on your ability to synchronize with its flow. What makes Thrasher immediately compelling is how fluid and intuitive its core movement feels. The controls are designed to encourage continuous motion, pushing players to think in terms of arcs and trajectories rather than isolated inputs. As you progress, the game introduces layers of complexity—patterns become denser, hazards more unpredictable, and timing more critical. Despite this escalation, the underlying mechanics remain consistent, which creates a satisfying sense of mastery when everything begins to click. There are moments where the game enters a near-meditative state, where your actions feel instinctive and perfectly aligned with the rhythm of the level. The audiovisual presentation is where Thrasher truly distinguishes itself. The environments are drenched in vivid, almost psychedelic visuals, filled with shifting geometric forms and strange, organic shapes that seem to pulse in time with the action. These visuals are not just decorative; they actively influence how you perceive space and movement, sometimes enhancing immersion and at other times challenging your ability to stay oriented. Paired with this is a dynamic soundtrack that plays a central role in shaping the experience. The music doesn’t simply accompany the gameplay—it drives it, reinforcing the tempo and intensity of each sequence and making the entire experience feel cohesive and immersive. At its best, the game creates a powerful sense of immersion where visuals, sound, and mechanics blend seamlessly. However, this same intensity can occasionally work against it. As the screen fills with more elements and the pace accelerates, it can become difficult to parse what is happening, especially during more chaotic sections. This can lead to moments where failure feels less like a result of player error and more like being overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stimuli. The difficulty curve, while generally rewarding, has spikes that may frustrate players who are not fully attuned to the game’s demands. The structure of Thrasher is relatively straightforward, built around a sequence of levels that gradually increase in complexity, punctuated by larger, more distinctive encounters that act as highlights. These moments add variety and give the game a sense of progression, even in the absence of a traditional narrative. Still, because the core mechanics remain largely unchanged, the experience can begin to feel repetitive over longer sessions. The enjoyment largely depends on how much you appreciate refining your performance within the same framework rather than seeking entirely new gameplay systems. From a technical standpoint, the game generally maintains a smooth performance, which is essential given how much it relies on uninterrupted flow. However, occasional hiccups or minor inconsistencies can disrupt the rhythm, and when they occur, they are more noticeable than they might be in slower-paced games. Since Thrasher is built around maintaining momentum, even small interruptions can momentarily break immersion. Ultimately, Thrasher is a game that embraces its identity as a sensory-driven experience rather than a traditional one. It offers something distinctive, focusing on the interplay between motion, sound, and visual design to create moments that feel both chaotic and controlled. While it may not appeal to players looking for narrative depth or mechanical variety, it excels at delivering a focused and memorable experience that rewards patience and adaptation. In the end, Thrasher stands out as a bold and artistic take on the arcade genre, one that values immersion and experimentation over accessibility. Its occasional frustrations and limited variety prevent it from reaching absolute excellence, but its unique approach and strong execution make it a compelling title for those willing to engage with its style. Rating: 8/10

Thumper is one of my favorite games of all time, so I was really looking forward to whatever its developers would work on next. Over 8 years later, that turned out to be Thrasher, a new game developed by Brian Gibson (artist, composer, and co-designer of Thumper) and Mike Mandel. It originally launched as a VR exclusive, but is now available on Steam to play in VR or 2D. I was invited to playtest the game before its launch, so I received a copy for free. The first thing to know about Thrasher is that, while its psychedelic visuals and minimalistic graphic design and control scheme are clearly evocative of Thumper, Thrasher is not a rhythm game. In fact, it's unlike almost any other game I've played before. In that way, it's actually a lot like Thumper, even down to the playable character being a metallic insect creature - this time a space eel instead of a space beetle. The goal of the game is relatively simple: destroy objects in each stage as fast as possible while avoiding obstacles and utilizing a variety of power ups. The only game I could compare it to would be Fruit Ninja as, gameplay-wise, it's essentially a very souped up version of that. The challenge of the game primarily comes from playing as efficiently as possible to get the best score in a level. Almost all of the levels were easy enough for me to complete without ever running out of time, but most of them were difficult to get a high score in. Like Thumper though, the last level introduces some strange twists to the gameplay formula that I'm not sure I agree with which made it difficult and somewhat frustrating to complete. There are also challenge modes that are significantly more punishing for hardcore players, but I didn't get very far into them. If repeating levels to get a high score is not your preferred playstyle, you won't get a whole lot of replay value out of it, unless custom levels ever come around (again like Thumper), but I think it's worth at least one playthrough. One huge point in Thrasher's favor is its music. While the dark, brooding rhythms of Thumper were very infectious, the music wasn't really conducive for casual listening, and could get pretty repetitive throughout the course of the game. The soundtrack of Thrasher is a lot more casually enjoyable, with a much stronger focus on melody and timbre rather than rhythm, due to the game itself not focusing on that aspect. Therefore, I would say that the music of Thrasher is even better than Thumper's. My favorite moment of the game came during Level 4 with the track [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU7xL8gmONw]Monolith[/url], which, when played in VR at least, gave me an incredible sensation of transcendent ascension, and alone made the entire experience worth it. As we've come to expect from Brian Gibson, the background visuals are gorgeous as well, and easily stand toe-to-toe with the psychedelic insanity of his previous game, and even surpassing it at many points in terms of variety. Due to the game originally being designed for VR, I found that it naturally played best in VR (I played on a Meta Quest 2). The 2D mode is a serviceable adaptation, but if you are not someone who has played Thumper, I would only recommend checking this game out if you have a VR headset and are interested in the unique experience it offers. If you are a fan of Thumper, I would wholeheartedly recommend this game either in 2D or VR, as it's a great spiritual successor to that game which, while nothing like what I expected after Thumper, was still very enjoyable, with so many unique ideas of its own. TL;DR: If you are a fan of Thumper, buy it. If you aren't, buy it if you have a VR headset, but also try Thumper because it's incredible.

As others have said, this game was such a vibe change compared to THUMPER. Had I known this would be an OSU-like, I wouldn't have gotten it in the first place.

this game got me sweating cuz i also reached level 7