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THUMPER |OT| THE BEETLE'S ROCK BAND - HIGHWAY TO HELL!
- Thread starter Wozman23
- Start date
wapplew
Member
Thanks for the tip, very helpful. Is there a option to use Dpad instead?
Diprosalic
Banned
i cleared Level 1-3 with no problem.
i hope 4 will turn it up a bit!
i hope 4 will turn it up a bit!
EvilKatarn
Member
Both the left analog and d-pad are enabled at all times.
Muskieratboi
Member
Scoring Tip/ Super Advanced Technique: Jump Chaining!
Are you in the air, but there's a required Jump on the next pad? do you want to Rack up those kills for High Scores? Just hit up+A on a Pad you would normally smash down on, and you'll hit the pad and go right back into the air!
You can also Extend your flight time by hitting perfect turns in flight!
Good luck, and keep climbing those leaderboards!
EDIT: Perfect Turn Jump extension does not work on Long Turns.
Are you in the air, but there's a required Jump on the next pad? do you want to Rack up those kills for High Scores? Just hit up+A on a Pad you would normally smash down on, and you'll hit the pad and go right back into the air!
You can also Extend your flight time by hitting perfect turns in flight!
Good luck, and keep climbing those leaderboards!
EDIT: Perfect Turn Jump extension does not work on Long Turns.
More people playing on Steam I guess, there were 50 people in level 9 leaderboards when I beat it last night. I'm sure now that PSVR is out more people will gravitate towards it on PS4.
Oh man, this makes things so much easier in retrospect. I could've sworn I tried this and it didn't work. Thanks for the tip.
Another tip is that when you get a shot off on a boss, just spam the A or X button while its going towards and hitting them to get a health note, you don't have to time it.
I JUST GOT TO PLAY A FEW LEVELS OF THUMPER ON THE PLAYSTATION VR, AND DAMN, IT IS EVEN BETTER!
I'D BEEN PLAYING ON A 32 INCH, 720P SCREEN, SITTING ABOUT 8 FEET AWAY! LEVEL 4 WAS GIVING ME A TON OF TROUBLE! I GOT STUCK ON AN INTERMEDIATE BOSS ONE NIGHT, THEN STUMBLED MY WAY UP TO 4-Ω, ONLY TO GET MY ASS HANDED TO ME AND GIVE UP AGAIN!
BUT PLAYING IN VR WAS SO MUCH EASIER! I LOADED UP MY SAVE AND WANTED TO SHOW A BUDDY THE STUFF FROM THE START OF LEVEL 4 AND HOW THE GAME EVOLVED! I ENDED UP BEATING LEVEL 4, THEN 5, ONLY DYING TWICE! I WAS IN THE ZONE! IF FELT EFFORTLESS!
WHILE THE RESOLUTION IS QUESTIONABLE ON A LOT OF THE OTHER VR TITLES, THUMPER LOOKS JUST AS CRISP AS IT DOES IN 2D! THE FIELD OF VIEW SEEMS MUCH BETTER AS WELL! WITH THE GREATER SENSE OF DEPTH, I COULD MORE EASILY DISTINGUISH OBSTACLES, ESPECIALLY THE TURNS, WHICH IS WHERE I WAS HAVING THE MOST DIFFICULTY!
I FEAR RETURNING TO MY PALTRY TV WILL NOW FEEL INFERIOR!
THUMPER IS MY NEW DRUG!
I'D BEEN PLAYING ON A 32 INCH, 720P SCREEN, SITTING ABOUT 8 FEET AWAY! LEVEL 4 WAS GIVING ME A TON OF TROUBLE! I GOT STUCK ON AN INTERMEDIATE BOSS ONE NIGHT, THEN STUMBLED MY WAY UP TO 4-Ω, ONLY TO GET MY ASS HANDED TO ME AND GIVE UP AGAIN!
BUT PLAYING IN VR WAS SO MUCH EASIER! I LOADED UP MY SAVE AND WANTED TO SHOW A BUDDY THE STUFF FROM THE START OF LEVEL 4 AND HOW THE GAME EVOLVED! I ENDED UP BEATING LEVEL 4, THEN 5, ONLY DYING TWICE! I WAS IN THE ZONE! IF FELT EFFORTLESS!
WHILE THE RESOLUTION IS QUESTIONABLE ON A LOT OF THE OTHER VR TITLES, THUMPER LOOKS JUST AS CRISP AS IT DOES IN 2D! THE FIELD OF VIEW SEEMS MUCH BETTER AS WELL! WITH THE GREATER SENSE OF DEPTH, I COULD MORE EASILY DISTINGUISH OBSTACLES, ESPECIALLY THE TURNS, WHICH IS WHERE I WAS HAVING THE MOST DIFFICULTY!
I FEAR RETURNING TO MY PALTRY TV WILL NOW FEEL INFERIOR!
THUMPER IS MY NEW DRUG!
haha nobody can read what you're saying when it's all red and big like that.
On another note, i might have a criticism. This game is a rhythm game. When you're in the rhythm, you're supposed to do well. But some boss fights seem to place green points outside of a rhythm. I can't seem to time them right, because it sort of goes against flow. This is at first glance, anyway. I might be wrong.
Game is hard as balls. But when you're in that perfect flow, man is it awesome.
butzopower
proud of his butz
Damn, I like Brian Gibson a lot and this game looks fucking incredible.
I HOPE YOU ARE ALL READING THIS LIKE I'M YELLING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS, WITH VEINS POPPING OUT OF MY FOREHEAD AND NECK, AND SWEAT POURING DOWN MY FACE!
THE 'NOTES' ALL FIT WITHIN THE RHYTHM! SOME OF THE DOUBLE HITS FOOLED ME FOR A WHILE, AND THERE IS SOME OFFBEAT, SYNCOPATED STUFF, BUT IT ALL DEFINITELY FLOWS TO A BEAT!
I'm up to level 6 now and the game is really kicking my ass. I can only imagine how much harder it gets from here. Although I'm having fun, I think it would be a lot more enjoyable if instead of dying, the game simply penalised your score. It'd certainly make S-ranking levels more impressive, and not having to restart sequences over and again would make the game far more immersive and accessible. That being said I'm still really liking this game and it's super satisfying to go back to earlier levels and see how much you've improved.
I read a comment on Giant Bomb that the level number (1-1, 1-2 etc.) correspond to the time signature. Is that true?
I read a comment on Giant Bomb that the level number (1-1, 1-2 etc.) correspond to the time signature. Is that true?
More_Badass
Member
Some longer impressions I wrote for somewhere else
Would it be hyperbole to say that Thumper is the most intense, most satisfying, and most draining test of reflexes since Super Hexagon? Much like Terry Cavanagh's infamously challenging arcade game, Thumper is equal parts simplicity and excess, easy-to-understand but challenging-to-master gameplay within a sensory overload of movement, color, and sound. If Super Hexagon was hypnotic in its shifting twisting geometric minimalism, then Thumper is 2001's mesmerizing mind@!%$ given metal life.
From the first section of its nine levels to its last hellish stage, Thumper hurls you into a kaleidoscopic tempest, your chrome beetle racing along twisting tracks and claustrophobic tunnels as eldritch beings of light and metal twist and unfurl within the void. It's a visual gut punch of an experience, that I can only imagine is enhanced to eye-bleeding levels in VR. But even with headphones and a regular screen, Thumper's intensity is peerless.
Imagine those classic inputs of a Guitar Hero or Rock Band - tap and hold to the beat at the right time - and you can grasp Thumper. Strip away the speed and visual chaos, and Thumper is as easy to understand as those games. Thump down on markers, turn and grind against the turns, hover over spikes and through rings. Even as more elements and nuances are introduced, the game remains a mechanically lean test of focus and reflex.
Success in Thumper is draining, exhausting, exhilarating. Like some cyberpunk birdcall, you answer the music's beat with every shockwave of your thumps and spraying sparks of grinds, until you're conditioned to react to each signal and tone with practiced skill. Success requires you to act on the fine line between focus and near-clairvoyant intuition, that zone and flow that the best in the genre let you enter.
Success in Thumper is tactile and physical in ways that few games can tout. You feel every thump, every slam into a turn, every missed beat. Your fingers hurt, you feel your heart thumping in your chest, your vision is locked on the road ahead, you twist and duck in sync with the serpentine track. Thumper is a chemical reaction in game form; every action has a reaction, that flares and explodes and flashes and shatters in response.
I've never been able to get into the music/rhythm genre. Even my favorite - Crypt of the Necrodancer - is enjoyed more for its clever roguelike design than its music game elements. But that's only a testament to Thumper's masterful design and audiovisual hellscape. It's one of those special games that can cross genre lines and even appeal to those who wouldn't normally be interested. Moving to the rhythm has never been this relentless and satisfying.
That was one of the biggest roadblocks in the game for me.
You can't miss a single beat, so keep that in mind. I'm guessing you got trouble with the 3 beats, 2 beats sequence. Just mash the buttons after the first pad in each half.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Dear lord, I just spent about an hour on the level 6 boss D:
Yeah not being able to immediately restart from the previous checkpoint after seeing what score you got for that section almost kills any desire I have to go back and S-rank stuff. It's especially annoying because you can still miss a note or get hit and still possibly get S, but you can't chance it and wait till the end of the segment to find out. I did that in a segment in the middle of S'ing level 4, ended up with an A, and just stopped playing.
That's a bit of a bummer oversight or design decision so hopefully it's a high priority for them when it comes to changes.
That's a bit of a bummer oversight or design decision so hopefully it's a high priority for them when it comes to changes.
I'M ALWAYS FASCINATED WHEN A GAME CAN OVERCOME SOMEONE'S GENRE BIASES! THAT'S ALWAYS A REALLY GOOD SIGN!
WHILE I HAVEN'T PUT ENOUGH TIME INTO ARAGAMI, YOUR STANCE TOWARDS RHYTHM GAMES IS SIMILAR TO MY STANCE ON STEALTH!
THE RHYTHM GENRE IS ONE OF MY FAVORITES, WHETHER IT BE ROCK BAND, SOUND SHAPES, 140, THE RAYMAN LEGENDS LEVELS, ETC! (CONVERSELY, I DISMISSED CRYPT OF THE NECRODANCER BECAUSE I'M NOT A FAN OF ROGUELIKES!)
THUMPER REALLY STRIPS THE RHYTHM GENRE DOWN TO ITS RAWEST, PRIMAL FORM! AS SOMEONE WHO HAS SEEN THE RHYTHM FORMULA ITERATED AD NAUSEAM, IT'S AN INCREDIBLY REFRESHING TAKE!
EARLIER TODAY I GOT TO EXPERIENCE IT IN VR! LAST NIGHT I WAS STUCK ON THE BOSS IN LEVEL 4! HAVING DIED A LOT LEADING UP TO THAT, I DECIDED TO SHOW A FRIEND LEVEL 4 FROM THE START SO THAT I DIDN'T LOOK LIKE A FOOL!
IN VR, I LOOKED LIKE A GOD! IN LEVEL 4, I DIED ONCE! THEN I TRIED LEVEL 5, DIED ONCE AT THE START LEARNING THE NEW OBSTACLE, THEN BREEZED THROUGH THE ENTIRETY OF LEVEL 5 ONLY DYING ONCE MORE!
AS GREAT AS THE GAME FEELS IN 2D, EVERYTHING IS TAKEN UP A COUPLE NOTCHES IN VR - AND THAT'S COMING FROM A VR SKEPTIC! IT'S FAR EASIER TO SEE WHAT'S AHEAD! I FOUND A GROOVE IN THE IMMERSION THAT JUST ISN'T THERE IN NON-VIRTUAL REALITY!
THEN I CAME HOME AND RETURNED TO MY 32 INCH, 720P TV, AND STRUGGLED THROUGH LEVEL 5 AGAIN, DYING A TON! I'M GONNA MOVE TO A BIGGER SCREEN NEXT SESSION, BECAUSE NOW THE EXPERIENCE SEEMS LESSER COMPARED TO VR!
DAMMIT! I MUST RESIST BUYING A $400 THUMPER PERIPHERAL!
Heh. Your posts are entertaining me so much that I feel like I need to try this game now.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE CROSSED THE THRESHOLD WHERE THIS IS EITHER REALLY HILARIOUS OR REALLY ANNOYING! THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I LIKE TO LIVE! SOME PEOPLE INSTANTLY WENT WITH ANNOYING, SO I'M GLAD YOU ENJOY IT! I CAN'T STOP! IT'S ALMOST INVOLUNTARY AT THIS POINT!
PARTWAY THROUGH LEVEL 7, I'M PRETTY COMFORTABLE SAYING THIS WILL BE MY GAME OF THE YEAR! GRANTED MY LIST IS A BIT ODD TO COMPARE: THUMPER, UNRAVEL, SOFT BODY, DOOM - ALL PERFECT 10S!
THERE'S NOT A SINGLE COMPLAINT I COULD EVEN BEGIN TO FORM! IT LOOKS GREAT! IT PLAYS GREAT! IT TAKES A SIMPLE TWO BUTTON MECHANIC, AND ITERATES IT TO THE POINT OF INSANITY! IT'S SUCH A UNIQUE EXPERIENCE WITH A OMINOUS MOOD THAT I'VE NEVER SEEN EXECUTED ANYWHERE NEAR AS WELL IN ANY OTHER GAME! EARLIER I WAS GETTING MY ASS HANDED TO ME, AND HAD A SMILE ON MY FACE!
I'D LIKE TO THINK THAT SOMEDAY I'D BE GOOD ENOUGH TO PLATINUM IT, BUT RIGHT NOW THAT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE!
ScherzoPrime
Member
I keep getting confused with the blue rings; can you only hit them if you launch off the gem infront of them? I know you have to hold X to stay airborne, but flicking up doesn't seem to get me airborne unless I hit a gem beforehand.
This game is fantastic and I've only played it on my television. I'm not very good at it and also feel like it's something to play 1 stage a day with but man... I guess it's the intensity of it all. I feel like I've worked out after I finish playing and I've only beaten 3 stages so far.
BlitzEngineer
Member
You're correct that you can only jump into the air off of a gem, and you can only hit blue rings while flying.
Another tip: You can preserve flight through a turn by hitting the perfect timing. I don't think there's a way to preserve flight through a long turn though.
ScherzoPrime
Member
Yeah I think if I'm wanting points I should be chaining jumps into slams down on gems. Also noticed, and you sort of already hit on it, but you don't need to release 'up' when you go into a turn (which is probably how you chain rings into turns anyhow).
Right now I'mm on 4-10, the lane switching might take a bit to get used to. Probably would've kept slamming against it but my fingers started to really ache from jamming x so much.
I think the timing is you flick up right after you hit the gem (and probably keep X pressed until you slam down). Really it's the slamming down out of flight that I kept screwing up, which is critical for Level 3 bosses.
blame space
Banned
this game is the real deal folks 🤓😈
Honestly I was the same way at first, I cancelled my PSVR order and with it my intentions to get the game since I wouldn't be playing it in the most encapsulating way possible. Then I saw the impressions on here and decided to jump in on PC, and I'm glad I did. It's still extremely intense and immersive on a flat screen, not to mention it wasn't made from the ground up for VR. It also runs flawlessly and looks great regardless if you're on PS4 or PC, and I'd argue playing with headphones or a good speaker set up is the most important decision to make here when it comes to immersion.
You can always try it on VR down the road (and I really want to), I don't think it's going to spoil any of the experience for you by playing it normally first. Looks like it's impressing people in the PSVR launch thread though as expected.
SuperDowns
Banned
I thought holding option button worked on any game to re-center.
You can hold up beforehand, just like holding right/left before taking a turn, you don't need to time the directions, just the button. Although I personally just press both at the same time when it comes to jumping. Once you're airborne you don't need to hold up either, just the button.
I'm loving this game but I think I just reached my breaking point. I made it all the way to the final phase of the final boss in level 6 and I just couldn't beat it. Serious props to anyone that finishes this game. I think I'll just stick to the earlier levels unless the devs make it easier for people like me. Until then I'm happy with my score on level 2 
Chronospherics
Member
I must say I have not been captivated by this game in the way that some of you have. While I think the visuals are impressive, and the audio design is pleasant, I think in comparison to other rhythm games, Thumper just isn't especially interesting.
One thing I dislike is the lack of flexibility. You literally play Thumper as Thumper tells you to play Thumper, and you're graded with how closely you can stick to its routine. In comparison, rhythm games like Amplitude allow the player to make decisions and choices along journey through each individual level.
Additionally, while the audio design is pleasant it's hardly a rhythm game in the sense that games like Amplitude or Avicii's VECTOR are. It doesn't feel as though your craft is 'playing' or even perfectly in tune with the music. Merely that your actions sometimes make a pleasant tune, but many of these are disjointed and I wouldn't say that each level is a 'track' or anything like that.
It's much more like DYAD than dedicated rhythm games in that respect, and while that isn't an issue I miss the appeal of traditional rhythm games where I'm continually playing because I want to hear the next track. That's what kept me going in games like Crypt of the Necrodancer and Amplitude, but not here.
Ultimately it's the gameplay that disappoints me. It's little more than an 'endless runer'. You travel a linear and inflexible path, pressing the buttons in sequence as you progress. There's no intelligence or tact to this process, just muscle memory, games like Dyad, Crypt or Amplitude arguably offer much more than that. The only thing that makes this game more appealing than something like Tron run/r is the games visual polish and artistic direction.
It's decent, if unremarkable beyond it's visual aesthetic, that's my feeling so far. I get why people like it though.
One thing I dislike is the lack of flexibility. You literally play Thumper as Thumper tells you to play Thumper, and you're graded with how closely you can stick to its routine. In comparison, rhythm games like Amplitude allow the player to make decisions and choices along journey through each individual level.
Additionally, while the audio design is pleasant it's hardly a rhythm game in the sense that games like Amplitude or Avicii's VECTOR are. It doesn't feel as though your craft is 'playing' or even perfectly in tune with the music. Merely that your actions sometimes make a pleasant tune, but many of these are disjointed and I wouldn't say that each level is a 'track' or anything like that.
It's much more like DYAD than dedicated rhythm games in that respect, and while that isn't an issue I miss the appeal of traditional rhythm games where I'm continually playing because I want to hear the next track. That's what kept me going in games like Crypt of the Necrodancer and Amplitude, but not here.
Ultimately it's the gameplay that disappoints me. It's little more than an 'endless runer'. You travel a linear and inflexible path, pressing the buttons in sequence as you progress. There's no intelligence or tact to this process, just muscle memory, games like Dyad, Crypt or Amplitude arguably offer much more than that. The only thing that makes this game more appealing than something like Tron run/r is the games visual polish and artistic direction.
It's decent, if unremarkable beyond it's visual aesthetic, that's my feeling so far. I get why people like it though.
Messofanego
Banned
It's GOTY be good.
Eh, how far have you gotten? You get new mechanics/gimmicks up to level 5. The game offers a few ways in which to increase and improve your combos and score.
BTW, not just each "beat", but every single turn is in tune with the music. Following the rhythm is the most efficient way to get perfect turns, which means turning at the last possible second to get bonus points, extend your flight and therefore your combo.
And I just can't conceive calling Thumper unremarkable.
Ah man I feel silly. After beating the game, I realized you can get a health/score boost from bosses simply by holding the button after an attack (you don't have to time it with anything), and you can get an EXTRA score boost if you press the button after the boss gets hit, when you see a small blue explosion going on in his mouth. It took 10 hours, but I finally fully figured out how this mechanic works.
Yah. I like how the game "feels" with the stick but the d-pad is probably more precise.
Yah. I like how the game "feels" with the stick but the d-pad is probably more precise.
Chronospherics
Member
I said I felt that beyond it's visual aesthetic it was unremarkable. The visual aesthetic is quite remarkable, and in VR the experience is noteworthy, if only for the novelty of going on a weird trip in VR. Gameplay wise however I am struggling to see the appeal. Like playing something like Infinity Runner, but with a pleasant rather than ugly aesthetic. I hate Infinity Runner because it has similar gameplay to this, and on top of that it's also ugly to look at.
With that said, you are right to point out that I am still learning the games mechanics as I am only at level 4. Ultimately though my biggest disappointment is the actual sound that the game produces. While it sounds fine relative to the action, it's not something I would ever want to listen to outside of the game, and that's not true for rhythm games like Crypt of the Necrodancer, and Amplitude, which I really enjoy for the soundtrack alone.
I will spend more time with it though and hopefully I come around. I'm not saying it's a bad game at all, just a bit simple for my taste and disappointing in respect to its soundtrack. In fact I do like it, it's just that as a fan of rhythm games, I wanted to like it a lot more.
There really aren't many audio cues out there actually signaling you to do this or that. Better to feel the beat of the music.
I haven't had anything like that, fortunately. That's odd.
After beating level 4 and further and getting more acquainted with the game's mechanics, I suggest revisiting the first levels with your increased knowledge. It should make a world of difference. You'll see scoring opportunities you didn't see before. Stringing a long combo together to the beat of the unrelenting music is just an incredible feeling for me in this game. When I get in the zone, this game provides an experience like no other. Too bad it hasn't clicked with you. I do hope you aren't just surviving an are actually going for maximum scoring, such as chaining together jumping/pounding and perfect-turning as much as you can. That's where the game is.
I'll try and make a video out of it... its borderline unplayable. Just tried the game and the audio is all messed up including the title screen.
<=0(
On PC or PS4? Try deleting it and reinstalling it, see if that helps.
EvilKatarn
Member
The soundtrack is on Google Play
https://play.google.com/music/m/Bgfu43ry43x6tosjz7xbi5wl3nq?t=Thumper_-_Brian_Gibson
And Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/album/1qQ5Neahc6KlJU9SdK3D7b
https://play.google.com/music/m/Bgfu43ry43x6tosjz7xbi5wl3nq?t=Thumper_-_Brian_Gibson
And Spotify
https://play.spotify.com/album/1qQ5Neahc6KlJU9SdK3D7b