Thumper

9.5/10 This is one of the few rhythm games that really respects the term "rhythm." This is not a Simon Says, Do as I Do, Follow the Instructions, or any sort of whimsical, care free casual game to relax to. This is straight up catharsis. There are only a few moves to know. You can get through the entire game with "thump", "turn", "slam." Each level trains you for what's to come and there's always just a little twist right when you think you've figured a section out. There's just enough repetition in sections where you can start predicting, but if you aren't on your toes, you will be punished. The music is not a light hearted melody with nice little riffs to follow. The experience is more like an industrial machine or engine with syncopation. A very nice feature is that during a level, right after a very intense section, the game will give you a breather for a short time and "reset" your ears as you coast along before it kicks back into action. I am not that good at rhythm games but I was able to get S rank on all levels thanks to how it progresses the player to be prepared for some crazy stuff. And even then, I'm trying to break my high scores by coming up with new combos.

Fully completing this game is a one-of-a-kind rhythm experience. For a long time I thought that I would never beat the game, that it was just too hard. But I highly recommend going through the whole thing. You can worry about trying to be perfect later. I've also played it a lot since because trying to get higher scores or doing challenges has never gotten old for me. I'm currently practicing every once in a while with the eventual but unlikely goal of completing every level in a row without dying on NG+ difficulty. I don't think I'll ever do it, but it's fun to work towards.

God this game had me tweaking and also... JUST BECAUSE I CANT SEE FORWARD DOESNT MAKE IT MORE COMPLICATED, IT JUST MAKES IT MORE ANNOYING.