Oculus announced that Thumper (2016), the popular rhythm-action game, is officially coming to Quest at launch.
The company released the news via a blog post as a part of their on-going ‘Quest Countdown’; exactly when the clock is supposed to strike zero, we’re not sure. Oculus still hasn’t appended a launch date to Quest, its $400 standalone VR headset.
Thumper first landed on PS4 and PC back in October 2016, which included optional VR support for headsets such as PSVR, Oculus Rift, and HTC Vive. It then went on to release on Nintendo Switch and Xbox One a year later. Most recently, Thumper was released on iOS and Android in its ‘Pocket Edition’, and on Oculus Go, the company’s 3DOF standalone headset.
“When we first starting prototyping Thumper way back in 2009, gaming VR was just a sci-fi fantasy,” explains Drool designer Marc Flury. “We didn’t realize our psychedelic space beetle experience would feel so perfect in VR. With a fully standalone device like Oculus Quest, the dream feels complete. Now anyone can experience Thumper in VR with no fuss and no compromise.”
The game has garnered plenty of success in its three years of existence, rating ‘Very Positive’ on Steam and commanding a strong [4.5/5] stars on the Oculus Store. Thumper also boasts a near [5/5] star rating on the PlayStation Store.
The studio hasn’t confirmed cross-buy with Rift just yet, although we’re certainly hoping for it.
Long before Beat Saberbecame the rhythm action videogame of choice among virtual reality (VR) enthusiasts, indie developer Drool made a name for itself with its fast paced version of the genre, Thumper. Originally launched on PlayStation VR in 2016 before coming to Oculus Rift and HTC Vive later that year, the team has now confirmed support for mobile standalone headset Oculus Go.
Described by the studio as a ‘rhythm violence’ experience, Thumper puts players in control of a very fast beetle that flies down a cosmic shoot bombarded with musical obstacles that can be overcome with rhythm-obeying commands. Players can glide round corners and bash into the sides to stay alive, trying to survive until the end, which also includes mini-bosses to deal with.
It was an instant hit in 2016 among press and consumers alike for its impressive visuals and audio tracks. While it had a flat screen cousin, it was the VR version that set it apart, especially when you consider all the stationary wave shooters flooding the market at the time.
Condensing the title onto Oculus Go is certainly a feat and it’ll be interesting to see how Thumper holds up on mobile after two years. With Oculus Go’s improved lenses hopefully Thumper hasn’t lost any of its wow factor, possibly encouraging other devs to look at whether their videogames would be a good match for the mobile headset.
Thumper is scheduled to launch for Oculus Go on Thursday, 6th September for $9.99 USD. For some reason, even though most titles work on Oculus Go and Gear VR, Drool has confirmed Thumper won’t support Gear VR – or the team has no plans to.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Drool and Thumper, reporting back with any further updates.
Yesterday we brought you news of the second PlayStation VR Demo Disc which would be available for PlayStation VR users as of today. At the time we weren’t sure what exactly we would get by way of videogame titles baring an announcement from developers Polyarc confirming that virtual reality (VR) action platformer Moss would be amongst the titles on offer. (Much to the delight of the VRFocus team.)
The listings for PlayStation VR sampler has now been revealed and includes titles from across the genre spectrum. The full list of titles joining Moss can be found below.
Battlezone by Rebellion
A regular on VRFocus’ lists relating to the bestVR videogame experiences out there, the tank-based shooter takes the series classic roots and updates them for the virtual stage. Battlezone gained a 5-star review on VRFocus, where it was described as “intense and addictive”.
Dino Frontier by Uber Entertainment.
Cowboys meet Jurassic Park by way of Sim City, Dino Frontier lets you capture and tame dinosaurs in the Wild West to help build and manage a virtual town.
EVE: Valkyrie by CCP Games
CCP Games might be packing up the big top as far as their involvement in VR is concerned but that doesn’t stop EVE: Valkyire continuing to be one of the best VR experiences out there, and now VR and non-VR players can enjoy dogfighting in spaceships together.
Fantastic Contraption by Radial Games
Another title commonly amongst those VRFocus recommends: “Easy to begin with, Fantastic Contraption lets you get accustomed to the intricacies of what does what before throwing the real challenges at you. And there’s a lot, the title features 50 levels to get your head around.”
Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs
A multi-award winning videogame, Job Simulator was so good Google brought developers Owlchemy Labs into the company. The title continues to get development and content as well, with the recently revealed ‘Infinite Overtime’ update.
Raw Data by Survios
A highly popular virtual reality (VR) shooter, Raw Data sees players equipped with both firearms and a katana, and have the simple object of taking out the enemies before they themselves are overcome.
Rez Infinite by Enhance Games
Another PlayStation VR title that received a full five stars in its review, Rez Infinite is the spiritual successor to the original Rez, which first appeared on SEGA’s Dreamcast console.
StarBlood Arena by Whitemoon Dreams
The only title on the listing specifically requiring additional downloading, a demo of Starblood Arena was initially made available back in August. Starblood Arena allows the player to take control of one of nine available ships, each with its unique pilot, features and weapon loadout. Allowing would-be players the combination that suits their preferred style of play.
Star Child by GameTrust
One of a crop of PlayStation VR titles to receive a share of the spotlight recently during Sony’s press event at Paris Games Week, which included the reveal of a brand new trailer. Star Child is takes place on an alien world full of fantastical Martian creatures and creations in a homage to platformers of the 90s while also being something entirely new.
The Persistence by Firesprite
Originally revealed back in March this year, The Persistance comes from the developers behind The Playroom VR. Awaking from cryosleep, it’s up the players to kill the undead and take back control of the ship before it plunges into a nearby black hole.
Thumper by Drool
The self-described “rhythm violence” videogame was announced in March last year and by the time it hit the show floor at 2016’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) it had already made an impact. Drool said in their announcement that Thumper was “unlike anything you’ve seen, played or heard – a cocktail of kinetic action and aggressive acoustics. It’s the kind of game that inhales you, spits you out and leaves you yearning for more.” And they certainly aren’t exaggerating.
Tiny Trax by FuturLab
Slot car racing get a new twist. Tiny Traxfeatures a drifting/boost-recharge mechanic, alongside lane switching and epic jumps across twelve tracks that’ll take players to tropical islands, volcanoes, ice caves and outer-space. It’s developer, Brighton-based studio FuturLab, recently revealed a new PlayStation VR title in Mini-Mech Mayhem.
The PlayStation VR Demo Disc 2 is now available on the PlayStation Store, it requires 15.2GB of space and several titles within it – Raw Data, Rez Infinite, Job Simulator, Dino Frontier and Fantastic Contraption – do require PS Move Controllers in order to play them.
VRFocus will bring you more details on developments with the PlayStation VR very soon.
One of the launch titles available for PlayStation VR came from indie developer Drool in the form of rhythm action experience Thumper. Support for more virtual reality (VR) platforms was confirmed at the time, and today that update has arrived.
Drool has now rolled out compatibility for HTC Vive and Oculus Rift via SteamVR, with basic support for Oculus Touch and Vive motion controllers. Not only can Rift owners purchase Thumper through Steam, Drool also launched the title on Oculus Store. But there is a price difference, Steam lists Thumper for £15.99 GBP while Oculus Store retails the videogame for £14.99, so a slight saving for Rift owners.
In terms of continued support for Thumper, Drool states: “We’ll continue to fine tune our VR support for both headsets over the next couple weeks. We have more updates, including advanced video, control, and calibration settings on the way. Thanks for your support as we continue making Thumper the best game we can.”
If you’ve not checked out Thumper yet the videogame puts players in control of a exceedingly fast beetle that flies down a cosmic shoot bombarded with musical obstacles that can be overcome with rhythm-obeying commands.
VRFocus will continue its coverage of Thumper, reporting back with further updates.
Back when Thumper launched in October, there was a lot of shock and surprise regarding the fact that the PlayStation 4 version was the only version with actual VR support via the PS VR headset. Even though you could download and play the game on your PC through Steam, that version was unfortunately 2D screens only. Not anymore.
Today, Drool is officially announcing that Thumper is now fully playable on both the HTC Vive and Oculus Rift VR headsets through both Steam and Oculus Home.
“Today’s free Steam update adds support for both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift via SteamVR. It includes Oculus SDK support as well. We’ve added basic support for both Oculus Touch and Vive controllers. Thumper is available in the Steam Store.
Today, we’re also releasing Thumper for Rift in the Oculus Store.
Of course, you can still play all nine epic levels (including PLAY+ mode) in both traditional 2D and VR mode.”
When we reviewed Thumper [Review: 9/10] on PS VR, it was clearly one of the platform’s best titles. The combination of pulsating visuals, intense music, and violently rhythmic gameplay all melds together to create one of the most visually satisfying and addictive experiences. You play through the game as a sort of metallic beetle, barreling along a track, that must evade and collide with obstacles in time with the music. It’s hypnotic and the ‘boss’ battles are incredibly satisfying.
This sort of game isn’t what you’d typically think ‘needs’ VR support, but it adds so much intensity that I can’t personally see myself playing it without a headset now. Thumper was also nominated at The Game Awards for ‘Best VR Game’ this year.
You can download and play Thumper on PC via Steam or Oculus Home. The Steam version officially supports HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and OSVR headsets. It’s available for $19.99 in both storefronts. It will be playable in 2D and VR mode on all platforms now as well.
One of the PlayStation VR’s launch titles was Thumper, an intense rhythm action title from developer Drool. Now the studio has announced its latest update, adding a new game mode as well as support for PlayStation 4 Pro which launched yesterday.
Called PLAY +, the new mode extends the replayability of Thumper by making it harder and more addictive than ever. Players become a resplendent golden beetle, able to replay all nine levels in the campaign to gain more points and attain even higher speeds than before. There’s just one cravat, players only have one life, die once and that’s it game over. If you’ve already completed the videogame the mode will be available straight away, if you’re new it’ll be unlocked after completion of level 3.
With the arrival of PlayStation 4 Pro, Thumper players get even better visual fidelity, with the psychedelic hellscape shown off in 4K with no upscaling (if you have a compatible TV. And for PlayStation VR users the high quality supersampling and anti-aliasing should enhance immersion even more whilst keep to 90 frames-per-second (FPS).
If you’ve not checked out Thumper yet the videogame puts players in control of a exceedingly fast beetle that flies down a cosmic shoot bombarded with musical obstacles that can be overcome with rhythm-obeying commands.
Available for PC users through Steam alongside PlayStation 4 support, for VR users the title can only be played on PlayStation VR currently. Drool is working on support for Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to be added in a future update, but hasn’t stated when that’s likely to happen.
Checkout the update list below for the smaller additions that have been added, keep reading VRFocus for any further VR announcements.
Update List:
Improved audio mastering and better volume levels when using headphones (PS4)
In-game volume control (find it under Options > Audio)
Thumper starts up in VR mode if PS VR is connected and powered on (PS4)
Thumb relief: you can now use R1 in addition to (X) to thump
Quick restart: press L1 to restart from the current/previous checkpoint
Restart from previous checkpoint. Allows you to restart from the current checkpoint or the immediately previous one. If you quit the level or app, you lose the ability to restart from the previous checkpoint. This reduces frustration for players who want to grind out S-Ranks.
Press and hold (X) button to speed up death animation
Hold (X) button on score screen to speed up animation
In the year of 2016, it’s pretty rare that a game can release and claim to have invented a brand new genre. We’ve all played platformers, action adventure games, RPGs, shooters, puzzle games, and everything in between. However, one of the newest genres that emerged a few generations ago would be the rhythm game, created as a byproduct of the advent of high-quality music in video games. Now this week, Thumper, from Drool, takes the formula created in experiences like Audio Surf or Amplitude, and injects a hefty dose of adrenaline-fueled, pulse-pounding violence.
By all accounts, it feels like an entirely new type of game genre dubbed ‘rhythm violence’ and I’m in love.
Before reading further, do yourself a favor and watch the trailer above. It’s hard to put into words what it feels like to play Thumper, especially in VR, but watching that video first will help provide at least a baseline frame of reference. At its core, Thumper is dead simple. You are progressing along a seemingly endless track and must press buttons that loosely coincide with the beat and thump of the music to surpass obstacles.
Throughout it all, you control a metallic beetle creature/vehicle/thing that morphs and adapts to the environment based on your prompts. See a bright, blue pad approaching? Press X to launch into the air. See sharp crystals protruding from the track? Launch into the air holding up on the analog stick to flutter over them. See a pulsing wall coming up next? Slam your vehicle beetle thing in the opposite direction to slide around the curve.
On first glance, it can look like a bizarre, singleplayer racing game, except instead of racing against other opponents, you’re racing against the slow-moving dread of pulsating defeat. It’s an infectious process as the beat of the music mingles with the sharp tones of your crystalline beetle, banking and zipping across the track.
Every level is split into a multitude of sublevels, each of which contains a graded checkpoint. This ensures that failure is never too frustrating as you’ll only ever have to replay a handful of seconds before finally making progress again.
Due to this forgiving progression system, I’d be remiss to really describe Thumper as a ‘difficult’ game since trial and error is just part of its inherent DNA. You will not complete the entire game from start to finish without failure and that’s part of the madness.
Once you do find that sweet spot and — pardon the pun — get into a rhythm, it’s downright invigorating. The blur of the track and the smear of a cacophony of colors in your peripheral vision pumps the addictive stimuli into your eyeballs. The heavy thud of the bass and surrounding music pushes you forward. The boss at the end of each zone emerges in horrendous detail, whirling and gyrating to the stream of music, forcing you to nail every button press in order to silence the beast.
Levels feel like equal part nightmare fuel and gaming nirvana. Since Thumper can be played entirely inside of or outside of VR, you’d assume it doesn’t really make a difference which you pick, but I’d argue that not to be the case. The intensity will surely be too much to handle for some people, but if you can stomach it, Thumper in VR leaps above and beyond its 2D counterpart.
Rather than ending at the edges of your TV screen, the environments surround you in full 360-degrees. The 3D spatial audio reverberates throughout your body and the thump of your actions creates an even more hypnotic rhythm. Looking ahead, you can get a better view of what’s coming and the timing feels more natural once obstacles reach you.
It could be first impression bias, but after playing the VR version, I found it difficult to then go and play outside of VR. It just didn’t feel as visceral and exciting.
Final Score:9/10 – Amazing
Thumper is a one-of-a-kind gaming experience. It is at first immediately familiar as an entry in the now classic rhythm game genre, but enhances virtually every aspect of the experience through brightly pulsing visuals, intense music, and nothing short of violent, visceral rhythm-based gameplay. While you can play Thumper entirely outside of VR, the experience truly shines and envelops you the most once you place a VR headset on your face. This one is not to be missed.
Thumper is now available for PlayStation 4 and PC for $19.99. PS VR support is included on the PS4 version and the headset itself releases to the public on October 13th. This review was conducted on the PS4 edition of the game, both inside and outside of VR.
In an announcement today indie developer Drool has revealed that its PlayStation VR title Thumper has achieved Gold status, ready for its release on 13th October along with the headset.
VRFocuspreviewed Thumper in June, a videogame which Marc Flury of Drool has previously stated: “You don’t play the music in Thumper – you survive it.”
The videogame puts players in control of a very fast beetle that flies down a cosmic shoot bombarded with musical obstacles that can be overcome with rhythm-obeying commands. “Truly, it’s unlike anything you’ve seen, played or heard – a cocktail of kinetic action and aggressive acoustics. It’s the kind of game that inhales you, spits you out and leaves you yearning for more,” states the development team.
There’s just over a week to go until the launch of Sony Interactive Entertainment’s (SIE) PlayStation VR head-mounted display (HMD), and all eyes will be on the company to see how much of a success the device will be in the early days. SIE has lined up a strong selection of titles for day one including RIGS: Mechanized Combat League, World War Toons, Rez Infinite, EVE: Valkyrie, Battlezone, 100ft Robot Golf, Here They Lie and many more.
As it draws closer to launch day VRFocus will keep you updated with all the latest PlayStation VR news.
EVE: Valkyrie by CCP Games
Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs
The Persistence by Firesprite
Thumper by Drool
Tiny Trax by FuturLab
