July 31st 2024.
Thrasher is a new interactive prog rock cover game that has been making waves in the gaming community. It is being hailed as the spiritual successor to the popular VR game Thumper, with its stunning visuals and unique blend of music and gameplay. But will it be able to live up to its predecessor and become a classic in its own right?
Released in 2016, Thumper was described as a 'rhythm violence' game and was best experienced in VR, where its intense beats and mesmerizing visuals were most effective. Despite its instant success, Thumper never received a sequel. However, with the release of Thrasher, developed by some of the same creators, it's easy to see why it's being touted as a spiritual successor.
While not strictly a rhythm action game, Thrasher also focuses on the fusion of music and visuals. With just your dominant hand, you can control a beam of light connected to a sparkling cyber-centipede. The beam follows the tip of your flexible laser as you swing it around in front of you, creating a hypnotic and fluid motion. The trippy landscape around you changes and dances with the beat, adding to the overall experience.
Each world in Thrasher has its own unique visuals, but they all share a techno-hippy vibe with pulsing, rainbow-colored lights and abstract 3D shapes against a dark backdrop. Your objective is to slice through blue shapes with your highly maneuverable 'space eel'. In the beginning, it's a simple task, with the game gently introducing you to its rules. But as you progress, it becomes increasingly satisfying to see your neon pet effortlessly glide through the blue bars.
As the game progresses, red shapes are introduced, which you must avoid. Each level has a 60-second timer, and colliding with red objects deducts precious seconds. It also momentarily hinders your ability to connect with the blue shapes, adding an extra challenge. This punishment isn't too severe, but as you advance through the levels, you'll encounter it more frequently.
As the game becomes more challenging, with the red and blue shapes moving faster and spinning on their axes, you'll need to master your eel's dash attack to clear a path. This attack can also break through both blue and red objects, adding a strategic element to the gameplay. At its best, Thrasher feels like a dizzying blend of Rez Infinite, Tetris Effect, and Fruit Ninja.
However, the game falls short of these lofty inspirations as its difficulty increases. The rapidly spinning shapes become harder to predict, making it feel more like luck than skill when completing a level flawlessly. This frustration is acknowledged by the developers, who allow players to retry a level without the timer if they fail multiple times. While not ideal, it does give players a chance to experience all that Thrasher has to offer.
At the end of each world, a boss awaits in the form of a giant, slightly demonic-looking head. You must defeat it in three rounds, which are similar to the main gameplay. However, the boss battles lack the excitement and spectacle that one would expect, with the head simply disappearing without any fanfare. This is reflective of Thrasher's overall issues.
While the game boasts stunning visuals and satisfying gameplay, there are instances where it feels too easy or too difficult, leaving little room for a challenge. This results in difficulty spikes and sections that feel unnecessarily easy. It's clear that the core elements of the game, such as the visuals and music, were given more attention than the overall game design.
When the difficulty is just right, Thrasher is a mesmerizing experience that immerses you in its pulsing, neon-infused world. However, these moments are too few and far between, leaving players feeling underwhelmed for most of their playtime. With more fine-tuning and a consistent level of difficulty, Thrasher could have been a stellar game. But as it stands, it falls short of its potential.
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