Thumper Overview (PS5) | Push Sq.

Thumper was a spotlight of PSVR’s launch lineup again in 2016 — take a look at our assessment by the hyperlink to study why. It is a relentless, frantic rhythm title that has you racing by area, matching actions to the beat of the heavy soundtrack. The sport is simply as glorious this time round, if not higher. Whereas most of the PSVR titles have extra noticeable graphical upgrades, Thumper nailed its aesthetic so nicely the primary day out that the change is not all that drastic.

Visually, the sport nonetheless seems to be nice, although oddly, solely the VR model has HDR help. In case you’re taking part in on a standard TV, you will should accept native 4K and a excessive refresh charge. The boss fights seemingly have extra tendrils and are simply typically greater in scale, however by and huge, the expertise is identical one you bear in mind.

The PSVR2 headset and peripherals make the largest distinction right here, fairly than the sport itself. The haptics on the visor completely intensify Thumper’s gameplay, lengthy described as “rhythm violence”. Every time you hit a power-up or harm a boss, the headset rumbles alongside along with your controller, heightening the visceral violence of the expertise to new ranges.

Whereas you need to use the brand new PSVR2 Sense Controllers — the sport did not operate with the PS Transfer controllers on PSVR — the DualSense feels extra comfy for this outing. The rumble was extra noticeable this fashion, and the normal controller setup feels higher.

One factor we have been hoping to keep away from with PSVR2 was monitoring issues. Staying in vary of the PS Digital camera is now not an element, however sadly the headset sometimes loses monitor of you and jumps across the display for a second. It did not occur typically, and it was definitely much less finicky than the unique PSVR model of the title, however it’s nonetheless current.

In the end, what you are left with is the definitive model of the sport, even with the modifications being comparatively slight. It was probably the greatest video games on PSVR again within the day, and the identical could be mentioned for its port on PSVR2.