First Runner Up: Thumper
Music rhythm games aren’t anything new. Heck, Thumper isn’t even the only game from the genre to hit VR headsets this year. Yet, it’s so immersive that you’ll find yourself losing hours at a time in its eerie worlds.
You are a metallic beetle speeding down a narrow path through some dark, atmospheric place. Except, you’ll come across obstacles that you’ll need to navigate with expert timing in order to reach the end and defeat the weird bosses that await you. Each hit, grind, jump, and crash that you make as you speed through neon blurs is perfectly interwoven with a thumping soundtrack that perfectly encapsulates the level.
Each of your movements makes a noise that compliments both the action and the booming soundtrack in the background. Throw on top of that an ever-increasing pace, complex sequences of button presses, and getting consumed by the vibrant neon flashes around you, and Thumper is one of the most immersive VR experiences available.
Even if you manage to finish all of the levels available in Thumper, there are high score leaderboards to test your mettle against. What’s more, each level is split into sections and, depending on your performance, you’ll be graded. For any perfectionists out there, the temptation to try and S-rank every level will lead to endless hours of challenge and enjoyment, particularly thanks to Thumper’s incredibly challenging later levels.
There are few better feelings than perfectly nailing an intense section of a level, helping to create the intelligent soundtrack blaring in your headset, and just letting yourself be enveloped by the flashes, sparks, and other-worldly effects going on around you. Thumper is a sensory overload, to the point that extended amounts of play can leave you feeling like you need a nap. But oh boy, is it fun.
