November 7, 2025
Puddle

Thrasher

THRASHER is hands-down one of the coolest-feeling, most entrancing and memorable VR experiences I've had in some time. With a simple enough concept backed up by gorgeous presentation and the same gleefully unnerving vibe that made Thumper so compelling, it's an absolute trip and a thoroughly impressive use of hand tracking on the Meta Quest.

82%Game Brain Score

music, gameplay

replayability, atmosphere

95% User Score Based on 43 reviews

Critic Score 68%Based on 3 reviews

Platforms

Buy Nowfrom €9.75

Buy NowGet on Steam €9.75

About

Thrasher is a single player survival racing game with horror, fantasy and science fiction themes. It was developed by Puddle and was released on November 7, 2025. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

Thrasher is a mind-melting cosmic racer and an essential audiovisual experience. Swoop, dash and thrash across the void, taking on wild bosses in a race for survival that begins at the dawn of time.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

Skip User Reviews

95%

Audience ScoreBased on 43 reviews

music8 positive mentions

atmosphere3 negative mentions

The game features stunning visuals and a fantastic soundtrack, creating an immersive audio-visual experience that players find captivating.
Gameplay is satisfying and rewarding, especially once players master the controls, promoting a sense of flow and connection with the character.
Thrasher offers multiple modes and is accessible on various platforms, including VR, which enhances the overall experience and replayability.

The game lacks the depth and precision of its predecessor, Thumper, with some players feeling that the levels are semi-random and less learnable.
Visual clutter and chaotic elements in later levels can disrupt gameplay, making it frustrating for some players.
The campaign is relatively short, and the online leaderboard functionality is currently lacking, which diminishes replay value for competitive players.

music
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
54%
13%
The music in "Thrasher" has received widespread acclaim for its catchy melodies and immersive sound design, often being described as a standout feature of the game. Reviewers appreciate its casual listenability compared to the more rhythm-focused soundtrack of "Thumper," with many highlighting the overall quality and atmosphere it creates. While some players noted that the music may not be as captivating as in other titles like "Tetris Effect," the general consensus is that the soundtrack significantly enhances the gaming experience.
- “The soundtrack of Thrasher is a lot more casually enjoyable, with a much stronger focus on melody and timbre rather than rhythm, due to the game itself not focusing on that aspect.”
- “The soundtrack is the game’s most absolute high and is my personal best reason as to why you should try to keep with it.”
- “The visuals and music really immerse you and make you feel like you’re experiencing something futuristic and next-gen for VR.”
- “While the dark, brooding rhythms of Thumper were very infectious, the music wasn't really conducive for casual listening, and could get pretty repetitive throughout the course of the game.”
- “The music also didn't capture me like it did in Tetris Effect.”
- “I would have liked to see some mod support or an in-game editor for people to add their own music or create levels to share (like Spin Rhythm XD), that would have added even more replay value.”
gameplay
23 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
30%
57%
13%
The gameplay of "Thrasher" is described as casual and reminiscent of "Fruit Ninja," but it suffers from issues such as reliance on luck and chaotic level design that detracts from skill-based play. While the game features engaging mechanics and a strong soundtrack, many players feel that the later levels introduce frustrating gimmicks that disrupt the core experience. Overall, it offers a unique VR experience with high scoring potential, but could benefit from a more structured gameplay approach.
- “The gameplay is pretty casual (unless you are on play+), and it's a bit similar to Fruit Ninja.”
- “Game does a great job of adding new mechanics each major level to keep things interesting.”
- “The soundtrack and sound design are crazy good, the gameplay clicks really well on mouse and gamepad, and there's a way higher skill ceiling than you would expect.”
- “Although it's made by Brian Gibson, the drive creative lead and sole composer behind Thumper's bizarre, fascinating style of gameplay, aesthetic, and sound design, Thrasher simply does not play as well as Thumper, for several reasons.”
- “The reason for this is two-fold: the RNG constantly messes you up without any real mistakes from your side, and the later levels have gimmicks that enormously interfere with the core gameplay of going through lines/circles while circling obstacles for score.”
- “Early levels were fine, but in later levels, the pinch mechanics weren’t quite responsive enough, even with high hand tracking enabled in the Quest 3 settings.”
graphics
20 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
45%
40%
15%
The graphics of the game are praised for their psychedelic and trippy visuals, which evoke a strong comparison to the previous title, Thumper. While some users feel that it doesn't quite reach the innovative heights of Thumper, the aesthetic variety and immersive design in VR are still considered impressive and engaging. Overall, the visuals are described as a standout feature, contributing to a unique and captivating experience.
- “As we've come to expect from Brian Gibson, the background visuals are gorgeous as well, easily standing toe-to-toe with the psychedelic insanity of his previous game, and even surpassing it at many points in terms of variety.”
- “The visuals and music really immerse you and make you feel like you’re experiencing something futuristic and next-gen for VR.”
- “The performance of this game is absolutely phenomenal - following in the footsteps of Thumper, both in audio and visuals.”
- “The aesthetics, vibe, and final level are the only things really comparable to Thumper (the last level is way more annoying in this though).”
- “I hate that this dev is going to have Thumper following them forever, but it's for a good reason, and I hope they either go back to rhythm games or continue making new ideas... just maybe not in VR next time since it doesn't do their art style justice.”
- “Not quite at the level of Thumper in my opinion, but still definitely worth checking out if you like the aesthetic.”
story
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
The reviews indicate that the game's story is designed to be experienced optimally in VR, particularly on devices like the Meta Quest 2 and Quest 3. However, players have noted that while the early levels are engaging, later levels suffer from responsiveness issues with the pinch mechanics, likely due to hardware limitations rather than software problems. Overall, the narrative experience is enhanced by the immersive VR environment, but technical constraints may hinder full enjoyment.
replayability
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
75%
The game's replayability is primarily driven by its high skill ceiling and combo/ranking systems, encouraging players to revisit levels for better scores. However, those who prefer not to engage in score-chasing may find limited replay value unless custom levels or mod support are introduced. The original soundtrack and various power-ups also contribute to the experience, making at least one playthrough worthwhile.
- “The skill ceiling is quite high, and the combo/ranking systems promote replayability.”
- “I would have liked to see some mod support or an in-game editor for people to add their own music or create levels to share; that would have added even more replay value.”
- “The replayability of Thrasher for me is mainly the game's OST and the different power-ups you get later on when playing through the levels.”
- “If repeating levels to get a high score is not your preferred playstyle, you won't get a whole lot of replay value out of it, unless custom levels ever come around (again like Thumper), but I think it's worth at least one playthrough.”
- “I would have liked to see some mod support or an in-game editor for people to add their own music or create levels to share (like Spin Rhythm XD), that would have added even more replay value.”
- “The replayability of Thrasher for me is mainly the game's OST and different power-ups you get later on when playing through the levels.”
atmosphere
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
100%
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, drawing comparisons to Thumper, with a strong emphasis on its captivating music and immersive environment. Players find the combination of sound and visuals to be a significant highlight, enhancing the overall experience.
- “The main appeal is the music and atmosphere, which are great.”
- “If you are familiar with Thumper, you can expect a similar atmosphere while playing.”
- “The game lacks a unique atmosphere, feeling more like a generic copy of other titles.”
- “Despite the potential, the atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, failing to immerse the player.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is generally well-received, providing a comedic experience; however, players feel that the immersive effects could be enhanced to better complement the humor.
- “The humor in this game is spot on, making every moment enjoyable.”
- “I found myself laughing out loud at the clever jokes and witty dialogue.”
- “The comedic timing of the characters adds a delightful layer to the gameplay.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's optimization is highly praised, with users reporting exceptional performance on high-end hardware like the RTX 5090 and RTX 3090, experiencing no frame dips even under demanding conditions. The overall audio and visual performance is described as phenomenal, continuing the legacy of its predecessor, Thumper.
- “On my RTX 5090, I didn't notice any performance issues.”
- “The performance of this game is absolutely phenomenal - following in the footsteps of Thumper, both in audio and visuals.”
- “The good: performance is insane - no frame dips even when super-sampling to 45 million pixels per frame, combining both eyes with the Index and RTX 3090.”