Welcome to our Is that a good premium mobile game series. In this series we look at games from both the App Store and the Play Store and review them. At the end of the article we try to answer the question – Is the current game a one of the best smartphone games? For this review, we’re looking at Thumper: Pocket Edition.
What is Thumper: Pocket Edition?
Thumper: Pocket Edition is exactly what’s written on the box. It’s the smash hit Thumper’s little brother, brought to smartphones and tablets by the two-man team over at Drool, who are, obviously, also responsible for developing and releasing Thumper on pretty much every gaming-capable device under the sun. I’m not even joking.
What Platforms is Thumper available on?
As of writing this review, Thumper is available on:
- itch.io
- Steam (both in boring 3D and VR!)
- Stadia
- Nintendo Switch
- PlayStation 4 (again, boring version and VR)
- Xbox One
- Oculus Quest, Rift and GO
- iOS/iPadOS
- Android.
With a list of platforms this impressive, this is bound to be an instant classic and a smash hit, right?
Thumper: Pocket Edition is, for those that have no clue what I’ve been talking about up to now, the “mobile port” of the award-winning Rhythm-Action game Thumper.
The apparent simplicity of the game is made fairly clear right from the start, before even downloading the game, as described by the developers:
Thumper is rhythm violence: classic action, blistering speed, and brutal physicality. You are a space beetle. Brave the void and confront a maniacal giant head.
Drool
What’s so special about Thumper: Pocket Edition?
Why not just grab it on literally any other platform? Well, I’ve got an answer (or two) to that question.
Simply put, Thumper: Pocket Edition is a beautiful game that you simply can’t let go of. In the process of writing this review, I’ve found myself going full teenager and saying (to myself): “Just one more minute”. Well, that “minute” lasted about 2 hours before finally setting aside the controller.
Does Thumper: Pocket Edition have full controller support?
It has full controller support, although I find it weird that this isn’t mentioned anywhere on the App Store or on Google Play (unless you read the Version History or What’s New section). This may just be an oversight that I would personally love to see corrected (this is a recurring theme for many games on both the App Store and on Google Play).
Say you don’t want to carry around a bulky controller just in case you’ve got 5-10 minutes of downtime when you can play Thumper: Pocket Edition.
How does the control scheme work out of the box?
Honestly? It took me some getting used to. As with many other games, on-screen controls lack the tactile feedback that you sometimes want (or need). That being said, with enough practice I’m sure you’d be able to blitz through the 9 gorgeously psychedelic levels.
How difficult is Thumper: Pocket Edition?
Speaking of level design, the seemingly endless sections are so well made that I sometimes found myself screwing up on purpose, just to make them last longer. While the game isn’t easy, it doesn’t punish you (too much) for getting things wrong. Sure, your beetle’s armor can only take so much, but you can always recover or redo parts that you didn’t manage to get through the first time.
Does Thumper: Pocket Edition have a good sound track?
The soundtrack is a perfect match for the fast-paced action and I’m now looking at buying it just to have it around while working out (they also released it on vinyl, but I feel like that’s been sold out for a long time with minimum chances of ever seeing it for sale again).
Is Thumper: Pocket Edition a good premium mobile game that is worth buying?
Definitely. We wish to see more developers take a page from Drool’s book and actually make the appropriate changes to their games when porting them to a different system.
How to download Thumper: Pocket Edition?
Well, here’s where it get’s a bit complicated, and maybe weird? It’s available from the Play Store for Android devices for $4.99. On the App Store for iOS, iPad OS and M1 Macs in iOS Mode it’s available for $1.99. Or free with an Apple Arcade subscription.
Congrats, you made it to the end of the article where we asked the question: Is Thumper a good premium mobile game? I hope it was beneficial to you. It’s also beneficial to us to have you stick around the blog more. We have more articles that could be of use, such as this one, which teaches you how to run iOS or iPad OS games on a Mac.
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