Thumper Rhythm violence at full speed

The whole game runs on a stick and a single button. You thump notes on the track, hold to grind through turns, and slam to smash obstacles or hit a boost note. That is nearly everything, and it is enough: the speed climbs, the patterns twist, and suddenly you are chaining turns, slams and lane changes at a velocity that turns your stomach. The levels teach you in small steps, each section adding one new wrinkle right when you think you have it figured out. After an intense stretch the game gives you a short breather, coasting along a calm stretch of track before it kicks back in. You will need those breathers.

This is a rhythm game that behaves like a horror game. The visuals are minimalist and psychedelic: a metal beetle on a rail, hurtling through a dark void toward Crakhed, a maniacal giant head from the future that does not want you to arrive. The soundtrack, by Brian Gibson of noise-rock band Lightning Bolt, is less melody than industrial engine, all pounding drums and syncopation, and every crash you land is woven into it. Boss battles punctuate the nine levels, and the closer you get to that head, the more the whole thing feels like a nightmare you are somehow winning.