While the high-level pitch for virtual reality is often that it transports the player to another world, I’ve never found that to be the best VR game. In my experience, the experiences I like most are extremely puzzling, colorful, and strange; more like hallucinatory episodes than portals to another world. That’s why Beat Saber remains one of the most popular VR games out there, and why Rez Infinite is one of my favorite VR games of all time.
The latest from Thumper composer and artist Brian Gibson, Thrasher is the latest in its kind of VR game and is one of my favorite games I’ve played in VR so far thanks to its simple, yet captivating gameplay. Thrasher hasn’t gotten much attention pre-release, but if you have a Meta Quest headset, you should definitely pick it up now that it’s released.
THRASHER | Release Date Trailer | Meta Quest
In Thrasher, players control a space eel in an abstract cosmic environment. There isn’t much to worry about in terms of story, just the dazzling visuals to look at as players progress through each level and face off against cosmic beings. Gibson’s soundtrack is fantastic, sounding just as fantastical as the levels in Thrasher. While this isn’t exactly a rhythm game, the sounds and sights of each stage complete the experience.
Thrasher is incredibly easy to play, making it a great VR game for those unfamiliar with the technology. Players simply use their hands or a Meta Quest controller to guide an eel through white shapes that move across the screen. The shapes appear in waves, and the time the player has left at the end of the level is their final score, which is displayed on a leaderboard.
Living things
Because the controls are simple, it’s easy to get into a flow state while playing Thrasher. The eels move like ribbons of dancing streamers; just moving them across the screen when nothing else is happening is mesmerizing. As shapes appear around me, I feel the same excitement as in games like Fruit Ninja as I try to slice through them as quickly as possible. The nature of VR anchored my senses to the action, further immersing me in the surreal experience.
As you progress in Thrasher, more obstacles appear. The goal is to get the eel through all the white lines on the screen as quickly as possible, but red lines start to appear in your movement pattern that interrupt your flow and subtract time when you hit them. Each level concludes with a boss battle, presenting the most difficult pattern to move through without hitting the red lines.
Thrasher adds new twists to the gameplay over time, including a collection of small lines that the player must navigate through one after the other. With each new level, I was excited to see what pattern, shape, or mechanic Thrasher would reveal next. It’s a lot more laid back than Thumper, but it’s still exhilarating to narrowly avoid a red line or get your eel through the final line with just seconds left.
Living things
While many VR games feel cumbersome to control, Thrasher’s controls could have easily been used on the Nintendo Wii. This gives it an instant playability that makes you want to go back and beat your time on each level, while also giving you a dopamine hit every time you beat a wave. Thrasher quickly established itself as one of the best VR games I’ve played, and a reminder that the technology still has a lot of potential. I’d love to see more games that focus less on creating virtual worlds and more on crafting unforgettable audiovisual experiences.
Thrasher is currently available for Meta Quest 2, 3, Pro, and Apple Vision Pro. A PC VR version is due for release in December this year, with a non-VR version of the game also in development.
