Get Thumped On: Thumper Adds Permadeath Mode

You may have THUMP THUMP THUMPED the thumping great audiovisual assault of Thumper [official site] by now but you've not bested it. You've only made it angry. Thumper is back, faster and meaner. A new update has added a faster, harder, 'Play +' mode, where you'll game over if you die once. Permadeath thumping. Oh you'll take a thumping, chummo.

Thumper, I'll briefly explain for folks who've missed it, is a musical nightmare screeching down a hellroad. That's probably not a helpful explanation. You control a metallic beetle roaring down a track, dodging obstacles, making turns, hovering, and so on, scoring points and making a hell of a noise between the doomy soundtrack and sound effects. It looks and sounds amazing. Do check out Pip's interview about Thumper's art and Wot Alec Thinks of the game, which includes paragraphs like:

"Its sounds grind and boom and quake, do something to the belly, tweak nerves along the spinal cord, create an overwhelming sensation that I am about to be murdered. Or perhaps that I am about to commit a murder."

He's a dark horse, that Alec. Anyway! Let's talk about new stuff.

Play + mode casts players as beautiful golden beetle for this death-or-glory challenge. It screams along faster, you score higher, and life is so beautiful, so frail. If you die, you'll need to start the whole game over from scratch.

To unlock Play + mode, you need to have beaten at least level 3 in the original campaign.

Thumper is £15.99/19,99€/$19.99 on Steam, or if you buy from Itch you still get a Steam key but the devs get more money.