APP STORE AWARDS

Apple Vision Pro Game of the Year

THRASHER: Arcade Odyssey

thrash and slither to survive

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Nothing could have prepared us for the sights, sounds, and dangers in Thrasher’s impossibly weird worlds.

—App Store Editors

A space eel. Mysterious monoliths. Groves of crystalline trees. From Thrasher’s first level, we felt like we’d been transported somewhere truly alien.

Gliding around and smashing through stuff feels effortless with the game’s gesture controls.

We’d never seen anything quite like the game’s psychedelic eel, which you control with intuitive hand gestures that make you feel incredibly connected to the cosmic beast. Swing your arm to ram glowing targets. Flick your wrist to dodge a lethal forcefield. Each move feels surprisingly natural.

Spatial Audio and the infinite canvas of Apple Vision Pro made the experience all the more breathtaking. Strange landscapes enveloped us with undulating tendrils. Shimmering platforms floated above and below. The immersive soundtrack shifted from ethereal melodies to surging beats as enemy bosses appeared.

Thrasher’s far-out setting and tight arcade action gel perfectly—each world’s sinister vibe is balanced by the rush of swooping around and growing larger with each target you hit.

It’s also for everyone: Score-chasing players boost their points by pulling off impressive feats, while those wanting to soak up the sights can simply focus on beating waves and defeating huge bosses, like a fanged skull with a massive tongue. However you play, you can’t lose: Fail any wave twice and you’re given infinite time to pass it on your third try.

Hypnotic and hospitable? On any world, that’s one slick combination.

Quick tip

The dash power-up—which lets you crash through targets and enemies alike without taking damage—is a game changer. Once it appears, use it liberally to avoid time-sucking collisions with adversaries.

Fun fact

Thrasher’s groundbreaking controls were based on an unlikely art form. “We like to anchor the core of our spatial projects around powerful-feeling gestures, and we were inspired by the satisfying feeling of ribbon dancing,” says co-creator Mike Mandel. “This led to the mechanic of elegantly swooping around the cosmic eel with a wave of your hand.”

Meet the creator

Brian Gibson and Mike Mandel of game studio Puddle are longtime collaborators who previously worked together on a music game and a virtual reality synthesizer. “For me, seeing Thrasher on Vision Pro’s micro-OLED display for the first time was pretty mind-blowing,” Gibson says. “It brought out so much vibrant color I didn’t expect to see.”