Thumper is different to other rhythm games in that it doesn't really give you a clear beat and a place to drop in the button presses. Rather you have to kind of get into the groove of the music and put the sounds in where they sound right and fit what the level demands. It's more logical in practice than it sounds. It's also unusual in that the music is not exactly what you would generally find in the typical rhythm game - it's not percussive and not overly rhythmic.