The not-so-serious rhythm game
There’s little doubt you’ve heard of Trombone Champ. The game launched in September 2022 to critical acclaim and was nominated for a BAFTA award. It spawned countless YouTube videos where content creators hilariously played the trombone as terribly as possible. Everyone, apparently, loved it.
So why would you want to play it again in VR? Because, this time, you’re actually playing a trombone instead of just sliding a mouse or joystick up and down. You’ll hold both controllers as if you’re holding a physical trombone and slide your leading hand forward and backward to change notes.
While it uses a similar sliding note UI from the flat version, it’s not right in front of your face. Instead, you’ll find it placed at an angle going away from you so that the notes float forward, similar to other rhythm games. Being on both sides of the screen encourages more movement and makes it easier to see what’s coming up next.
Physically sliding the tuning slide forward and backward is an incredibly fun and visceral mechanic. This gives you true control over the notes and makes it more fun to play than just tapping a joystick up and down. Because of it, you’ll develop muscle memory over time, so playing each note feels authentically like playing a note from a real trombone.
Of course, this is where the “real” portion of the game stops and, quite frankly, why it’s so much fun. Very little in the game is taken seriously, and it is absolutely a fun-first approach. Songs can be completed without playing a single note correctly, and while you won’t score very well, you’ll have a blast the whole way through.
Music selection is incredibly varied, featuring 58 tracks that encompass everything from classical to literal meme internet songs. But it doesn’t stop there! The Lunar New Year update that just launched features full custom song support in-headset, which means you won’t have to hook up a PC or do any modding to get your favorites in game. Eat your heart out, Beat Saber.
Progression is pretty standard rhythm game fare, but you can always free-play if you don’t want to follow the required progression track. My favorite part of the progression is how the game requires you to earn specific collectible cards to unlock different trombones and other items.
Each collectible card is usually about a real composer, musician, instrument, or other musical item, but all of them have hilarious descriptions and artwork. The game is weirdly obsessed with hot dogs and always interjects hot dog-related humor into these cards. It’s as bizarre as it sounds, but in keeping with the rest of the game’s theme, it’s pure comedy.
Custom trombones can also make custom sounds, so they do something more than just look cool or funny. Laughter is medicine for the soul, and it’s clear my soul is pretty healthy after playing this game. I’ve never laughed so hard at any rhythm game before, and it’s become a weekly “prescription” for me since its launch in November.
Seriously, it’s the best you’ll probably ever spend on the Quest store.
