Trombone Champ: Unflattened is a fascinating adaptation of the rhythm comedy game, although not everything translates perfectly to VR. Here are our impressions.
When Flat2VR Studios was officially announced in March, I had a lot of guesses about what the first official VR release would be, especially considering how many established modders are involved after previous VR projects. Admittedly, none of those guesses involved Trombone Champ, Holy Wow Studios’ hit 2D rhythm game that first appeared in 2022.
I’m still pleasantly surprised that Trombone Champ: Unflattened officially exists, even considering Raicuparta’s previous BaboonVR mod. During a brief hands-on demo on Quest 3 at Gamescom 2024, I experienced three sometimes challenging songs in that demo, and I could have been convinced that this was an entirely new game.
Some fun changes make Trombone Champ feel right at home in VR. The 2D levels are completely gone, and Unflattened puts you in a 3D concert hall with unique animations. Your performance includes live reactions from the Mii-like characters in the audience, whose hilarious responses range from enthusiastic approval to looking almost traumatized by your poor performance.
Notes will appear at alternating intervals to your left and right. Just be careful not to bang the drum for too long or your character will run out of breath. It’s especially nice to have the crowd applaud your performance, and you’ll earn more points by keeping up combos, which rewardingly build up a multiplier and gradually fill a “CHAMP meter” that gives you more points. When you finish a song, you’ll then be given a rank from F to S.
This approach adapts the flatscreen game as well as I could realistically hope, and it’s certainly a unique approach compared to VR’s biggest rhythm games like Beat Saber and Synth Riders. But the disconnect between your physical movement and the way those notes appear makes the control scheme feel a little odd. The notes move up and down as the song progresses, while the trombone’s slider requires you to move your hand back and forth.
The movement of the slider is the same as playing a real trombone, but your movement doesn’t correspond to the notes that appear on the screen. I keep thinking I need to move my hand up and down, not back and forth. This problem will probably improve with practice, although I keep making the same mistake throughout the demo.
The reveal confirmed unlockable and customizable trombones, collectible trombone cards, and mixed reality support, although I didn’t see any of that in my demo. Unflattened offers a fascinating rhythm game, and I’m happy to see so much care put into this official VR adaptation. Despite my control issues, Trombone Champ’s charming character is still absolutely present here.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened will be released this fall on the Meta Quest platform, Steam, and PSVR 2.
