Trombone Champ
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Trombone Champ
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Trombone Champ is a downloadable music rhythm game for Windows PCs. Players take on the role of a trombonist, performing a variety of songs to see how accurate their performance is. There's nothing offensive in the lyrics or in the game in general, although the crudeness of turning acquired cards into poop and then molding that poop into cards you want could seem a bit excessive. Otherwise, players are encouraged to repeatedly play songs for higher scores and mastery of tracks, which range from easy to incredibly difficult.
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What’s It About?
Unlike other rhythm games, which might focus on drums, guitars, or singing, TROMBONE HERO puts the spotlight on the big brass instrument that anchors jazz, swing, and high school bands. Players will have the opportunity to blare though more than 20 different songs, such as The Star-Spangled Banner, Take Me Out to the Ball Game, and The William Tell Overture. You'll have the opportunity to play folk songs, ska tracks, and even electronica. While you have the option to play any note you want, accurately getting your music pointer close to the music track will earn you "toots," which act as a form of in-game currency. These toots can be redeemed to unlock new trombone characters, colorful skins for your instrument, and even Tromboner Cards, which include a number of interesting facts about musical artists. But there's a lot of surprises to be uncovered in the game: why are there so many baboons and hot dogs referenced? What's the mysterious hatch that's featured on a menu screen? What else can your toots and cards do? Only by picking up a trombone and taking the challenge will you discover the answers to these questions.
Is It Any Good?
It's quirky, it's raucous, and it's unexpected, but this rhythm game is a blast to play once you get the hang of it. Trombone Champ isn't like other rhythm games – you can play any note that you want without hearing incorrect notes like you might in Guitar Hero or Rock Band. But instead of letting you make your own music, Trombone Champ guides you with recognizable, entertaining songs. It's hilarious to hum along to Skip to my Lou or God Save the King as you're tooting and blaring away, realizing just how great the song sounds while getting a top score or improving on your score to unlock additional cards and secrets. In fact, the extras give Trombone Champ longevity. Earning toots to unlock cards and eventually participate in the hidden "plot" gives you a reason to keep playing and replaying tracks. Some people will get turned off by part of the collecting mechanic of turning duplicate cards into poop, and then refashioning poop into the cards you actually want. But even this issue fades away if you lean into the game's absurd, off the wall premise.
That's actually somewhat necessary, because one of the minor faults with Trombone Champ is that the track listing is a bit light. The basic game comes with just over 20 songs, and while there are new tracks and custom songs are being added to the game, they're not going to be coming as quickly as other rhythm games. That means you're going to be playing the same songs over and over, but this also makes sense when it comes to practicing music and mastering songs. Beyond that, you're also going to find yourself playing this in bursts, especially if you're willing to try to take on some of the more difficult songs. The speed of the notes, coupled with the challenge of some songs, can easily tire your hands, so you'll only want to play this game in short sessions to not cramp your fingers. If you can train your fingers and overlook the repetition, though, Trombone Champ can reign as the new rhythm game for PCs.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about perseverance. Trombone Champ stresses the need to practice to hit notes and perfect songs, but does this feel like the same kind of effort needed to learn music? Could you apply this kind of discipline to an actual instrument? Does this feel too arcade like instead?
Much of the commentary in Trombone Champ makes fun of songs, trombones, hot dogs, and other things, but does it go too far? Does the lighthearted nature make the game seem way too absurd instead of focusing on the music? Could it actually go farther with the absurdity?
Game Details
- Platform: Windows
- Pricing structure: Paid ($14.99)
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Holy Wow
- Release date: September 15, 2022
- Genre: Music & Dance
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- ESRB rating: NR for No Descriptions
- Last updated: October 21, 2022
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