Parents' Guide to Trombone Champ

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.