I have a real tender spot for Trombone Champ, a rhythm game about blowing horns to music that works perfectly with a mouse. I’m also a huge fan of Beat Saber, a rhythm game where you slice blocks that whizz toward you in VR.
You see where this is going. Trombone Champ: Unflattened brings that 2022 honking to the virtual reality of 2024.
This much is obvious: Yes, I’ll be holding my hands in front of me like I’m holding a trombone, and I’ll be virtually parrying. But Unflattened seems to be adding a lot more than just a change of perspective. You can customize your trombone by spray-painting it different colors, there are collectible cards, there’s a narration mode, and there are 50 songs to play.
The VR port is being handled by Flat2VR Studios, which previously created the VR version of FlatOut and others. It is set to release this fall for all major VR headsets, including via Steam.
I hope it will also feature mod support. Most of my love for Trombone Champ came from what the community did with it, whether it was the banter and growing ambition of Gloomhonk’s custom tracks, or the spirited competition of the Trombone Champ Championship.
