Wednesday, 28 August, 2024 UTC
Summary
Trombone Champ: Unflattened is an intriguing adaptation of the rhythm comedy game, though not everything translates perfectly for VR. Here are our impressions.
When Flat2VR Studios was formally announced back in March, I had many guesses as to what its first official VR release would be, especially considering how many established modders are involved following previous VR projects. Admittedly, none of those guesses were Trombone Champ, the hit 2D rhythm game from Holy Wow Studios that first appeared back in 2022.
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I'm still pleasantly surprised Trombone Champ: Unflattened officially exists, and that's even when taking Raicuparta's previous BaboonVR mod into consideration. During a brief hands-on demo on Quest 3 at Gamescom 2024, I experienced three sometimes challenging songs in this demo, and you could've convinced me this was a completely new game.
Some enjoyable changes ensure Trombone Champ feels right at home in VR. The 2D levels are completely gone, and Unflattened places you inside a 3D concert hall with unique animations. Your performance features live reactions from the Mii-like characters in the audience, whose hilarious responses range from enthusiastic approval to almost looking traumatized by your poor performance.
Notes appear on your left and right at alternating intervals. Just be careful not to toot your own horn for too long. since your character runs out of breath if that happens. Seeing the audience applaud your performance is particularly nice and more points are earned by maintaining combos that rewardingly builds a multiplier, gradually filling out a 'CHAMP meter' that awards more points. Finishing a song then earns you 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 how these notes appear leaves the control scheme feeling slightly awkward. Notes move up and down the screen as the song progresses, while the trombone's slider needs you to move your hand forward and backward.
The slider's motion matches playing an actual trombone but your movement doesn't match how notes appear on screen. I keep thinking I must move my hand up and down instead, not forward and backward. That issue will likely improve with continued practice, though I'd keep making that same mistake throughout the entire demo.
The reveal confirmed unlockable and customizable trombones, collectible trombone cards, and mixed reality support, though I didn't see any of that in my demo. Unflattened offers an intriguing rhythm game, and I'm pleased to see so much care is being put into this official VR adaptation. Despite my control issues, Trombone Champ's charming character is still absolutely present here.
Trombone Champ: Unflattened launches this fall on the Meta Quest platform, Steam, and PSVR 2.