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Trombone Champ

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Trombone Champ
Developer(s)Holy Wow Studios
Publisher(s)Holy Wow Studios
Director(s)Dan Vecchitto
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
ReleaseSeptember 15, 2022
Genre(s)Music, rhythm
Mode(s)Single-player

Trombone Champ is a 2022 trombone-based rhythm game developed and published by Holy Wow Studios,[1][2] released on September 15, 2022.[3] Similar in gameplay to rhythm game titles Guitar Hero and Wii Music, players are tasked with timing their input to music note prompts as they appear on screen, with greater accuracy yielding more points and a higher score.[4][5][6] The debut indie title reached widespread popularity on Steam after becoming an Internet meme.[7][8][9]

Gameplay

Trombone Champ is a rhythm game in which players use a virtual trombone to play along to various songs, ranging from classical and public domain songs to original tracks and remixes. Players move the mouse to change the pitch of the trombone and use either the mouse button or keyboard keys to play. Players earn points by successfully hitting notes as they slide across the screen, with more points earned by maintaining successive combos and filling a meter that activates Champ Fever when filled, earning even more points. Missing notes, however, will cause the player to lose their combo multiplier and Champ Fever, as well as potentially lose points. Players will also momentarily run out of breath if they hold a note for too long. At the end of each song, players receive a rank from F to S based on their score, as well as an in-game currency known as Toots. Toots can be spent on in-game trading cards known as Tromboner Cards, which contain humorous and sometimes fictional trivia about musicians, trombones, and game lore. Unwanted or duplicate cards can be transformed into Turds, which can then be spent to create new cards. Hidden throughout the game are non-playable characters who assist the player in becoming the eponymous Trombone Champ. By fulfilling requests such as offering a certain amount of Toots or Turds or trading specific Tromboner Cards, players can unlock additional playable characters, trombone colors, and sound sets. There is also a secret boss level that requires certain conditions to fully defeat and claim the title of Trombone Champ.

Development

Creator Dan Vecchitto had long thought of an arcade video game based on moving a trombone-like slide controller, but the idea was always a joke. He later got the idea of using the mouse cursor to act as the trombone slide, and realized that there was a game concept behind that. His studio, Holy Wow Studios, was a group of part-time developers and while Vecchitto had thought it would take only about six months to realize the game, it ended up taking four years. Two features of the game forced the longer development time: the introduction of the Tromboner Cards, which was to parody loot box systems in other games, and a loose story involving baboons, which Vecchitto created in parody of the Dark Souls series' narratives.[10]

The studio ran a small open playtesting of the game a month ahead of its planned release, from which they received a far greater amount of feedback than expected. When the game was first fully released in September 2022, the reaction to the game went viral, drawing in more players and feedback. Due to this, Vecchitto says they are considering more features as well as potential console ports of the game.[10]

Track listing

As of December 15, 2022, Trombone Champ has 34 playable tracks, including 7 original pieces, 1 contributed compositions by Max Tundra, and 28 arrangements of public domain music.[11][12] Developer Holy Wow Studios has expanded the number of playable tracks through free updates, and expressed interest in using future downloadable content to expand the tracklist as well.[13]

  Public domain   Original   Contributed

Title Composer Added in
"Also sprach Zarathustra" Richard Strauss v1.00 (original release)
"Auld Lang Syne" (Champ Mix) Robert Burns, Holy Wow Studios
"Baboons!" Holy Wow Studios
"Beethoven's Fifth Symphony" Ludwig van Beethoven
"The Blue Danube" Johann Strauss II
"Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
"Eine kleine" (Champ Mix) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Holy Wow Studios
"Eine kleine Nachtmusik" (Trap Mix) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Holy Wow Studios
"The Entertainer" Scott Joplin
"Entry of the Gladiators" Julius Fučík
"God Save the King" Unknown
"Hava Nagila" Abraham Zevi Idelsohn
"Long-Tail Limbo" Max Tundra
"O Canada" Calixa Lavallée
"Old Gray Mare" Thomas Francis McNulty
"SkaBIRD" Holy Wow Studios
"Skip to My Lou" Unknown
"Stars and Stripes Forever" John Philip Sousa
"The Star-Spangled Banner" Francis Scott Key, John Stafford Smith
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" Albert Von Tilzer, Jack Norworth
"Trombone Fuerte" Holy Wow Studios
"Trombone Skyze" Holy Wow Studios
"Warm-Up" Holy Wow Studios
"William Tell Overture" Gioachino Rossini
"Rosamunde" (Beer Barrel Polka) Jaromír Vejvoda v1.03 (September 21, 2022)[14]
"Jarabe Tapatío" Jesús González Rubio v1.05 (September 29, 2022)[15]
"ARE U READY 4 THIZ?" Holy Wow Studios v1.07 (October 15, 2022)[16]
"Happy Birthday to You" (Ska Mix) Patty Hill, Mildred J. Hill, Holy Wow Studios
"Ode to Joy" Ludwig van Beethoven
Martian Killbots!!!" Holy Wow Studios v1.08 (October 30, 2022)[17]
"The Celebrated Chop Waltz" Euphemia Allen v1.085 (November 14, 2022)[18]
"Sakura Sakura" Unknown v1.087 (November 30, 2022)[19]
"Taps" Daniel Butterfield, Oliver Wilcox Norton v1.088 (December 7, 2022)[20]
"La Marseillaise" Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
"Jingle Bells (Jazz Mix)" James Lord Pierpont, Holy Wow Studios v1.089 (December 15, 2022)[21]
"Max Tundra's Silent Night" Franz Xaver Gruber, Max Tundra

In addition to the first-party included tracks listed above, there are many custom tracks which can be loaded into the game using unofficial mods. Notable examples include the DragonForce song "Through the Fire and Flames"[22][23] and Sephiroth's theme "One-Winged Angel".[24]

References

  1. ^ "Trombone Champ's developers want to take the game "farther than we originally planned"". The Verge. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  2. ^ Christopher Livingston (September 22, 2022). "Trombone Champ creator sounds off about baboons, trombone traphouse, and Goku vs Vegeta". PC Gamer. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Carey, Kirsten (September 22, 2022). "The Internet Is Obsessed With the Absurdity of This Trombone Rhythm Game". The Mary Sue. Retrieved December 9, 2022.
  4. ^ Korn, Jennifer. "The internet's new favorite video game is like 'Guitar Hero' but with trombones". CNN. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  5. ^ Clark, Nicole (September 21, 2022). "There is no song that cannot be improved by Trombone Champ". Polygon. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Play The Trombone Game, It's Great". Kotaku. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  7. ^ "Trombone Champ is a new game that's exactly what it sounds like, and the videos are hysterical". For The Win. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  8. ^ "Trombone version of "Guitar Hero" goes viral: "Best video game ever made"". Newsweek. September 21, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Trombone Champ is the internet's new favorite video game. The developer never expected the toots to go viral". NBC News. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  10. ^ a b Disndale, Ryan (September 30, 2022). "How Trombone Champ Evolved from an Inside Joke to a Viral Success". IGN. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  11. ^ Pace, Emma (September 22, 2022). "Trombone Champ – Full Song List". Pro Game Guides. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  12. ^ "'Terrible music and absurdity': introducing Trombone Champ, the internet's new favourite video game". The Guardian. September 23, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2022.
  13. ^ Wait, Christian (September 22, 2022). "Trombone Champ Song List - All Tracks Confirmed". HITC. Retrieved September 22, 2022.
  14. ^ "Trombone Champ - v1.03 is live! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. September 21, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  15. ^ "Trombone Champ - New Track: "Jarabe Tapatio," The Mexican Hat Dance! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. September 29, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  16. ^ "Trombone Champ - v1.07 is live! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. October 15, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  17. ^ "Trombone Champ - v1.08 is live! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. October 30, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  18. ^ "Trombone Champ - v1.085 is live! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  19. ^ "Trombone Champ - v1.087 is live! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. November 30, 2022. Retrieved December 1, 2022.
  20. ^ "Trombone Champ - v1.088 is live! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. December 7, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  21. ^ "Trombone Champ - 1.089 is live, with Holiday Tracks! - Steam News". store.steampowered.com. Holy Wow Studios. December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 16, 2022.
  22. ^ Wallace, Chris (October 11, 2022). "'Trombone Champ' offers its greatest challenge yet with 'Through the Fire and Flames' mod". NME. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  23. ^ Petrovich, Erik (October 10, 2022). "The Most Infamous Guitar Hero Song Comes To Trombone Champ". SVG. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
  24. ^ Campbell, Cody D. (October 19, 2022). "Final Fantasy 7 Meets Trombone Champ In Hilarious Mod". SVG. Retrieved November 7, 2022.
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