Trombone Champ
A rhythm game where players slide a virtual trombone to hit notes.
Trombone Champ is a 2022 rhythm video game developed and published by American studio Holy Wow Studios. Similar in gameplay to Guitar Hero and Wii Music, it tasks players with timing their input to music note prompts. The debut indie title became an Internet meme on Steam and was nominated for the British Academy Games Award for Debut Game and Family Game of the Year at the 26th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Holy Wow Studios
- Genre
- Music, rhythm
- Modes
- Single-player, multiplayer
- Engine
- Unity
- Platforms
- Windows
- macOS
- Nintendo Switch
- Meta Quest
- PlayStation 5
- Director
- Dan Vecchitto
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
In Trombone Champ, players control a virtual trombone to perform along with a mix of classical, public domain, original, and remixed songs. Pitch is adjusted by moving the mouse, and notes are played by clicking the mouse button or pressing keyboard keys. Successfully hitting sliding notes earns points, with extra points awarded for keeping a combo streak and filling a meter that triggers Champ Fever for a temporary boost. Missing notes resets the combo multiplier, cancels Champ Fever, and can deduct points. Holding a note too long causes the player to briefly run out of breath. After each song, players get a rank from F to S and earn Toots, a currency used to buy Tromboner Cards—humorous trading cards featuring trivia about musicians, trombones, and game lore. Duplicate or unwanted cards can be turned into Turds, which are spent to create new cards. Hidden non-playable characters help the player become the Trombone Champ. By completing requests for Toots, Turds, or specific Tromboner Cards, players unlock extra playable characters, trombone colors, and sound sets. A secret boss level also exists, requiring specific conditions to fully defeat and earn the title of Trombone Champ.
Development
Creator Dan Vecchitto had long considered an arcade game based on a trombone-like slide controller as a joke, then realized the mouse cursor could act as the slide, forming a game concept. His studio Holy Wow Studios, a group of part-time developers, expected the game to take about six months but it took four years. Two features extended development: the Tromboner Cards parodying loot box systems, and a loose story involving baboons parodying Dark Souls narratives. A small open playtest a month before planned release generated far more feedback than expected. After the full release in September 2022, the game went viral, drawing more players and feedback, leading Vecchitto to consider additional features and console ports. A Nintendo Switch port was announced during a Nintendo Direct on September 14, 2023 and released the same day, featuring alternative control schemes using Joy-Con gyroscopic and infrared sensors, plus local multiplayer for up to four players. Localization for ten languages was added on March 14, 2024. A VR adaptation, Trombone Champ: Unflattened by Flat2VR Studios, supporting Meta Quest, Steam VR, and PlayStation VR2, released on November 26, 2024. A March 13, 2025 patch added native custom track support and a level editor for Windows and macOS; Steam Workshop browsing and subscribing was added June 18, 2025. The first three official DLC packs, providing 34 tracks from Undertale, Deltarune, Celeste, and Pizza Tower, released on December 18, 2025.
Track listing
The base game contains 76 playable tracks: 63 arrangements of public domain music, 10 original compositions, and 3 contributed by third-party artists. Holy Wow Studios expanded the tracklist through free updates and expressed interest in future downloadable content. Unofficial mods allowed custom tracks before official support arrived. On December 18, 2025, three DLC song packs added 34 tracks, with seven additional tracks added on March 19, 2026.
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