Trombone Champ, the infamous trombone-based rhythm game, will be available via Nintendo Switch “later today,�it was announced at today’s Nintendo Direct. Yes �that’s correct, the rhythm game that made its rounds in the meme space not long ago with poorly tuned renditions of The Blue Danube Waltz or Eine Kleine Nachtmusik is back, arguably on the platform it was always meant to be on.

According to the new trailer, t?he Switch version has support for gyro controls, allowing players to shift the pitch of their trombone up or down with the flick of their wrist. This can also be accomplished using the IR mot??ion camera on the right JoyCon. In that mode, it would appear moving your hand closer to the sensor raises the pitch, while moving it further away lowers it.

In addition, this version of Trombone Champ supports loc??al, four-player multiplayer, which �well, let’s just say that sounds like a very interesting experience and leave it at that. 

Trombone Champ will be available on Nintendo Switch?? later today, according to t??he new trailer. 

The post Trombone Champ on Switch looks like ??the way it was m??eant to be played appeared first on Destructoid.

Groove to the beat

When you ask a rhythm game fan to list their favorite titles, good money says that they'll start rattling off a bunch of games you can't actually play. Many of the "best" rhythm games are available only to those with access to a halfway-decent arcade or expensive peripherals. Most of those expensive and inaccessible games are excellent, but what are the odds that you'll actually play Dance Dance Revolution A20 or Rock Band 3 in the near future?

If you're like me and only have a couple of modern consoles and a halfway decent PC, it can be hard to break into rhythm gaming. Thankfully, there are plenty of top-tier titles readily available on modern platforms. They might not be quite as good as the finest offerings at a Round1, but they do have ?the undeniable benefit of being playable.

10. UNBEATABLE [white label]

[caption id="attachment_356563" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via D-CELL GAMES[/caption]

UNBEATABLE, a rhythm game with the panache and style of an anime fighting game, probably won't be out until the end of 2023. Its "demo," UNBEATABLE [white label], is out right now, and beyond being an?? impressive taste of what's to come, it's also one of the best rhythm games on PC.

UNBEATABLE [white label] is less of a demo and more of a companion piece to UNBEATABLE. The game has its own story, which is currently incomplete (per developer D-CELL GAMES, it will be completed with a series of episodic releases). More importantly, it's got a killer soundtrack and truly engaging visuals. It's a real treat, especially at the low low price of free. While I'm pretty excited for UNBEATABLE, I'm more than happy to spend more time with [white label].

9. Incredibox

[caption id="attachment_356565" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via So Far So Good[/caption]

I'm not sure if Incredibox counts as a "rhythm game," but it has the "rhythm" tag on Steam and it rocks, so I'm including it. Incredibox is a kind of music production toy which involves layering different loops over one another to create awesome music. It's almost impossible to make something that soun?ds bad.

Incredibox doesn't have a lose state and it doesn't involve tapping anything to the beat, so it might not be a rhythm game in the same way the other titles on this list are. Still, I have often felt that the joy of rhythm games comes from the imitation of "creating" music, and Incredibox is a pretty n?atural evolution of that concept. If you love music, it's at least wor??th checking out.

8. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory

[caption id="attachment_356567" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

I really wanted to put a Theatrhythm game on this list. Unfortunately, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy and its sequel, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call are both trapped on the 3DS, and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-Star Carnival is an arcade exclusive. So, while we wait for the Theatrhythm series to return to modern home platforms in February, I'll give this spot to another Square Enix/indieszero collaboration: Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory.

This isn't just a consolation prize - Melody of Memory is great. It's probably the easiest game on this list, but it's got nearly every song from one of the best franchise soundtracks in video game history. Rhythmic "combat" is an idea that's been tried before, and it's not at its deepest here, but it's undeniably very satisfying. There are plenty of games that can rigorously test your dexterity and sense of rhythm, but when you just want to feel good tapping away at some beautiful music, it's tough to do better than Melody of Memory. It's one of my favorite Kingdom Hearts games,?? and it's also an excellent rhythm g??ame in its own right.

7. Trombone Champ

[caption id="attachment_356568" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Nothing in Trombone Champ sounds "good," but that's not really the point. This uproariously funny title places you in control of a "tromboner" (the game's word, not mine) and gives you free rein to play whatever music you want. There is a beatmap here, but the game absolutely?? will not help you hew to it at all, which means that most of your tromboning will consist of playing a note that's either just barely wrong or entirely wrong.

There might be a way to get good at Trombone Champ. I've never seen it happen, and I've never tried to do it. I'm happy to ??be the world's worst trombon??er. It's funnier this way.

6. Metal: Hellsinger

[caption id="attachment_356104" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Funcom[/caption]

Metal: Hellsinger recently found its way onto my list of personal favorites from 2022, and with good reason. This rhythmic first-person shooter actually feels like both a rhythm game and a first-person shooter. What's more, it feels like a good rhythm game and a good first-person shooter.

If you enjoy heavy metal, DOOM (2016), and rhythm gaming, then this game is pretty narrowly targeted at you. Even if you don't like any of those things, though, you probably won't be able to resist falling for Metal: Hellsinger's charms. How m?any games feature Troy Baker as a talking? skull narrating over a Matt Heafy solo?

5. Rhythm Doctor

[caption id="attachment_356569" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Rhythm Doctor is phenomenal. This charming early access rhythm game is deeper and more interesting than most fully released games of the past several years. Rhythm Doctor is set in a struggling cardiac hospital that mak?es the decision to employ a remote intern. Your job i??s to restart patients' hearts by tapping one button to the beat.

It's not as heavy as it sounds - in fact, Rhythm Doctor is quite goofy. The game's world is vibrant and zany, populated by really interesting characters (not exac?tly a common thread in rhythm games??). It also wrings a very impressive amount of mechanical complexity out of just one button, and, of course, the music is amazing.

4. Crypt of the Necrodancer

[caption id="attachment_356570" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Crypt of the Necrodancer is so simple that it hurts my brain. Literally all you do is move around a dungeon to the beat, attacking enemies simply by bumping into them. There are some basic buffs and item pickups, but at its heart, it's exactly what it looks like. It's all about reading and responding to patterns in the most simple manner possible, and it's wildly addictive. Every time I start playing Necrodancer, I lose hours to it.

On its face, Crypt of the Necrodancer is very basic. And yet, there's nothing else quite like it. Necrodancer uses its simplicity to its advantage to create one of the m?ost enjoyable rhythm experienc??es out there.

3. Beat Saber

[caption id="attachment_356571" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Beat Games[/caption]

Alright, this might be stretching the boundaries of what you can actually play. You do need a virtual reality headset and a decent amount of space to play Beat Saber, which will immediately make it a tough sell for many. But a Meta Quest 2 costs less than most current-generation consoles, and once you're past that (admittedly tall) hurdle, it's tough to do better than Beat Saber.

Beat Saber is a game about hitting blocks with lightsabers to the beat, and it feels great. It's the kind of motion control magic that lights up something primal in the human brain. It's fun to hit stuff, it's fun to feel the beat, and it's fun to ply Beat Saber.

2. Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone

[caption id="attachment_356573" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Sega[/caption]

When you hear the words "rhythm game," you probably instantly picture something that looks like a Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA game. Colorful button prompts float across the screen in front of a video of anime girls dancing. You tap the right button when the prompts line up. Occasionally, you hold those buttons, or you slide the analog stick. Yes, this is rhythm gaming perfected.

Every Project DIVA game is pretty similar and pretty great. If you've only got a Switch or a PC, Mega Mix is a fine option, too. I've included Future Tone on this list simply because it's the one I play the most, but it's hard to go wrong with any Project DIVA game. These are the ??rhythm game-iest rhythm games around, and they're good for scratching any musical gaming ?itch.

1. Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum 'n' Fun!

[caption id="attachment_356574" align="alignnone" width="640"] Image via Bandai Namco[/caption]

Like Project DIVA, you can pretty much insert any Taiko no Tatsujin game into this spot. The series hasn't changed a bit in over twenty years. You press one button when the note is blue and another button when the note is red. Mindlessness becomes meditation becomes mastery. This is Taiko no Tatsujin.

The secret to picking your favorite Taiko no Tatsujin game is simply looking at the tracklist. I like Drum 'n' Fun because it's got the best One Piece opening and the best Super Mario Odyssey track, but you can really pick whichever game has your personal favorite songs. This one gets bonus points for being one of t??he few rhythm games that you can play with just about anybody. The barrier to entry is very low thanks to incredibly simple controls,? but true mastery can be extremely difficult.

The post 10 best rhythm video games you can actual??ly buy, ranked appeared first on Destructoid.

PC indeed

As someone who heretically prefers to play games on a controller, PC may not always be my first choice. But even I have to admit that it's a platform that has some of the most compelling releases of the year, every year. When it's easier for small, independent teams to publish to platforms like Steam o??r itch.io, the cream usually tends to rise to the top, so that PC is always one of the most stacked "best of the year" categories, in my opinion. 2022 was no exception, because this banger-filled list is making it really difficult to try and decide which game is gonna take my vote.

First you've got Signalis, which is not only an awesome tribute to classic horror games like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, but also one of the most stylish and heart-wrenching games I've played in a long time. Everything from the art style to the soundtrack to the puzzle design elevated the creepy, slow-burn atmosphere, and it's a ?game I've been left thinking about weeks after having put it down.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KFiOp2o4L8

Citizen Sleeper is yet another innovative title that released in 2022 among a swath of other games that are moving the medium forward. Its focus is on a tabletop-inspired, dice-centric narrative, and it executes that premise with all of the polish you can imagine. What it is able to achieve in ??unique yet somehow familiar gameplay, it also wins you over with its stories??, even after leaving us with some mysteries to explore on our next adventure.

For all the shoot 'em up fans out there, Vampire Survivors has you covered. The game has minimalistic art and gameplay design, but with good reason �the gameplay loop is so well-designed and lean, it doesn't need any of the extra fluff. It's one of those games that's perfect to sit down and play in little bouts, but every time you do, you know you're gonna have a blast. Vampire Survivors snuck up on me for sure, but it did indeed turn out to be one of the highl??ights of 2022.

Trombone Champ is the obvious stand-out of the year. At a glance, it's not a game I think any of us would have expected to appear on a list like this, but when you look more closely, it's all there. It's simply a well-designed rhythm game (going so far as to actually imitate how it feels to play a real trombone with a scary ?amount of accuracy), the visual style is downright hilarious, and the soundtrack has the perfect lineup of songs that you're either super familiar with, or mak??e you go "I know this song but I never knew what it was called."

It was one of those ideas that the team would make or break in its execution, and they absolutely nailed it. If nothing else, the entire gaming community's reaction to Trombone Champ is enough to warrant its place on this list, I think, bec?ause there was something magical about seeing a game collectively bring al??l of us joy upon its release.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpQ8a3c7EAQ

If you're not a speedrunning person, you will be after playing Neon White. While you can really take or leave the story, the gameplay alone is enough to land Neon White on this list. It's bombastic, it's creative, and of course fast-paced, and it'll make even the most tepid players (aka me) twitching to set a new record. This title is really able to capture the raw, tactical fun that only tightly-designed gameplay can really deliver, and is maybe the best game to do so since the release of Hades.

Then there's NORCO, which is easily one of the weirdest games of the year, in the best way. It's a Southern Gothic point-and-click narrative set in the marshlands of New Orleans, and let me tell you, it is one wild ride. NORCO has absolutely beautiful prose and breathtaking pixel art, and then you'll encounter one of the most strange set ??pieces you've likely seen in a game in a while. I found the game incredibly moving, and easily one of the best narrative games of the year. If nothing else, it simply deserves more eyes o?n it, because it was an absolute delight to play.

Last but certainly not least, we have Victoria 3. It may not be for everyone, but for those who are fans of grand strategy games, the newest release from Paradox Interactive is considered a truly great title. The cult following of the Victoria series has been long-awaiting the series' third installment, as Paradox themselves call it "one of the most anticipated games in Paradox’s history." The general consensus is that Victoria 3 did in fact live up to the hype, making it one of the best grand strategy ??games to come out in recent years, and certainly in 2022.

Here are the nominees for Destructoid’s Best PC Game of 2022:

• Signalis
• Citizen Sleeper
• Vampire Survivors
• Trombone Champ
• Neon White
• NORCO
• Victoria 3

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Best PC Game of 2022 appeared first on Destructoid.

Everyone relates with a sad trombone

A couple of times a year, a "Phenomenon Game" pops up out of nowhere and is suddenly the talk of the town. Trombone Champ fits that description. It became a viral meme seemingly overnight, but this genius comedy game didn't come from nowhere. The people who made Trombone Champ had to stick with it for three difficult years, working only on nights and wee?kends, to put it all together.

The game was created by industry veterans Dan and Jackie Vecchitto. They've been self-publishing games for about a decade, and most of their projects have been free. Trombone Champ is actually the first title they've ever sold on Steam, so you can imagine their surprise when it went on to sell 20,000+ copies in its launch window, prompting NBC, The New York Times, and the CBC to all come calling for interviews.

[embed]//w?ww.youtube.com/watch?v=mO?aYsW-Q1lU[/embed]

Much to my surprise, they were also willing to talk to me for my Talking to Women about Videogames podcast (also on iTunes and Spotify). It's a small-time show by NBC standards, but since they had an OK time on Sup, Holmes (an interview live stream show for game devs I used to do), I guess they didn't mind coming back for another talk eight years later. I've been rooting for these two ever since then, long before I knew they were the people who made Trombone Champ, and it's b??een so great to see those roots grow into a tree made of trombones, thousands of dollars, and mainst?ream media attention.

We got into all that plus the couple's love of Star Trek, D&D, gnomes, my theories on the autobiographical nature of their gameography, and a lot more. Thanks again to Dan and Jackie for taking the time, and doing it on video to boot. It was (ahe?m) a "hoot."

The post Meet the people who made Trombone Champ appeared first on Destructoid.

It was only a matter of time

In my opinion, Trombone Champ is one of the best things to happen to gaming all year. It's easy for anyone to pick up, ?it's well-designed, and it's laugh-out-loud goofy. I was skeptical when I heard someone say it's a Game of the Year contender, but it only took a few minutes into playing it to make me a believer. Now that the game's popularity has launched into the stratosphere, thanks to word of mouth on social media, we're starting to see the mods slowly roll in, which is exciting for someone who is very much a fan of mods.

Mods don't just include putting Trombone Champ in VR or adding custom song maps, however �it also means that players who modify their game to take custom controller inputs are back on the scene. In this case, it's my man Rudeism, a streamer known for his modified controller setups. At this point, I'm basically his full??-fledged fan. This time, he hooked up a real trombone to play its virtual counterpart in the game.

//twitter.com/rudeism/status/1574760613683023879?s=20&t=rEXbyltnL1uM9nxDgm62p??A

According to his Twitter post, an "ultrasonic sensor controls the slide, and a microphone controls the dooting." I have no idea what any of that means, but he clearly got it working in Trombone Champ, so good on him. Rudeism also states in his post that he wishes he could play the trombone IRL, which has me wondering: did he full-on buy a trombone for this bit? Those things aren't exactly cheap, so that ??level of commitment is admirable, to say the least. Who knows, maybe this will be the beginning of an illustrious career ??for him as a concert trombonist.

Either way, this real trombone Trombone Champ setup did exactly what it was suppo?sed to �make me happy �and isn't that all we can ask for from our internet content these days? Now if anyone needs me, I'll be trying to top my high scores until someone mods K-pop songs into the game.

The post This guy played Trombone Champ with a trombone as a ??controlle??r appeared first on Destructoid.

Slip and slide all the way around the song

You've probably noticed Trombone Champ popping up all over your social media feeds over the last couple days or so. It is instantly recognizable as exactly what it is: a rhythm game about playing the trombone. The simplicity belies the point, though. Trombone Champ is a tromb??one rhythm game, and an exceedingly good one too.

At this point, I'd go into some sort of recitation of how Trombone Champ sets this all up. Maybe how it handles, or what buttons it? uses to do the things it does. The mouse moves a cursor up and down in inverted fashion, and your mouse click or any keyboard button is held to play notes.

Yet much like Untitled Goose Game or Snipperclips, this is the sort of experience you can just "get" by looking at it. It's probably why the game has been circulating so fast through videos. I first saw this game on Giant Bomb's Unprofessional Fridays segment, and again when PC Gamer's lovely rendition of Beethoven's Fifth hit Twitter.

//twitter.com/pcgamer/status/1572372646012260353

Booting it up myself, I was also amazed at how quick it all felt natural. Part of this is the easy control scheme. Trombone Champ starts ??you off easy, literally taking you through a few scal?es.

Now, full disclosure, I have partaken in some education in the ways of the trombone. I wouldn't say I'm any kind of virtuoso, but it's an instrument I've always enjoyed for a myriad of reasons. Reasons that, oddly enough, feel very?? well-reflected here.

Reaching for seventh

The trombone get?s its goofy, glissando nature from the fact that it's basically one big horn, and you're holding a loose tuning slide. Where other instruments use plungers and the like, playing trombone means learning all the positions the slide has to be?? in for each note.

Early on, you might learn ??some rough approximations. First, second, third, fourth, etc. But as my old teachers would remind me, every note is?? different. You're essentially tuning a horn on the fly to make notes happen. This is extremely interesting and rewarding to learn, and also just inherently goofy.

Playing Trombone Champ, you can hear players get in the bal??lpark of the right note and slide into it. Things will sound right-ish, but maybe not always exactly correct. And hearing an obvious miss, or a series of notes where the player's slide is just trying to keep up with the cascade of notes, is really fun.

//twitter.com/JacobDJAtkinson/status/157244916??9666703360

There's an attention to detail here, in terms of the way Trombone Champ handles. Hitting a button on the keyboard starts and stops a note, and you can indeed ?run out of breath. One hand has to manage the articulation of the note, while the other manages the tuning via the s??lide.

The slide controls are inverted, which might seem strange at first. But on a trombone, higher notes tend to be played with the slide pulled in, while lower notes can need more tube and are thus pushed further out. (Anyone who's had to reach for a low-E way out in seventh know?s what I mean. My thanks to ?the inventor of trombone triggers.)

Music in motion

This trombone lecture is not just to validate years of band directors telling me this knowledge would be applicable in the real world. It's to stress how effective Trombone Champ works as a rhythm game, because of its use of th??e real, ph??ysical, tactile nature of playing its star instrument.

It reminds me a bit of games like QWOP, which captures a similar feeling of hilarity. Something that is beautiful when done well, and hilarious when done poorly. The friction hasn't been taken out, just smoothed into part of the experience. It's wonderful to me that many people are buying Trombone Champ wi??th the expectation that they will be terrible at it.

The public domain-infused soundtrack helps so much here, too. Everyone knows what tunes like Gray Mare or Oh, Canada should sound like. They can hear every note in their head. And when the expectation is met with a slid??ing, modulating trombone messily tooting it though? Beautiful.

Normally I'd lament the lack of big-name licensed tracks, but developer Holy Wow has picked out an excellent selection of familiar, recognizable songs. Anthems, culturally significant tunes, and motifs you probably heard in Looney Tunes growing up all make this a perfect setlist. Add in some made-for originals that are also quite good, and it's a quite good launch lineup. Obviously, I'd love some custom track integration or a sort-of level editor, which the studio says is on its mind. It's also working on higher priority update?s, like new songs, accessibility options, and a score graph that can note performance throughout a track.

No bone to pick

There is a surprising depth of things to do in Trombone Champ, out?side of just tooting your way thr??ough many familiar tunes. As the ominous intro sequence implies, Holy Wow has hidden a fair number of secrets away in this game.

Hidden bonuses adding extra depth, and even a menu plainly lifting from Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, all give Trombone Champ the good vibes of a Flash-era game. The kind you'd go to a friend's house and boot up, or snicker away a??t in a computer lab. It has great production, many well-executed gags and jokes, and even a loot box system fi?lled with Did You Know non-facts about the history the 'bone.

I really can't recommend Trombone Champ enough. It might be easy to see it as a gag purchase on the outside, and to be clear, you will crack yourself up playing this game. But there's a level of dedication and craft behind the silliness that I really admire. Trombone Champ captures comedy and musicality in equal measure, just like a trombone. And it's well worth your time. Find it on Steam over here.

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