September’s arrival of Trombone Champ was a case study in successfully generating online hype. The game was greeted as a viral Steam breakout and praised by mainstream media in The Guardian, New York Times, and The Atlantic.
However, the ability to generate media attention does not guarantee an entertaining experience — Trombone Champ might have gotten noticed, but it may not be worth playing for more than a few minutes.
How much entertainment does this title deliver?
Is Trombone Champ Good?
As of early December, there weren’t enough critic reviews for an official Metascore, and only a handful of reviews were collected by OpenCritic. In the absence of professional opinions, it may be helpful to look at Trombone Champ’s ratings on Steam.
98% of Trombone Champ players gave the game a good review, with around 75% of the Steam reviews being “Overwhelmingly Positive.” There don’t seem to be many people out there who regret their purchase, and that’s important because $14.99 is a lot to pay for a game wrapped around a single, noisy gimmick.
On the other hand, the high ratings may be a product of behavioral biases. Studies have shown that opinions are easily influenced by online comments, and in extreme cases, people have been willing to follow the crowd even when that crowd is wrong. Early positive coverage for Trombone Champ might have encouraged an avalanche of follow-up praise.
It ultimately comes down to individual tastes. Is Trombone Champ good? If you like rhythm games, fart noises, or rhythmic farting games, you should be entertained.
Trombone Champ encourages players to be silly with an intentional absurdity that was three years in the making. This ridiculous game, which records hits and misses as “toots” and “turds,” is more than a shallow cash grab. Gameplay videos showcase the consistently over-the-top energy of people committed to having a good time.
Trombone Champ is available for $14.99 on PC.
You can watch the trailer for Trombone Champ below:
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