Having already reviewed the flat version of Trombone Champ last year when it dropped on the Nintendo Switch, I already knew that this game was going to be special. After all, with the Quest’s fantastic cameras, surely it would rectfty the only issue I had with that version: the imperfect motion detection. Combine that with the inherent extra immersion gained from virtual reality, and you’re all set for a winner.

What I didn’t realise though was that Flat2VR weren’t content with simply making this a VR port of the original. This ‘unflattened’ version is a actually a whole lot more, making it not only the best version of the game but also the best rhythm game on the Meta Quest 3 – and that includes the phenomenal Maestro, which we also adored.

Still need to hear more? Well, read on!

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BLOW THAT BIG TROMBONE
For the uninitiated, playing a trombone requires that you hold the instrument up to your mouth as you blow into it, whilst your dominant hand moves the slide back and forth to change the notes. Moving the slide far from your face will make a deeper note, and closer will produce a higher one. Of course, your virtual trombone can’t be blown, so you’ll need to toot by pulling the trigger button instead.

The controls aren’t really much of an issue, but you’ll soon find yourself challenged as you work towards hitting each note. They come towards you either from the left or the right (this can be altered to a single stream though, if preferred) and you’ll need to slide in order to hit the right pitch and hold the note for as long as required. As with a real trombone, some notes require bending during an extended toot so you’ll need to shift the pitch appropriately. It’s all really intuitive, but you’ll still no doubt make a mess of things every now and then as you get used to it.

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One of the biggest changes between the original launch and the Unflattened version is the addition of a campaign trail that guides you through the tracklist. Shaped like a twisted trombone, each section contains a group of songs bunched together. They could be simply placed together because of being in a similar difficulty, or they could be thematically similar (such as containing traditional folk songs or national anthems). It’s a lot more pleasing than simply choosing from a huge list of tracks, and challenging you to beat a number of skill-based challenges before you can proceed to the next ensures that your skill level is probably where it needs to be when you face the harder songs.

Speaking of which, the songs they chose are both perfect choices and really hard to sell to potential buyers. If I told you that you could play such hits as ‘Happy Birthday To You’, ‘God Save the King’, or ‘Habanera’, you probably wouldn’t get all that excited. But the beauty of the selection is that they’re (almost) all perfect to play as a Trombonist. They’re memorable enough to be able to learn the rhythm, and varied enough to keep you playing until your hands are sore. There may be a few duds that I didn’t care for, but with so many great tracks available, it’s hard to criticise those ones too much.

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In addition to standard progression, playing will also earn you a currency known as ‘toots’ that can be exchanged for a pack of collectible cards from the local shop. These can then be traded for the game’s bonus instruments, which not only give you a weird new aesthetic to try out, but come with their own unique visual and audio effects too. None of these elements are really all that necessary, but they add an extra layer of depth to an already great game and hide some secrets of their own.

What impressed me the most, however, was not the addition of the campaign mode nor the additional trombones; instead it was the fact that this game is literally flawless. Unlike the Switch version that had some minor issues, I couldn’t find anything at all to fault with the Quest version at all. The immersive controls work exactly as they should, there’s plenty of content here for the cheap asking price, and there are no technical issues whatsoever. I expected the game to translate well to VR, but it really is a testament to Flat2VR at just how well they managed to do so. If this is a sign as to the quality of their work, then we’re in for a real treat when their next release drops.

VERDICT
Trombone Champ: Unflattened not only manages to retain the same sense of manic joy that the original release had, but it also does so with perfection. It really harkens back to a time of plastic peripheral rhythm games without the need for any extra clutter. If you buy one rhythm game for your Meta Quest 3, then make it this one.