Tape to Tape

Release Date: May 3, 2023 Early Access

Sports, ice hockey, roguelike, for 2 players, crowdfunding, indie games, co-op, splitscreen, multiplayer, singleplayer, internet

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A sports game with roguelike elements. Tape to Tape tasks us with leading a hockey team to the top no matter the methods used, such as bribing referees or using unusual skills.

Mechanics
Game modes

Tape to Tape is a humorous combination of ice hockey with a roguelike. The game doesn't really bother with actual rules, emphasizing brutality towards opponents and referees, the use of special abilities with various effects, such as freezing enemies and featuring cartoonish visuals.

It was developed by an indie studio Excellent Rectangle and crowdfunded on Kickstarter.

Mechanics

Tape to Tape tasks us with leading a hockey time to numerous victories. The player visits different lands, traveling on a small map, usually choosing between two different destinations. Depending on our decisions, we can play a hockey game, train or risk a random event. At the end of each path we'll face a powerful enemy team in a challenging boss battle. Tape to Tape features a tournament bracket, meaning each loss will force us to start over.

Our team is composed of five players - the most important of whom is the captain, who always remains with us (while retaining all upgrades) no matter how well or poorly we do. At the start of the game we pick a star player, a pro with high stats and special abilities. The remaining team slots are filled with weaker players, who can later be replaced with players from defeated teams.

During each match we have three basic actions to choose from: shooting, passing and tackling. Aside from these we also have a special skill, such as freezing opponents, forcing them to dance or pulling them closer with a grappling hook. Each match is very dynamic, players get violently downed constantly, while the puck keeps changing hands.

Our players' perks are also extremely useful - they're passive abilities with various effects, such as reducing accuracy of nearby opponents or temporarily increased stats after getting knocked down. The last important aspect are artifacts, which can be acquired throughout the game and affect the entire team. Their effects vary from faster recovery to help from the referee.