You can roguelike pretty much anything. Certain genres are more about a series of rules being followed than the subject matter, with roguelikes and Soulslikes being a really good example of this. You need world-building, a good amount of story, and probably most important, hard-as-nails gameplay if you’re going to tick the Soulslike boxes. The thing is, nobody specified anything about a fantasy setting being needed to accomplish the goal of making your game fit the mold. This could be a cat chasing a mouse and if the above rules are met, you have yourself a Soulslike; probably. The same applies to the roguelike/rogue-lite genre. As long as you have some sort of permadeath, bonkers difficulty, and infinite replayability, you stand a really good chance of being there. What has any of this got to do with the price of fish? Well … aside from maybe Golfie, we’re not seeing a huge amount of sport-based roguelikes. Tape to Tape, our game for today is attempting to join that other title I’ve just mentioned. Different sport, but you catch my drift.
So, Tape to Tape is a roguelike, (obviously,) but this one is based in the fast and often somewhat violent world of Ice Hockey. Coming from the folk at Excellent Rectangle, Tape to Tape is being touted as a rogue-lite, simcade, hockey experience. I have never seen those words written together before, so I’m just as clueless as you lot if you’re wanting a summary. We’re learning together for a change. I’m not a bottomless vault of information.
Tape to Tape will see you taking charge of a rag-tag group of hockey players in a roguelike journey to the major leagues. As a newly appointed captain, every choice you make matters on the road to victory. Amongst the list of all-important decisions you’ll be making will be the need to hire new superstars throughout the season. You’ll then need to exploit the synergies of these hockey pros while learning and exploiting a few ruthless abilities if you’re going to create an unbeatable team.
Your journey to the top isn’t going to be an easy one and loss is something you’ll need to take on the chin. Losing will also provide you with a trip to the Blademaster and allow you to purchase permanent equipment upgrades. In true roguelike style, losing makes you stronger. It does not, however, make you better; being good at this game is still going to be very much up to you. This being said, if even after your help, your center couldn’t find a puck if it were glued to their forehead you can always grease the palm of the ref. Bribery can do a lot to fill in cracks where necessary.
So what can you expect from gameplay, then? Well, Tape to Tape combines modern precision with 90s-inspired action. The battle system in this title comes in the form of a balanced, simcade, hockey experience. Bone-crushing body checks and stellar saves will go a long way to getting you the win, but you’ll need to master Tape to Tape‘s dynamic puck physics system if you’re going to skate to victory. This is because players and goalies will react to the puck bouncing off sticks or ricocheting off helmets, creating organic and emergent battles on the ice. Put simply, resting on your laurels isn’t going to get you anywhere in this game.
Tape to Tape will be sliding onto your PC screens later this year. I know you’ve all got very good memories but it won’t hurt to add another title to your wishlist; something that you can do here. I have to admit as a massive fan of all things rogue I’ll be joining you. Taking the roguelike genre in a totally different direction is something I’m all for. Keep your eyes peeled for more info on this interesting-looking game in the future.
