The rapid evolution of roguelikes has been a joy to behold. Starting a decade ago, the term described a specific flavor of dungeon crawler that was gaining traction. In 2023, almost any game can qualify if it mentions “procedural generation” in its description. This now includes sports games with tape to tapean early access hockey roguelike from developer Excellent Rectangle that blends mid-’90s gameplay action with a mechanical structure familiar to anyone who’s spent 100 hours on it. kill the needle either monster train.
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tape to tape offers an intriguing new twist on the genre for fans on both sides of the equation. Sports fans can long for the days of arcade titles thanks to the wacky in-game power-ups and a more relaxed presentation. Roguelike fans can view a new genre through their favorite lens, though they may be surprised by how strictly the game adheres to its emulation of classic EA sim style.
This is not damn golfan arcade experience that borrows the sports flavor to create something new. tape to tape it’s an authentic hockey experience that tries to inject a bit of fun into what may be a formulaic annual tradition. Most of his time with the game consists of participating in full hockey games, swapping between offense and defense while exhausting hits to score and playing to stay clear of creeping opposition. Without my experience wearing out the NHL 98 puck on my PS1, I doubt I would have been prepared to take on tape to tape not at all, and anyone with no hockey experience might find it all a bit overwhelming.
However, if you’re prepared to put on your skates and get over that initial hurdle, you’ll find a rewarding core concept that will keep you coming back. Building a team of bench warmers across multiple games feels great, and there are already plenty of perks to upgrading your players and keeping your rivals out of the competition. Unique abilities like throwing your stick into the fray or taking shots by jumping into an opponent’s skull give tape to tape its real flavor, and I’m hopeful that more of this heart of arcade sports shines through as early access progresses.
as it is now, tape to tape It won’t last you a full season. For one, the current flavor of the game doesn’t really match the cartoonish presentation. The main menu shows a blacksmith hitting a hot hockey stick, but he never feels like the sport on offer rises to that fantastic level. Power-ups are fun, but they fade into the background far too often, leading to entire matches where I don’t even use the feature it’s supposed to enable tape to tape stand by itself. I don’t need full Mario sporting level cutscenes, but I would appreciate skills that really force me to change my current strategy of floating in front of goal with a charged slapshot.
more damning is tape to tapeBuilt-in repetition. All roguelikes rely on a fast game loop, but playing multiple full hockey matches against teams that feel like swapped clones is too much to bear in the long run. This changes as you progress, but your most common opponents are too generic. The races need some other gameplay hook to move forward, leaving the matches extended for boss fights and other dramatic moments. Obviously this style will suit the types of sports game fans who play EA Sports seasons in an endless loop, but I’m not sure how many of those people are looking to Steam for a small-scale experiment to push the genre forward. forward.
Fortunately for everyone except sports bosses, there’s already good news on the update front. how i tried tape to tape In its early days of Early Access, I noticed issues with downtime between gameplay, particularly showing too many replays and bouncing between arenas and menu screens. Before I could say these words to you, the developers have seen players expressing similar concerns and patched a faster approach to this hockey hybrid.
With all that in mind, it seems that tape to tape it’s something to consider if you’re intrigued by what a hockey roguelike can offer. All but the most die-hard fans of the majors NHL games can probably wait and see how development unfolds. If Excellent Rectangle continues to pay attention to its playerbase accurately and increase the variety of the game, it’s easy to see. tape to tape reaching his full potential by the time he gets to the big leagues.
tape to tape was previewed on PC via Steam with a copy provided by the developer Excellent Rectangle over the course of 6 hours of gameplay – all screenshots were taken over the course of preview. The game is already available in Early Access and plans for a full release in 2024.