14 DAY TRIAL // The Sin Bin Center has been the graveyard of many of my attempts at hockey glory. This is where the refs play, the first boss team that my team has to face. They both cheat when they need to and have a hell of a goalie, the kind of guy who dominates the crease.
Even with an artifact that means I win face-offs, it is hard to get past them. I once managed to get a two-goal lead during the first period, making extensive use of bodychecking to make sure that they don’t get any good chance to score. The plan was to try to then keep the puck for as long as possible, starving them of opportunities.
The refs came back into the match with one goal in the second. I switched strategy to try and get more shots on goal, aiming to restore my lead. They got an equalizer quickly but I was proud for executing a good passing sequence before scoring with a strong shot from a distance. And then they got two goals in about 30 seconds. And it was back to the Blademaster, with rubber to spend, and hoping that a new superstar player would help as I prepare for another run.
Tape to Tape is developed by Excellent Rectangle, with publishing by Null Games. It is currently in Early Access on Steam. The full game will also arrive on the Nintendo Switch, the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One. The title uses arcade hockey mechanics on which it bolts a rogue-lite structure.
The narrative takes players to an alternate universe where a venerated hockey family tries to restore its glory and the sport's integrity by winning a fabled cup. To do this, they will need to play against a range of elite teams while investing in the development of their team by working with the Blademaster.
Tape to Tape is a fast, arcadey hockey game. Each player has stats that affect performance and gamers can switch between them at any point. There’s plenty of direct contact, especially effective on the defensive. It’s easy to shoot on sight but there are also control options. Superstars get special moves that can bamboozle opponents or directly control the puck.
Goalies are efficient and it takes clever placement of shots or multiple attempts to defeat them. Because this is a rogue-lite, gamers will get a rubber resource that they can use to improve their team. There are also upgrades for individual players and artifacts that will directly affect the on-ice action.
I’d like to see more innovation for this part of the game. But the actual hockey matches are exciting and fun, filled with aggression, special moves, and impressive saves. The taste of victory is even sweeter when even cheating opponents get defeated with a goal in the last seconds of the final period.
Tape to Tape doesn’t aim for the usual sports game realism. These are not real athletes and they have supernatural artifacts and abilities to play around with. So they might wear a medieval helmet on the ice. I like how much bigger the superstars are when compared to regulars.
Conclusion
The arcade hockey action is very good and meshes well with the artifacts and other team boosts. The rogue-lite elements are a little tame. Tape to Tape has a lot of potential and I really want to see how it evolves before the 1.0 version arrives.
A preview key was provided by the publisher
