The Backrooms Lost Tape
- December 23, 2022
- Cortez Productions
- 2h median play time
Get on Steam"The Backrooms Lost Tape" is a horror-exploration game set in the infamous Backrooms, a never-ending maze of monotonous rooms. Players must navigate the labyrinth using only a flashlight and avoid the grotesque creatures that lurk in the shadows. The game is based on the found footage premise, with the story unfolding through discovered tapes and notes scattered throughout the environment.
Reviews
- The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, capturing the eerie essence of the Backrooms perfectly.
- The graphics and sound design are top-notch, creating a visually stunning and haunting experience.
- The game features a variety of unique levels that keep players engaged and on edge.
- The gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, especially with long stretches of walking and minimal interaction.
- There are significant bugs and performance issues, including problems with saving settings and game freezing.
- The game is quite short for its price, leaving players wanting more content and depth.
- graphics96 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics in the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals and atmospheric design that effectively capture the eerie essence of the backrooms. However, some players report issues such as blurriness, poor optimization, and bugs that detract from the overall experience. While the aesthetic appeal is highlighted, concerns about performance and graphical fidelity on lower-end systems persist, suggesting that the game may not deliver a consistent visual experience for all players.
“The graphics are absolutely amazing and so realistic, and the VHS effect isn't so intense that it hurts your eyes but still gives the old-world feel, which I think is great.”
“The graphics were wonderful, especially in the level with the ocean and windmills, it was so beautiful it literally took my breath away.”
“The graphics are stunning and some levels are so breathtakingly beautiful I genuinely wished that I could be there in real life.”
“The second chapter has an entire level using AI-generated artwork and text, and it just seems scummy to throw that in when people have already paid in advance for the chapter and the first chapter didn't seem to have any.”
“This game hogs my GPU and the graphics are pixelated and blurry.”
“Bad graphics aren't normally a big deal for an indie game, but these are egregious and totally kill the immersion.”
- atmosphere55 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its chilling and immersive qualities, effectively capturing the essence of the backrooms with stunning visuals, sound design, and a mix of creepy and relaxing environments. Many players appreciate the minimal use of jump scares, favoring the tension created through the game's ambiance and subtle storytelling. However, some critiques mention that the pacing can feel slow, which may detract from the overall experience for those seeking more dynamic gameplay.
“Atmospheric and creative masterpiece.”
“The minimal entities in this one, alongside the amazing atmosphere, make for a truly uncomfortable, yet comforting experience.”
“The sound design, atmosphere, visuals, and soundtrack had me captivated the entire time.”
“Some of the levels are extremely dark; I understand it's for the creepy atmosphere, but if you can't see the game, you might as well be looking at the monitor off.”
“Moving on to level 2: it is noticeably dirtier, which is a great design choice, but it still doesn’t have the atmosphere of the earlier versions.”
“There is not much you can say about the game itself; you walk, interact with notes, and soak up the atmosphere of total loneliness, realizing the despair of the situation.”
- gameplay38 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with some praising its unique mechanics and immersive visuals, while others criticize it for being repetitive and confusing, particularly in navigating levels. Many players feel that the gameplay lacks depth and variety, often leading to frustration due to unclear objectives and limited interactions. Overall, while the aesthetic and atmosphere are well-executed, the gameplay itself is seen as needing significant improvement to enhance player engagement and enjoyment.
“The gameplay is simple with a flashlight toggle, sprint toggle, and shout toggle.”
“It is one of the best versions of the backrooms concept, and does an incredible job at destabilizing expectations to continually create gameplay that is original and entertaining.”
“This game is amazing, and the gameplay and sound effects are fantastic. I love how the areas are so explorable and unique, with many outstandingly good-looking levels that are accurate to the source material.”
“Developer certainly gives no damn about gameplay, confusion or else.”
“Gameplay is like a 4/10, very boring and on the first level once the monster appears there is nothing to do or suggesting what to do.”
“Following on from that you make your way through multiple levels of the backrooms, again from a graphics/atmosphere perspective they really nail it.. however the gameplay just sort of falls flat at this point.”
- story32 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 66 % neutral mentions
- 9 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, with players appreciating its intriguing and immersive narrative that builds on the original backrooms concept. While some found the plot to have inconsistencies and felt that certain elements were dropped, many are excited about the continuation of the story and the potential for future developments. Overall, the combination of a structured storyline, engaging tasks, and atmospheric design contributes to a compelling experience, despite some players wishing for a deeper exploration of the narrative in later chapters.
“Other than that, I truly enjoyed this liminal experience and am looking forward to seeing how the entire story will unfold.”
“It's eerie, immersive, and interesting with a story that's unique in its own way while still preserving the haunting emptiness of the original backrooms canon.”
“Incredible, it shows the originality of the backrooms in a mysterious tale, the graphics are sensational, the environment has a mixed vibe (dark, calm, tense), the game is very immersive, with retro camera effects, an incredible and original soundtrack, interesting enemies, and easter eggs around, a tense and curious story showing the world of liminal space.”
“My only complaint is that the game has a few plot problems, such as how in the world the main character of the second chapter has an inter-dimensional walkie-talkie.”
“It followed a very strict storyline, with the character you play as having to do several 'tasks' to escape a level (which you were told about) rather than just wandering around and working it out yourself or through little notes, like chapter 1.”
“This game is great, but after the first part, it kind of lost its story aspect.”
- music25 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 52 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its immersive and atmospheric qualities, enhancing the overall experience with beautiful soundtracks that complement the visuals and gameplay. While many players find the ambient music captivating and nostalgic, some note that it can become repetitive during longer levels. Overall, the sound design, including both music and environmental effects, significantly contributes to the game's engaging and eerie atmosphere.
“The dreaminess of the neon pool level along with its beautiful soundtrack was mind-blowingly mesmerizing, totally loved the vibe.”
“The sound design of this chapter, particularly with the music but the environmental sounds as well, really added to the experience.”
“The music and atmosphere are top notch.”
“The music is serviceable as well, although you do start to find it a bit repetitive on the longer levels.”
“The background music was immersion breaking.”
“In conclusion, the game really has the potential to be a very good backrooms game; it just lacks a few options, music, and jumpscares.”
- grinding11 mentions
- 9 % positive mentions
- 9 % neutral mentions
- 82 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and repetitive, often feeling more like a chore than an engaging experience. While the visuals are stunning, the lack of meaningful interaction and the necessity to backtrack through empty levels detract from the enjoyment, leading to a sense of relief rather than accomplishment upon completing tasks. Despite some moments of excitement, such as enemy encounters, the overall grind can feel overwhelming and unfulfilling.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
“Because of these tasks, I found myself running from one place to another, not really taking in and enjoying the game but just trying to complete the task so I could move on to the next, which wasn't very fun, especially since these tasks were often very grindy, not very enjoyable, and quite repetitive.”
“This wouldn't be so bad, but because most of the backroom levels are empty-ish, after the initial 'this is cool' of seeing the subliminal spaces for the first time wears off for that level, it becomes a tedious game of holding down shift + W (to sprint) as you try to figure out what weird hidden area the things you need to find are.”
“Overall, I love backrooms and hope someday someone makes the perfect backroom games. This game is slightly okay but not great so far; walking around level 0 and its design is meh, and finding codes and areas can be a bit tedious.”
- optimization9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while some players praise its performance and immersive graphics, others report issues with poor optimization, particularly in darker scenes that can lead to performance drops. Despite these concerns, many agree that the game runs well on high-end systems, suggesting that it may require further adjustments for lower-end hardware.
“Well optimized.”
“For approximately 9 dollars, you are getting around 2-3 hours of concentrated liminal space exploration. The game is well optimized, detailed, and gives you exactly what you expect from the backrooms.”
“Really pushed the 4080 to its limits; it was kind of funny how well it's optimized.”
“The only downside is that many scenes seem too dark, and the optimization is poor, making it very difficult to play.”
“Bad optimization, which isn't uncommon in games like these; it made my otherwise decent PC overheat.”
“Performance is worse, and the graphics also look slightly worse.”
- stability6 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including frequent bugs that can disrupt gameplay, such as getting stuck in environments and AI behavior problems. While the visuals and unique design elements show promise, the overall experience is hampered by these technical flaws, which players hope will be addressed in future updates.
“It is also a bit buggy right now, but I'm assuming that will be fixed in the future.”
“My biggest complaints (I'll try to be as spoiler-free as I can be) is that it got a little buggy during the end of the first section and I felt stuck for a bit.”
“Falling through the map, getting stuck in places, AI bugging out, etc. I'm also not sure why the developer chose to light the main level with nothing but emissive materials since it creates some terrible light noise/glitches in UE5.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing backrooms setting and the inclusion of a comical valve noise, contributing to an overall entertaining experience.
“This game has a hilarious take on the backrooms concept, and the visuals are impressive!”
“The funny valve noise adds a unique charm to the gameplay.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its unique and intense emotional experience, with visually brilliant levels that deliver impactful moments.
“The game is unique and intensely emotional.”
“Some levels are visually brilliant and emotionally impactful in certain moments.”
