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.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Atmosphere-wise, this is one of the best Backrooms games, with creativity and eeriness that keeps players on edge.
- The graphics and sound design are stunning, creating a beautiful yet unsettling experience.
- The game effectively captures the liminal space feeling, making exploration both eerie and immersive.
- The game is very short, with only one tape available, leading to a feeling of incompleteness.
- Gameplay can feel tedious and repetitive, especially in the first level where players must search for codes.
- There are numerous bugs and optimization issues that detract from the overall experience.
- graphics192 mentions
- 54 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with many praising the stunning visuals, atmospheric design, and effective use of retro effects that enhance the eerie ambiance. However, some players report issues such as blurriness, poor optimization, and graphical bugs that detract from the overall experience. While the game showcases impressive environments and level designs, it also faces criticism for inconsistent performance and a lack of engaging gameplay elements.
“It is an incredibly good take on the backrooms in my opinion, 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, that I think is great.”
“The graphics were wonderful, as with chapter 1, and there was a particular level, [spoiler] I'm not sure what it's called, but the one with the ocean all around and the windmills where you have to turn these valves, [/spoiler] that was so beautiful it literally took my breath away, and I spent the majority of the time just exploring this level because of how amazing it was.”
“The graphics are 10/10, a whole bunch of levels and content and extremely fun gameplay and story.”
“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.”
- atmosphere110 mentions
- 53 % positive mentions
- 44 % neutral mentions
- 4 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised as one of its strongest elements, described as a blend of beautiful scenery and a chilling, immersive experience that effectively captures the essence of the backrooms. Players appreciate the attention to detail in sound design, visuals, and the overall sense of loneliness and tension, although some critique the darkness of certain levels and the pacing as potentially hindering full enjoyment. Overall, the game is recognized for its ability to evoke a range of emotions, from comfort to discomfort, through its atmospheric design.
“Atmospheric and creative masterpiece.”
“The sound design, atmosphere, visuals and soundtrack had me captivated the entire time.”
“Visually stunning and captures the backrooms atmosphere perfectly.”
“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.”
“The atmosphere of the game is so chilling that most of the time you think you're crazy and that someone is going to be behind you or watching you from a distance.”
- gameplay76 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 68 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this backrooms game is visually impressive but often criticized for being repetitive and confusing, with many players feeling lost in its expansive environments. While some enjoy the mix of danger and exploration, others find the mechanics simplistic and the pacing frustrating, leading to a lack of engaging content. Overall, the game is seen as needing more depth and variety to enhance the player experience.
“The gameplay is simple with a flashlight toggle, sprint toggle, and shout toggle.”
“It is one of the best (so far) versions of the backrooms concept, and does an incredible job at destabilizing expectations to continually create gameplay which is original and entertaining.”
“This game is amazing and the gameplay and sound effects are fantastic as well. I love how the areas are so explorable and unique, and there are many areas/levels in the game that are outstandingly good looking and 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.”
- story64 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally well-received, with players appreciating its eerie and immersive narrative that builds on the original backrooms concept. While some found the plot engaging and the tasks meaningful, others noted inconsistencies and a decline in story depth after the first chapter. Overall, there is excitement for future developments in the storyline, despite some players feeling that certain elements were underutilized or abruptly concluded.
“Other than that, I truly enjoyed this liminal experience and am looking forward to seeing how the entire story will unfold.”
“The story is great too and is a continuation of the 1st chapter.”
“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.”
“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 in chapter 1.”
“This game is great, but after the first part, it kind of lost its story aspect.”
- music50 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received high praise for its immersive quality and ability to enhance the overall atmosphere, particularly in the neon pool level, where it is described as mesmerizing and beautifully fitting. However, some players noted that the soundtrack can become repetitive during longer levels, and there are concerns about the potential use of AI-generated music. Overall, the sound design, including ambient music and sound effects, significantly contributes to the game's captivating experience, though some players expressed a desire for more variety and options.
“The dreaminess of the neon pool level along with its beautiful soundtrack was mind-blowingly mesmerizing, totally loved the vibe.”
“The sound design, atmosphere, visuals, and soundtrack had me captivated the entire time.”
“Terrifying and mesmerizing with great audio design and music.”
“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.”
- grinding22 mentions
- 5 % positive mentions
- 14 % 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 praised, the lack of meaningful interaction and the emptiness of many levels contribute to a sense of monotony, with players frequently sprinting through environments without truly enjoying them. Despite some moments of excitement, such as enemy encounters, these often feel simplistic and do not alleviate the overall grindy nature of the gameplay.
“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.”
“And upon finding the doors/code/etc., you don't really feel clever or happy that you solved any type of puzzle; you mainly feel relieved that the large level that kind of tediously made you look everywhere to proceed is done, and you hope the next level has more entertainment/interesting things.”
- optimization18 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players noting it is well-optimized and performs well on high-end systems, while others report poor optimization leading to performance issues and overheating on decent PCs. Many scenes are criticized for being too dark, and overall, while the game shows promise, it still requires improvements in optimization to enhance the experience.
“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 and it is very stuck to play.”
“Bad optimization, which isn't uncommon in games like these; made my otherwise decent PC hot.”
“Performance is worse and graphics look also slightly worse.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game currently suffers from significant stability issues, including bugs that cause players to get stuck, AI malfunctions, and menu glitches. While the visuals and unique design elements show promise, the overall experience is hampered by these technical problems, leading to frustration among players. Many reviewers express hope that these issues will be addressed in future updates.
“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.”
“The short of it was it showed potential but buggy and overall just okay.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its amusing elements, such as a funny valve noise, and is complemented by a visually appealing design. Overall, players find the game to be entertaining and humorous, particularly in its quirky presentation.
“Funny backrooms game, looks very nice.”
“Funny valve noise”
- emotional4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game is noted for its unique and intense emotional experience, with certain levels being visually stunning and having a significant emotional impact on players.
“The game is unique and intensely emotional.”
“Some levels are visually brilliant and emotionally impactful in certain spots.”
