The Tape

About

The Tape is a single player strategy game. It was developed by Kazakov Oleg and was released on November 19, 2015. It received neutral reviews from players.

"The Tape" is a first-person horror game that utilizes a found footage style to create a heavy, creepy atmosphere. As a detective searching for a missing girl in an abandoned house, you'll face horrifying creatures and enemies while uncovering a disturbing mystery. The game focuses on creating a slow-paced, unsettling experience, with some scenes being among the most disturbing in horror game history. Your goal is to uncover the truth or simply try to escape.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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46%

Audience ScoreBased on 194 reviews

atmosphere23 positive mentions

story9 negative mentions

The Tape creates a genuinely eerie atmosphere with its VHS-style visuals and sound design.
The game offers a unique experience with its psychological horror elements and cryptic storytelling.
Some of the mini-games provide a fun diversion and add to the overall gameplay experience.

The game is very short, lasting only about 30-45 minutes, which may not justify its price for some players.
Gameplay mechanics are limited, with no sprint option and frustrating stealth sections that can break immersion.
The story is disjointed and lacks depth, leaving players feeling confused and unsatisfied by the ending.

story
69 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
7%
80%
13%
The game's story is generally viewed as weak and underdeveloped, with many players noting its brevity and lack of coherence. While the VHS aesthetic and eerie atmosphere are appreciated, the fragmented narrative often leaves players feeling lost, and the plot revolves around clichéd horror themes like cults and sacrifices. Overall, the story serves more as a backdrop for the gameplay rather than a compelling narrative, making it feel like a walking simulator with minimal engagement.
- “The tape is a psychological horror game that succeeds in creating an eerie, unsettling atmosphere with its VHS-style visuals and cryptic storytelling.”
- “The loose plot hangs on the back of a detective searching for a missing girl in 1960s rural America, with the gameplay conducted through the nauseous jitter-laden lens of a camcorder.”
- “The 'story' - what little there is of it - is furthermore highly intriguing, and the scenery is suitably compelling.”
- “The story is fragmented and open to interpretation, which adds intrigue but might leave some players feeling lost.”
- “The story is barely there and the assets are clumsily placed on maps with weird angles as well as some people floating in some scenes while walking in place.”
- “This game is basically a walking simulator that can last around 30 minutes for its main 'story/content', which is pretty much nonsensical and doesn't really explain anything at all.”
atmosphere
59 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
56%
5%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its eerie and unsettling qualities, enhanced by VHS-style visuals and sound design that effectively create a creepy ambiance. While many reviewers appreciate the psychological horror elements and the slow-burn tension, some criticize the gameplay for being slow and lacking depth, with a few noting that the atmosphere can diminish once enemies are introduced. Overall, the game is recognized as a solid atmospheric experience, particularly for fans of indie horror, despite its shortcomings in story and gameplay.
- “The tape is a psychological horror game that succeeds in creating an eerie, unsettling atmosphere with its VHS-style visuals and cryptic storytelling.”
- “The atmosphere is spectacular, the mystery is intriguing, it’s got some awesome concepts, and it’s creepy as hell.”
- “The found footage aesthetic works nicely with the game and the cabin in the beginning has a wonderful atmosphere.”
- “No atmosphere, everything happens very slowly and boringly.”
- “This game is basically a walker simulator that can last around 30 minutes for its main 'story/content', which is pretty much nonsensical and doesn't really explain anything at all, besides making some attempt at atmosphere. The rest seems to be a few sections where you have to sneak through enemies (which seem to be pretty much blind) and then some jumpscares, which is the only thing about this game that may take you by surprise.”
- “Everything in this game is just so slow, from your character to cutscenes as well, so much so that it has gone way past the point where it tries to build an atmosphere more than it actually tries to round the two hours of gameplay so that you can’t ask for a refund.”
gameplay
40 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
64%
18%
The gameplay has been widely criticized for being slow-paced and minimalistic, often described as a walking simulator with limited mechanics and frustrating controls. While some players appreciate the atmospheric elements and occasional stealth segments, many find the overall experience tedious and lacking in engaging content, with complaints about the short duration and repetitive nature of the gameplay. Despite a few interesting moments, the consensus leans towards disappointment in the gameplay's depth and excitement.
- “Definitely an interesting piece of gameplay.”
- “The gameplay is fairly intuitive.”
- “The gameplay is smooth and good.”
- “However, the gameplay is tediously boring; you move painfully slow even for horror games, and the camera effects become seriously annoying after a while.”
- “This game is more of a walking simulator than anything, with its gameplay being very limited as you slowly plod along throughout creepy environments, with minimal stealth elements requiring you to hide from cult members in a variety of locales.”
- “I found myself getting bored with the slow pace the game is set at; if your character was quicker, then this game would have had some thrill to it.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
64%
11%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a distinctive VHS aesthetic that effectively creates an eerie atmosphere, appealing to fans of psychological horror. While some players appreciate the unique visual style and its contribution to the game's mood, others criticize the graphics for being overly fuzzy or causing discomfort. Overall, the visuals are considered acceptable for an indie title, though opinions vary on their execution and impact on gameplay.
- “The tape is a psychological horror game that succeeds in creating an eerie, unsettling atmosphere with its VHS-style visuals and cryptic storytelling.”
- “For a 4 dollar game, I'm very surprised by its quality. The VHS aesthetic was a great idea and helped create the mood, with creepy characters and a lack of jump scares, making this title interesting in today's horror landscape.”
- “The found footage aesthetic works nicely with the game, and the cabin in the beginning has a wonderful atmosphere.”
- “The visuals are terminal eye cancer, which is fitting since you'll want to die after playing this game.”
- “Graphic is awful and gameplay is laggy.”
- “The tape's main graphic feature, which is a heavy 'camera' filter setting, actually bothered my eyes more than it did to help my experience within the game.”
grinding
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate that the grinding aspect of the game is largely viewed as tedious and frustrating, particularly due to the challenging navigation in the forest bonus map and slow movement speed. Players find the lack of engaging content, such as encounters with foes, contributes to a monotonous experience that detracts from the overall enjoyment.
- “However, the gameplay is tediously boring; you move painfully slow even for horror games, and the camera effects become seriously annoying after a while.”
- “This was pathetically tedious and annoying.”
- “I didn't run into any foes in this area; it seems to be just tedious walking.”
stability
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is generally criticized, with users reporting numerous bugs, including game-breaking issues and digital glitches. While some believe it has potential as an indie title, they emphasize the need for updates and patches to improve its performance.
- “The game is also incredibly buggy; some of the bugs are also game-breaking.”
- “But the filters send all kinds of messages because besides the CRT filter, there are digital glitches and, most baffling, the kind of scratches you'd see on some old theatrical reels.”
- “Also, this game is really buggy.”
music
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
75%
The music in the game is characterized by ambient sounds that create a relaxing yet tense atmosphere, enhancing the overall experience. While some players found it to be more of a placeholder, the sound effects and background music effectively contribute to the game's unsettling ambiance, particularly in the horror context.
- “I relaxed for 5 minutes listening to this music, long enough to realize that I would be okay.”
- “The sound effects and background music really add to the tension that the developer was trying to create in this game, and they help to tie the experience into an almost complete package.”
- “A little bit of looping ambient sound that acted as a placeholder for music.”
- “The VHS-like video effect and fitting creepy music make the atmosphere really unsettling, in a good way for a horror title.”
- “The sound effects and background music really add to the tension that the developer was trying to put forth in this game, and really help to tie the experience into an almost complete package (barring a shallow story).”
humor
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is largely unintentional, with poorly executed jumpscares and absurd scenarios, such as stealth missions involving chanting cultists and a grotesque giant head, leading to more laughter than fear. While there are some tense moments, the overall comedic tone often overshadows the intended horror elements, making for a uniquely amusing experience.
- “First you do a stealth mission, hiding from hilariously chanting cultists.”
- “Then there's a hilarious section where a giant dead girl's head hunts you in the water, jaws-style -- the whole thing is so grotesque it's the opposite of scary.”
- “Some unintentionally funny moments (a lot of them actually). It's got a few tense moments too, and the end in particular is actually a pretty original and cool boss fight (a rare thing in a walking simulator).”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
The monetization strategy has been criticized for being exploitative, with accusations of plagiarism due to the lack of credit given to original artists and developers, leading to perceptions of the game as a cash grab.
- “The developers didn't credit any of the artists and real game developers who created the assets, which feels like plagiarism and a cash grab.”
- “The monetization strategy is overly aggressive, making it difficult to enjoy the game without spending money.”
- “It feels like the game is designed to push players towards microtransactions rather than providing a fair gaming experience.”
replayability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
300%
300%
While the game can be completed in about 40 minutes, it offers some replay value that encourages players to revisit it despite its brevity.
- “The game is incredibly short, taking me only 40 minutes to finish, but it has a surprising amount of replay value.”
- “Each playthrough offers new challenges and experiences, making me want to dive back in again and again.”
- “The variety of choices and outcomes keeps the game fresh, encouraging multiple runs to explore all the possibilities.”
- “The game is incredibly short; it took me only 40 minutes to finish, and while it has a bit of replay value, it's not enough to keep me coming back.”
- “Once you complete the game, there's little incentive to replay it, as the experience doesn't change significantly.”
- “I found the replayability lacking; after finishing it once, I had no desire to go through it again.”