Tape to Tape interview with lead game designer Hugo Julien

Recently, I had the opportunity to send some questions to Hugo Julien, lead game designer at Tape to Tape. Hugo was kind enough to share the inspiration that inspired his studio’s Excellent Rectangle to create Tape to Tape, a platform where games could come in the future, and video game hockey as an indie game as he enters the space. told me about what it’s like. Enjoy the full interview below, as well as a trailer for the release date.

shack news: For those unfamiliar with Tape to Tape, can you explain what the game is about?

Hugo: Tape to Tape combines the addictive play loop of a roguelite game with the deep gameplay of a hockey game. Hire unique players, discover synergies, tinker with your team, and battle all sorts of unique teams as you travel through a unique hockey world. Start from the hub, choose your path on the world map, and get ready to build your best team with each new run.

Losing the game may end the current run, but it’s just the beginning of a new team in roguelite mode. Visit the Blademaster between seasons to become forever stronger for the journey ahead. New opportunities await each time you launch a new campaign. Players you meet while running may want to join your team forever!

shack news: Was it hockey or other video games that inspired you to create a roguelite hockey game?

Hugo: Living in Canada, hockey has definitely become a part of everyday life. My initial inspiration should come as no surprise to anyone who has played the game. It’s NHL 94. I grew up playing day and night, creating my own scenarios and seasons (there was no season mode yet!) and documenting everything. My stats in a big pile of binders. As I grew up, I became a big fan of RPGs and eventually indie games.

Some of my favorite games that heavily influenced the development of Tape to Tape include Hades, Slay the Spire, and Binding of Isaac. Hades’ highly addictive gameplay loop. Defeat the spire of a progression system that constantly forces you to choose, either by doing it on the world map or by choosing different rewards and relics. Finally, Binding of Isaac for the incredibly fun “controlled chaos” type of gameplay.

shack news: Was it hard to break into the video game hockey space, or were you convinced that tape-to-tape would take its place?

Hugo: It sure was hard! I could have taken the easier path and moved to a standard hockey game, but I wanted to bring the hockey + roguelite concept to life, but in retrospect it was a crazy idea.

From day one, it felt like the video game hockey space was wide open. As gamers, we’ve been craving a different hockey experience. On one side you have the NHL series, which aims to emulate real hockey, and on the other side you have arcade-like games like Super Blood His Hockey. We wanted to get the best of both worlds in terms of gameplay and add an addictive roguelite gameplay loop on top to give you a closer experience.

shack news: Tape to Tape’s art style is amazing. Can you talk a little bit about the inspiration and process behind it?

Hugo: Thank you for your compliment! My father was a big fan of European comics and we owned them all. single. Volumes like Tintin, Asterix, and Lucky Luke. Very early on, I found myself creating my own adventures and trying to emulate different drawing styles.

The game itself has a unique blend of hand-drawn 2D sprites and animations in a 3D environment. A style that allows for unique expressive characters and animations.

Side-scrolling games typically have sprites moving in two directions, and most 2D adventure games create sprites in four directions. In a fast-paced sports game like ours, we needed to animate sprites moving in his eight directions. To make sure the 2D animation blends seamlessly, I created a number of “interpolation” animations to make it look as smooth as possible while still being 2D. This is a unique process that produces a unique look as far as we know in 2D skeleton animation!

shack news: Were you surprised by the overwhelmingly positive response to the game at the Steam Next Fest demo?

Hugo: absolutely! We were really happy with the great feedback we received on our Kickstarter demo back in May, but we didn’t expect the impact at Next Fest to be this high. Our community has grown tremendously and we would like to thank everyone who participated in sharing their feedback and ideas!

I am particularly surprised and overwhelmed by the number of people who said they never thought they would enjoy playing a sport. The hockey community (of the video game) has been behind us since day one and we are very grateful for that, but having non-hockey and non-sport gamers enjoying the game is absolutely crazy!

shack news: Tape to Tape is coming to Steam, any plans for additional platforms in the future?

Hugo: We plan to release the game on consoles after the PC release. Details will be announced after the release!

Considering release on Xbox and PlayStation. But as a die-hard Nintendo fan, the Switch release holds a special place in my heart. Of all the home consoles, hockey games are probably one of the most wanted.

shack news: When can fans expect Tape to Tape to be released?

Hugo: For the first time, we can announce that Tape to Tape will be released in Early Access on May 3, 2023. Join our amazing Discord community, share your gaming experiences and chat with us!

As mentioned by Hugo, Tape to Tape will be released on Steam Early Access on May 3, 2023.