The Blockbuster from hell: Rewind or Die

Have you ever wanted to work at a local video store (complete with spicy section) while out running a bloodthirsty serial killer? The Rewind or Die is the game for you! This game was launched in April 2023 and is currently available for $11.99 is developed by comp3-interactive and published by Torture star video. It took me about 4 + hours to complete. 

Rewind or Die features PSX retro style graphics, full voice acting and a killer soundtrack that would make the metal gods gleeful. The style of the graphics took me back to a better time, when I only had to focus on beating a game and not the existential dread of being an adult and paying bills. Visually it was fantastic and really captured the late 90s aesthetic, color themes and overall tone, most of the time I prefer a more basic graphic style and I love more of the focus on the story. The sound design was fantastic especially when we were in the video store, or the dark dingy tunnels, the developer really captured the ambient sound quite well. 

The controls were easy enough to follow and the controls were smooth and user friendly. From a gameplay perspective everything was smooth. There were a few chase scenes in the game and I felt this would have been the spot to have some frame drop issues, but alas...there were none. Game play was seamless from scene to scene, there was little to no loading times for each section and an over all feel that felt polished to perfection. 

The story itself was very well written and with multiple ending which means replayability! I am not going to spoil anything other than saying this - take your time I'm the game, explore your surroundings and take in the 90z goodness that we crave so badly! The characters are quirky and well written. The story itself is clear, consistent and doesn't drag the player. There is many twists and turns taking you on a Rollercoaster of emotions, scares and so much more. The characters were well designed to fit the polygonal models of years past, each character was unique and was distinguishable from the other. The gore in the game was also very well done for being in the PSX style it still made me cringe and really pushed the gore factor which I really appreciated. 

SOUND DESIGN & VISUALS:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9.5/10

GAMEPLAY: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ⭐⭐⭐ 9.5/10

CONTROLS:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10

STORY:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 9/10 

CHARACTER DESIGN:⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐9/10

Overall Score: 9.2 / 10

Final thoughts:

I really enjoyed Rewind or Die! I also loved the fact that when I streamed the game the dev was in chat not only interacting with me but with my community as well. I think having that line open from developer to community is amazing and is what the indie space is known for. I don't think there was anything else the dev could have done to make me like the game more! He really did a great job and left me wanting more from him! He helped me on some of the harder puzzles and made me realize how much over thinking we do in horror games as the player. It was such a fun time and I am so grateful I took a leap on this one!!

Go pick up Rewind or Die today and scratch your itch for 90s nostalgia complete with a homicidal maniac.