Rewind Or Die Review

Video Rental Frights

Rewind or Die is a first person horror title set in a video rental store in an unassuming northern town in the UK. However, you will quickly learn that this night might be your last as you are ominously told by a hobo on the way to work. You play as Tony, a shop assistant, drafted in at short notice because people have called in sick at work. In this tale, you end up dealing with a lot more than just late fees and dodgy films. Reminiscent of other VHS torture style horror games, this game is filled with a lot of nods to pop culture and also a lot of blood & gore.

Graphically, the game is very solid with a CRT/ VHS filter being a big part of the aesthetic which can be turned off although I wouldn’t recommend it. Otherwise the character design of Slaw is stark and really creeps you out especially as his voice brings a shiver down your spine.

The video store itself and the street outside take me back to my younger days when I visited my local video store to rent VHS tapes which is a welcome sight. The remaining sections of the game really set the mood with lots of gore and blood which puts you on edge and makes you keep alert.

Sound design as a whole is very well done with nice satisfying ambient tones to keep you creeped out, paired with awesome chase music and also inventory music which makes me feel like I’m back playing an old school survivor horror.

Gameplay is a key factor in games like this, and I was very much pleased with how Rewind or Die handled; its simple and easy to use controls paired with satisfying movement mechanics made it a joy to play. The inventory system for items was easy to use and understand with straightforward puzzles which do not detract from the horror element.

On playthrough, I found that a lot of things require exploration and it is not always a linear path to the end which is satisfying but also can be slightly confusing if you do not pay attention to the prompts in your objectives tab. During my playthrough, I also encountered one slight bug which is regarding a later game puzzle which is not game breaking and only requires you to reenter the puzzle which is a non-issue.

It was a pleasure to explore the world created by Comp-3, with a litany of titles competing against Rewind or Die, the gameplay does put it above most and is something I would replay again.

The story is centred around the main character Tony, an reluctant protagonist, considering this isn’t his shift. He turns up to work at Video2Go where there has been a spate of missing people all centred around the shop. The nightmare then becomes real as Slaw, the main antagonist, kills a reporter in cold blood just next to the shop.

Unbeknownst to Tony, Slaw is now stalking him as during the closing of the shop, he shows up and after a chase sequence, you are captured and put into dank, horrible sewers and forced to find (and fight) your way out against the horror that is Slaw.

In the Sewers it almost turns Doom-esque towards the end which is a nice shift of pace and tone but overall the story and characters offer enough for players to keep engaged and entertained throughout.

In essence, Rewind or Die is a brilliantly distilled version of VHS torture style horror with all the right elements to create an engaging and fun to play game. The story holds up well with the same over the top elements as many of the over the top films it portrays. The main character is the everyman who is forced to fight or die and this is very well portrayed in their voice acting too. Rewind or Die is a fantastic title which you should definitely purchase and play to experience the horror of Slaw.

Learn more about Rewind Or Die by visiting the official Steam page.

DEVELOPED BY:

Comp-3 Interactive

PUBLISHED BY:

Torture Star Video

*This review was originally published in Issue #1 of Fearzine Magazine which was distributed in June 2024.

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