Rewind or Die, both a choice and a horror game about a serial killer that goes after those that don’t rewind and return their tapes late. After a co-worker doesn’t show up to their shift at Video 2 Go, the manager calls you in late at night. Instead of relaxing and watching TV, it’s time for another dreaded shift.
Developed by Comp-3 Interactive and published by Puppet Combo’s Torture Star Video, Rewind or Die features multiple chapters with a wide variety of gameplay. It has a lot of my favorite elements in it. VHS and PSX style graphics, tons of attention to small details and items, and a lot to explore. The atmosphere of the town stretching down the street was awesome to open the game to.
Inside the video store, there’s a lot to check out and much nostalgia to be had. Tons of DVDs to see, and even an Angry Birds spooky arcade version. You unlock a neat little Easter egg if you beat it. There’s also the movie buff customer, which I liked hearing the bunch of random movie facts from. Once your relatable useless co-worker leaves, the story of the Rewind or Die serial killer is revealed.
Rewind or Die – Trapped by Slaw
The concept of why Slaw is a murderer makes him one of my favorite serial killers. Anyone who doesn’t rewind, or returns their tapes late will face his wrath. The first few chase scenes were intense and fun instead of straight up scary. Later on, randomly running into slaw around a corner is way more spooky.
Once you get the ball rolling, the puzzles aren’t too difficult and fun to piece together. It’s a huge place with multiple chapters bringing you to the freezer, sewer, and all around the building for a final showdown with slaw. The tunnels were a bit frustrating to navigate, but the only part of the game that really gave me trouble.
Make sure to save the dog too! There’s a secret boss and room that you can unlock to save him. You have to find and shoot the 5 pig plushies hidden around the main building once you have the gun. Then you shoot up the giant pig plush boss and get the shears. With luck you’ll leave with the dog, and Cap’ if you didn’t burn him alive.
Final Thoughts
I love the title, the video store, and the aesthetics. The attention to detail and PSX style graphics in Rewind or Die are some of my favorites out of all the games that use them. Most of the game didn’t seem too scary to me, not a bad thing though. Slaw is more of a villain that has fun with his job, and the game doesn’t also rely on Jump Scares. It’s a small problem I have with other Puppet Combo and Torture Star games where the scares are just so incredibly loud.
*Spoilers* The endings twist was an amazing realization. After the reveal it was the store owner, Keith it was kind of obvious looking back… A killer that goes after bad customers out of his own rage. If you enjoyed the game, you should check out others by Torture Star Video.
