Tape Recovery Simulator 96K DEMO

This review is for a [b]demo[/b] of "Tape Recovery Simulator 96K". I didn't know developers sent out review keys for demos but here we are. Unfortunately Steam did not allow posting until a game (or demo in this case) had officially released." [h1]Rocky start[/h1] On the 17th when I claimed the key through the curator it did not have an executable file but it was resolved within 24 hours. Turning to the discussions as I often do I took note that there was no developer replies at this time and talk of this problem going back to 2021. I did check before posting and see the developer is now responding to posts so that is a big plus. Hopefully continues through development. [h1]Gameplay[/h1] "Tape Recovery Simulator 96K" made me curious with a tag of Puzzle and Adventure. Maybe my imagination or maybe the old computer system aspect but I got the vibe of an ARG and wondered if more was hiding below the surface. Unfortunately not much of my curiosity was answered in this demo. It was a series of 11 tutorials and a final exam designed to introduce you to the company and the software utilities you will be using. The tutorials are all pretty short and while feeling a tad repetitive each introduces a new function or tip. The gist of things in the demo were, read the email, load the tape, type a line into the emulator, play the tape and then adjust the tuner to get a clear image. Sadly I did not get to the final exam tape which may have had more to offer. Tutorial 11 did not seem to register as complete after doing what the email asked. I waited awhile after three different attempts to see if it just needed time to sync but no change in status so I closed the game. I have no interest in replaying the demo a fourth time just to see this conclusion. [h1]UI[/h1] Loved that each 'software' was it's own window so you could move them around to suit your needs and there is even an option in each Title bar (an arrow) allowing you to increase the window size. Within the email software you also can increase the font size on the first click, then the whole window size enlarges the next. [h1]Unreliable saves?[/h1] Likely a bug to work out since it is labeled Demo and Early Access. Relaunching the game did not always let me resume my progress. Pressing the Play button asks "are you sure you want to start over?" Clicking No closes the window as expected which leaves only Eject. Seems an odd choice to continue. But it did load my game once. Sadly the next three times I tried it did nothing leaving me to start a new game three times. [h1]Pink noise[/h1] When you are working on a tape you hear this pink noise as your superior calls it. At first it's not bad, but by the second time I played through the Tutorial to 11 it was starting to grate on me even with dropped the dial between 1 and 0. For thought, while it didn't feel as important in the demo it sounds like it will be in the full game. An email mentioned listening for specific noises that happen before you see the tape error and I don't know how to take it with the little info given so far. I hope that in full release it will be possible to have separate option sliders. Such as pink noise as ambient and the important noises as effects to allow the employee to maybe mute the extra noise but still have access to the important ones. [i]Wishful thinking.[/i] [h1]No screenshots?[/h1] There was also no ability to take screenshots which I thought was disappointing but it did register the Steam Overlay so perhaps this just wasn't added yet. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠄⠄‿୨୧‿ ⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄‿୨୧‿ ⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄‿୨୧‿ ⠄⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄‿୨୧‿ ⠄⠄ [h1]In closing[/h1] I am curious for the full game and wondering how much of a puzzle aspect there is. It is an early demo so it's free to give a try yourself, sure there are hiccups but that is to be expected at this stage of development. Thanks for reading. Otome Lovers wishes to thank CaffeineWithdrawalGames for providing a free review copy for this game. [quote]Please follow our curator page, [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/4680120/]Otome Lovers[/url], if you'd like to see more reviews like this one! [/quote]