DreadXP — an independent horror publisher and production company — has released their dark comedy horror game, Red Tape, earlier this week for Windows PC via Steam and itch.io. Red Tape tells the hellish tale of an angel who was subjected to damnation due to a paperwork error. Now, in order to right this egregious wrong, players must traverse the nine circles of Hell to get an audience with the big man himself: The Devil.
Taking notes from Dante Alighieri’s extremely romantic poem The Divine Comedy, and originally conceived as a Ludum Dare Gamejam entry, DreadXP and developer Pollaris Studios’ Red Tape takes the idiom to literal lengths and tells the saga of a fallen angel trapped in the bowels of Hell seeking a way back to Heaven.
Much like real life, players will run, jump, queue, and experience corporate culture so hellish, they’ll be begging for a trip to the DMV. As if that weren’t enough, all manner of demons and hellspawn are determined to complicate matters further with their petty nonsense, conflated egos, and sadistic requests. Players will have to cut through the red tape in their fight to restore balance between Heaven and Hell.
The nine circles of Hell are, of course, sectioned into familiar corporate departments:
- LIMBO – Reception
- LUST – Human Resources
- GLUTTONY – Cafeteria
- GREED – Accounting
- WRATH – Customer Service
- HERESY – Marketing
- FRAUD – Legal
- VIOLENCE – Planning
- TREACHERY – Administration
Showcased in Dreadful Dev Diary: Pollaris Studios #01, developer Nathan Gabriel discussed how the Italian poem The Divine Comedy served as inspiration behind Red Tape, and how he has built out the world of a literal corporate hell. Much like the poem, the deeper the ring, the more severe the sin, and the higher level of authorization required.
Check out the Red Tape launch trailer:
Red Tape is available now on Steam and itch.io for Windows PC for $5.99, with a 10% off launch week discount.
You can follow and engage with DreadXP on Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, and join the community on Discord.
Related: DreadXP Horror Games Publisher Opens Porting Studio to Bring Games to Consoles
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