From Press Release:
Los Angeles, CA (January 11, 2023) – DreadXP — an independent horror publisher and production company — is excited as Hell to announce that its newest dark comedy indie horror game Red Tape is set to introduce players to the nine circles departments of corporate hell on February 14th when it releases on Steam for Windows PC.
Inspired by Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy, and originally conceived as a Ludum Dare Gamejam entry, DreadXP and developer Pollaris Studios’ Red Tape takes the idiom and translates it into a full-on bureaucracy simulator about a fallen angel trapped in the bowels of Hell seeking a way back to Heaven. It’s up to players to get this nasty … “HR issue” sorted with the head honcho himself: CEO of Hell Incorporated, The Devil.
“DreadXP was founded by a desire to support fellow spooky-inclined indie game developers, so when we came across the folks at Brazil-based Pollaris Studios, we saw an amazing opportunity to highlight this small but immensely talented team,” said Ted Hentschke, Head of Production at DreadXP. “Pollaris Studios marks the first of many ultra-small indies that we intend to support with our publishing resources and introduce to as big of an audience as possible.”
As an angel trapped in the fiery underworld due to a paperwork mishap, players of Red Tape will explore the nine circles of Hell Inc. to fix this egregious filing error. They’ll have to run, jump, wait in line, and experience all the thrills and thralls of horrific corporate culture first-hand. Hellish bureaucratic processes await, as are all manner of demons and hellspawn 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.
- 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.
Red Tape releases on Steam on February 14th. Fiendish fans can wishlist the game today.
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