Rewind Or Die

**Rewind Or Die** is a 2023 slasher horror game developed by **COMP-3 Interactive**, and published by **Torture Star Video**. The game is available on Steam and on Itch.io.

## Synopsis

**“***There's a serial killer stalking your video store, and you just got called into work on your day off! Stock shelves, deal with customers and RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!***”**
— **Official steam description**

## Characters

### Main

* Tony Brown
* Slaw

### Supporting

* Dave
* Zakk
* Detective Harry Johnson
* Keith Williams
* Captain
* Timothy
* Franky
* Louis the Security Guard
* Detective Brian Davis

### Minor

* Customer #1
* Customer #2
* Hobo the Hobo

## Plot

### Chapter 1

**November 29th, 1997**

The game starts with character Tony chilling in his apartment. His roommate Franky answers the phone and tells Tony that he needs to return back to work, which makes him angry as he was just about to make himself something to eat. He nevertheless prepares himself and goes to work. On his way through the alleyway, he runs into a crazy hobo who tells him to be careful because tonight might be the last day among the living. Tony tells him to piss off and continues his way. He reaches the video store, puts his backpack in the locker and starts his shift. The first customer complains about waiting for over 10 minutes and demands to see the manager. Tony apologizes to the customer, tells him that they are short staffed before the customer pays and leaves. Minutes go by and Tony hears a phone ringing in the staff room. He answers it, but all he hears is a strange echoing voice. Tony brushes it off and returns to his duties. Minutes later, another customer appears and starts telling Tony a bunch of random facts about movies before storming out of the store. Tony opens the toilet and finds the co-worker Dave sleeping in there. A reporter named Timothy enters the store and asks Tony about the most recent disappearances that have been happening in this area. Tony tells him he doesn't know much and the reporter leaves. Dave comments that "the town has gone to the shits", and Tony agrees. Outside, the reporter records his report via cassette recorder and heads back to his office. On his way he hears the sound of a vehicle crashing and goes to investigate. He finds the crashed van, investigates the area and finds the decapitated pig's head when suddenly he is forcefully pushed to the ground. Timothy recovers from the fall and is attacked by the killer.

### Chapter 2

A few hours later, Tony prepares to close the store when he receives an email from boss Keith, who reminds them of what to do before closing the store. In the staff room Dave tells Tony that he'll be leaving for a date with a coworker Michelle, which confuses Tony because he had been told by Keith that Michelle couldn't come to work. Dave gives him the back keys and leaves. Shortly after, a detective enters the store and talks to Tony about missing people in the area and tells him that all who are missing had a Video 2 Go account and asks him for the most recent customer transaction data. Tony gets the customer documents and hands it over to the detective. The detective thanks him and jokingly reminds him to pay the TV license before leaving the store. Tony locks the store and goes to clean it and return the VHS tapes to the shelves. Outside after taking the trash, he encounters his friend Captain and they have a chat. Tony returns to his duties when he sees a guy with a pig head outside the store. He tries to talk to the person and tells him that the store is closed, but the person won't leave. The person tells Tony that he'll be back and slowly walks away. Tony finishes his duties when all of a sudden somebody throws a cinder block and smashes the window. Frustrated, Tony calls his boss Keith about what happened and Keith tells him to board the windows and that he'll come. Tony finds some wooden planks and boards the windows with it. A phone rings and Tony goes to answer it, thinking its Keith. He picks up the phone and hears an ominous voice telling him that they'll have fun tonight, followed by loud banging and captain's screams outside. Tony hides in the vents and escapes outside in the alleyway when the killer appears and chases Tony. Tony manages to outrun the killer, but the steel flooring breaks and Tony falls down and is captured by Slaw.

Hours later, Tony wakes up trapped in a cage, Slaw enters the room and tells him that he'll return. Tony examines the cage and finds a hole in the closet. He escapes through the hole and explores the facility in hopes of finding the exit. While searching he finds captain alive, who is trapped inside of the incinerator. Tony tells him to hold on and that he'll find a way out. Tony further searches the facility, collects items and gain access to different parts of the facility when Slaw returns and starts patrolling the facility. Tony finds a gun and fights Slaw. After shooting the killer many times, Slaw drops on the ground, seemingly dead. Thinking its finally over, Tony heads to the garage when out of nowhere Slaw appears and attacks Tony, but Tony stabs him with a crowbar. Slaw falls over the fence into the wood chipper.

### Endings

Tony unlocks the garage gates and walks out. To unlock other endings, Tony has to save Captain and the caged dog Zakk. For this, the valve must be used on the gas pipe before using the power pack on Cap's chamber and the five Piggy dolls need to be found and shot to unlock the secret find that award the bolt cutters.

### Post credits

A few hours earlier at the police station, the detective is interviewing the Video-2-Go boss Keith, who is annoyed by the questioning as he already told them everything that happened and that he doesn't know where Tony is. Camera zooms on his face, and a decapitated pig's head appears, revealing who the actual killer was.

## Trivia

* The game's post-credits scene is followed with a memoriam to Anthony Rodden (1992-2023), who died two months before *Rewind Or Die*'s release.
* The video store was originally called Mockbuster Video before it was changed to Video-2-Go.
* Developer Mike Lythgoe, a.k.a. COMP-3 Interactive, previously voiced the Cheek Freak in Black Eyed Priest's *The Booty Creek Cheek Freak*.
* One of the arcade machines found in Video-2-Go runs a horror parody version of Flappy Bird called "Flap.exe".
* The mugshot depicted on the "DO NOT ALLOW ON PREMISES" poster on the wall behind the front desk was provided by COMP-3 Interactive's father, who wanted to cameo in the game, but didn't want to voice a character. He was less than amused with the photo's final usage.
* Puppet Combo once mistakenly gave the setting of *Rewind Or Die* as 1998.
* The incantation in the secret boss fight is an incomplete paraphrase of the plot-central line "klaatu barada niktu" from *The Day the Earth Stood Still*, which was repopularized through its more humorous usage in *Army of Darkness*.
* Despite the game taking place in 1997, one of the missing people in the Newspaper photos is seen holding a modern smartphone.
	+ In response, COMP-3 Interactive has stated that on Twitter that "A wizard did it".
	+ Dave, when informing Tony he is leaving to go to Michelle, says an iconic *The Legend of Zelda* line: "It's dangerous to go alone. Here, take this."

## References

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/comp3int/status/1647295818989199363
2. ↑ https://twitter.com/theunsungzero/status/1647369070747037704
3. ↑ https://twitter.com/comp3int/status/1630912942756577281?cxt=HHwWgoC-ycarlaItAAAA
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/comp3int/status/1650848634337116160
5. ↑ https://twitter.com/PuppetCombo/status/1647631890499743744
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/comp3int/status/1648436570054352896