Experimental Test Branch Update - Campaign 2.0

Changelog

May 7th 2026

Thank you for the all your feedback so far! We really appreciate the help! The difficulties will remain a work in progress as usual, nothing is final. We are closely monitoring feedback and data to ensure everything feels fair.

Couple reminders to answer some questions in the community hub:

The meta-progression system is not in the game yet. While upgrading Angus between runs will not return, it will eventually be replaced by a different unlock system. You will be able to unlock more Free Agents, power-ups, relics, and more over time. This Experimental version is mainly intended to help us get a feel for the overall balancing of the game

Nothing is ever final. If you have been following us since the beggining, we have changed so many things throughout the years based solely on feedback. Be mindful that there's still a lot of changes to come and it all comes from what you are experiencing in game and what you are reporting back to us.

Hope you enjoy!

Timer Mode re-added. Max Goal is now the hybrid mode, where games can be won either by reaching the goal limit or when the clock expires

Veteran and Pro difficulties reduced. We are closely monitoring the data, keep the feedback coming!

Added Nightmare Difficulty (Experimental). This mode is intended for hardcore players, with increased difficulty across the board. We will continue monitoring feedback to ensure it remains fair, but expect a serious challenge. (Note: Nightmare is essentially what Veteran used to be.)

Hits from behind now cause slightly less puck control loss

You can now bodycheck while carrying the puck (Experimental)

AI tweaks to both offense and defense

Added new power-up icons

Starting squad stats (Benchwarmers & Angus) have been buffed

Act 1 & 2 teams rebalanced to better reflect the updated difficulty changes

Hello!

This is the second Experimental Branch patch! Details on how to join are below, followed by the patch notes. Reminder that all changes listed here are NOT FINAL and are subject to change. Your feedback is especially important for this update. Once we’ve gathered enough data and player input, this version will move to the public build and become the main game.

The current Early Access version will remain available for a limited time, but our focus is on polishing this new iteration moving forward. We’re confident that Campaign 2.0 offers significantly more content and replayability, with additional updates planned throughout the summer leading up to full release.

This patch introduces a wide range of changes and new content, including two new squads and more. We’re looking forward to your feedback as we continue to iterate on features and ensure everything is as polished as possible.

What is the Experimental Branch?

The Experimental branch gives new and returning players the opportunity to get their hands on pre-patch content and help us test upcoming updates, find bugs, and share feedback so future patches can go live as smoothly as possible and stay as close as we can to the players’ point of view. It will also allow us to better adjust the game’s difficulty by combining your feedback with our in-game analytics.

If you decide to use the Experimental branch, here’s what to expect:

• Testing new content for upcoming patches

• Occasionally broken versions of the game

• Some features may be unavailable

• Pure Campaign 2.0 feature testing (until further notice)

If this sounds like your kind of thing, we’d love to have you!

Click here to join our Discord Server to stay up to date with new experimental updates or if you’d like to report bugs, share feedback, or chat directly with the dev team.

Quick reminder: If you report feedback or bugs in the Steam Community Hub, please make sure to mention that you’re playing on the Experimental Branch to avoid any confusion. We also kindly ask that any negative feedback does not take the form of an official review, as all Experimental content is subject to change.

How To Join

• Right-click Tape to Tape in your Library

• Select Properties

• Go to Game Versions & Betas

• Enter the code: domingocassette and opt in (as seen below)

Experimental Testing Branch Update Notes

Gameplay Campaign

New squads, Power-ups and Relics are in! The goal is to grow both the squad roster and the pool of power-ups over time as we test, balance, and ensure each addition fits naturally within the game. The early game flow has also been updated, adding a few more choices before jumping into the first game.

New Squad - Tchel: Leaninig into a more simulation-style experience with manual pokechecks, offsides, and players that are harder to knock off the puck

New Squad - Oldschool: a tribute to the original Early Access, featuring no bench and no injuries for a more straightforward, classic run

Tentative: Introduced a test hybrid scoring mode where opponents can still be mercied under the Max Goal rule, but matches can also be decided by the clock and period play.

A fresh batch of many new power-ups and relics has been added, with increased synergy both among themselves and with the existing pool. Some existing power-ups and relics have also been rebalanced to improve overall feel and consistency

Introduction of the Golden Helmet, awarded to the top scorer on your team, along with new power-ups and relics built around enhancing and interacting with its wearer

New free agents have been added, expanding your options for building your team throughout the campaign

Puck feel was adjusted in multiple areas, including board collisions, rebound behavior (on and around the boards), post-shot pickups, and various edge cases around possession. Passing, one-timers, pokechecks, and player selection all received targeted fixes or balancing passes

Body size now matters, with smaller and larger skaters behaving differently in recovery and speed

Injuries balancing adjustments

AI Changes

AI has been tuned repeatedly across nearly every layer of gameplay, with continuous adjustments to offense, defense, breakaways, interceptions, puck pursuit, and overall decision-making. The goal is to find the right balance between responsiveness and consistency, while keeping the gameplay fun, challenging, and rewarding. These iterations aim to ensure AI can support your plays, apply pressure, capitalize on mistakes, and display distinct behaviors while still leaving room for creative play and exploitable patterns.

AI offensive positioning reworked to create better passing lanes and respond more dynamically to puck movement in the offensive zone

AI defensive positioning reworked to improve zone coverage and better support defensive plays, especially when switching between player

Goalie Changes

Goalies have received a series of updates across core behaviors, including save reactions, slide movement, butterfly timing, and pass interactions. Rebound control and rebound physics have also been refined to improve consistency and readability around the net. We will continue to iterate on goalie behavior to ensure they remain challenging, fair, and fun to play with and against.

Our goal is to keep the vast majority of goals feeling fair and earned. That said, there may occasionally be softer goals these are not intentionally scripted, but rather a natural outcome of the game’s systems and variability. Overall, no goals or outcomes are scripted, and each play unfolds dynamically based on the situation.

Butterfly sliding has been adjusted for smoother movement across the crease, particularly on one-timers and close-range plays

Positioning, rebound control recovery improvements

General & System

The game has received a full presentation overhaul, including a complete UI/UX refresh with new screens, transitions, menus, and on-screen notifications, new power-up & relics icons, alongside an audio update featuring new sounds, music, and crowd SFX. Arena visuals and rendering have also been improved, with a new set of VFX added to enhance the overall experience.

Complete UI/UX overhaul, including new screens, transitions, menus, and on-screen notifications

Audio overhaul, with new sounds, music, SFX, and crowd updates

New in-game visuals, VFX & more

Introduction of a new key character (Bottom left corner of the Arena)

Graphics settings improvements,rendering updates, and various performance enhancements

We truly appreciate the help, and we’re excited to uncover some upcoming content with you all. Happy testing!

The Tape to Tape Team