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About Knife Man
Knife Man is a 90s nostalgia-fueled RPG simulator where you play the guy with the VHS camcorder. Developed by 3DI70R, it drops you into a slasher movie scenario where your friends act out a gory script, and your job is to capture the chaos on tape. The game leans into pixel art aesthetics and retro tech limitations, VHS grain, tape counters, and manual focusing all matter. Released on PC in November 2025, it’s a single-player story about creativity, friendship, and the chaos of making low-budget horror. Think “Scream” meets “The Goonies,” but you’re the behind-the-scenes guy holding the camera.
Gameplay
Your main loop is recording 10-minute scenes, adjusting camcorder settings like brightness and focus, and managing tape space. Between takes, you interact with friends via chat, guiding their performances or resolving conflicts. The 90s setting enforces rules like rewinding tapes manually or dealing with pixelated footage if the lighting’s bad. You also edit scenes post-recording, trimming bloopers and arranging clips into a coherent movie. Combat is minimal, your role is observational, but you can accidentally film a slasher attack if your friends improv too wildly. The interface feels clunky on purpose, mimicking real camcorder controls.
What Players Think
PlayPile ratings are mixed: 78% positive from 12,500 players, with 42% completing the main story. Average playtime is 13 hours, though 35% quit before halfway. Community moods skew nostalgic (71%) but also “frustrating” (29%) due to repetitive scene setups. Critics note the “deliberate grind” of editing and the charm of 90s VHS emulation. One review wrote, “It’s like making a movie with your friends in Minecraft, but the plot is a mess.” Achievements (32 total) focus on technical skills like capturing 100% of a scene without rewinding.
PlayPile's Take
Knife Man works best for players who enjoy niche simulation and 90s nostalgia. The VHS mechanics are clever but slow; if you hate micromanaging tape counters, this will frustrate you. It’s not a traditional RPG, it’s more of a creative tool disguised as a game. With no multiplayer, the main draw is replaying scenes to improve footage. At $19.99, it’s a low-risk pick for retro fans. The 13-hour average playtime is short for the price, but the 32 achievements add replay value. A polarizing pick, but the retro charm lingers.
Game Modes
Single player
Achievements
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