Soundrace

About

Soundrace is a DOS platformer where you wield a cassette tape recorder as both weapon and tool. Navigate five zones filled with hazards and guardians by recording scattered beats and blasting them up close to enemies. Each level requires finding switches to unlock portals, while managing limited recorder power and avoiding fall damage. Time pressure adds tension, with clock pickups giving short bursts of extra seconds to complete objectives. Gameplay leans on precise timing and resource management as you battle through cyberpunk-inspired levels. What sets Soundrace apart is its reliance on 90s electronic music as a gameplay mechanic. The tape recorder’s dual role as a weapon and a vulnerable asset creates risk-reward loops, while the German language setting and cassette tape theme add a retro niche charm. Though buried in obscurity, its blend of action-platforming and audio-based combat feels oddly ahead of its time for 1995. The frantic pacing and cassette-centric design make it a curiosity for DOS enthusiasts.

Storyline

In your search for hip sounds in cyberspace, you have unknowingly stumbled into the nasty cyberlord MEGABLAST. To get back to your own world, you must traverse through five dangerous zones, defeat the portal guardians and face MEGABLAST in the Magic Zone. Thankfully, there's a high quality FUJI cassette tape in each zone, and armed with your trusty tape recorder, you can record beats scattered across the zones and use them as a weapon against enemies and bosses. Playing back beats creates a small area of effect and in order to do damage, you need to stay dangerously close to your enemies. Unlock the portal areas by finding a switch in each zone, then face the portal guardian by playing back the recorded beats and opening the portal once they're defeated. Many dangers await you in your adventure across the zones. Enemies will drain your tape recorder so you'll need to collect batteries to replenish its power. The tape recorder is also vulnerable to fall damage but collecting repair tools will fix it from becoming permanently broken. You also only have a few minutes to finish each zone, so keep an eye out for clock power-ups to add 25 seconds to your timer.