Tattletail
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| Tattletail | |
|---|---|
 Steam storefront header | |
| Developer(s) | Waygetter Electronics |
| Publisher(s) | Little Flag Software, LLC |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows Mac OS |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Tattletail is a video game created by Waygetter Electronics. The game features Furby-like toys called Talking Tattletails, more specifically "Baby Tattletail", which the player must carecool
for while avoiding the pursuit of its recalled predecessor Mama Tattletail. The game was released on Steam on December 28, 2016.[1]
Gameplay
For the five nights leading up to Christmas, the player must tend to their Baby Talking Tattletail toy by feeding it, grooming it and allowing it to charge while completing a set of objectives each night. While the Baby Talking Tattletail isn't a threat, it is prone to generating a lot of sound, which alerts Mama Tattletail to your location. While completing a set task, the player must avoid Mama by staying quiet when she is near (indicated by her mechanical noises). Failure to do so will result in Mama attacking the player in a jump scare, ending the game.
Players acquire a shake flashlight to navigate in the darkness, but Mama Tattletail has the ability to kill the player's flashlight when they look directly at her. Baby Talking Tattletail is afraid of the dark (and is quite vocal about it), creating a necessity to replenish the flashlight by shaking it quickly. However, the flashlight's shake also generates sound, so the player must be careful about when and where to shake.
Over the course of the game, a series of "Gift Eggs," presumably laid by the Tattletail toy line, are placed throughout the house. Collecting all 22 of the eggs will result in the player achieving the "good" ending of the game.
Plot
The game takes place in December 1998. The player wakes up on December 20 to open their Christmas present early. The present is the new fad toy, Talking Tattletail. After playing with the toy briefly, the player character goes back to bed.
On another night, the player encounters the contents of an old nursery in the basement. In the corner sits the now-recalled Mama Tattletail, along with a cassette tape which can be played using the toy. The tape contains a snippet from a story in a read-along style, including prompts to "turn the page." During each of the remaining nights leading up to Christmas Day, the player is awakened by Tattletail's mounting mischief and demands, including a game of hide-and-seek with an additional Baby Talking Tattletail toy that appears. All the while, the Mama Tattletail hunts down the player relentlessly. The Mama Tattletail is the main 'enemy' of the player.
On Night 4, when the titular VHS tape is played, it shows several interchangeable camera feeds from what can only be assumed to be a Tattletail commercial (which is actually footage from the trailer). But after some time, some of the camera feeds' names turn red, the lighting changes from blue to green, and body bags and/or bodies appear. On Camera 5's "red" mode, Mama is watching as a man's lower legs struggle (the rest is obscured). This has led many to assume that Mama killed the people on the floor and in the body bags.
On Christmas Eve, the tension rises to a climax with the arrival of several additional Baby Talking Tattletails who are here for "a party for Mama." In a unique twist, the Baby Talking Tattletails enlist the player in a ritual to banish the Mama Tattletail forever.
If the player collects all 22 eggs, the player will obtain the good ending. In this ending, the player opens their gift on Christmas Day, which reveals to be the same Baby Talking Tattletail the player retrieved when opening their present early. The Talking Tattletail will then proceed to give the player a series of "gifts" such as its birth tag and a golden flashlight. The player will then need to open the door of their mother's room, which triggers a white screen. While presented with this screen, the player can hear their Talking Tattletail thanking them.
If the player fails to collect all 22 eggs, the player will obtain the bad ending. Instead of the player being gifted a Talking Tattletail, the box appears to be empty. Mama Tattletail will then attack the player, this will result in ending the game.
Development
The game was published under the name of the in-universe fictional toy company named Waygetter Electronics. In reality, the team was led by game designer Ben Esposito, and consisted of character designer/co-developer Geneva Hodgson along with lead programmer Tom Astle. Cartoonist Ryann Shannon also stars as the voice of Talking Tattletail.[2]
Reception
The game has received some criticism for its surface resemblance to the Five Nights at Freddy's series for featuring similar gameplay elements, but critics generally agree that the gameplay, which allows for free roaming, is distinctive.[3] The game has also received mostly positive reviews on Steam.
References
- ^ "Tattletail on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Ben Esposito's web site". Torahhorse.com. Ben Esposito. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
- ^ "Tattletail Review". GameSpew. GameSpew. Retrieved 2017-01-18.
External links
