If you are a hockey fan with a Switch, you have been poorly served by the system’s library. Odd really, considering how well hockey itself translates into video game form. And then you chance upon Tape to Tape drowning in the weekly AI slop eShop releases, a curiously labelled “gorgeous roguelite hockey world" affair. Is this it? Is this the hockey game of my dreams?

Tape to Tape did not sprout magically overnight. It has been a labour of love for several years and has been feeding off a lively player community with feedback to shape the version now in our hands. Forget about offsides, penalties, and other obtuse rules (unless you pick the Modern Squad): this is hardcore old-school hockey the likes of which we haven't seen since NHL Hitz and that is a very good thing indeed.

While this is strictly an offline couch multiplayer affair with all the expected gameplay modes up to four players, the real meat is found in the campaign mode, where its roguelite nature shines. You start with a choice of three teams, with another 16 unlocking as you make progress and meet unlock conditions. Each comes with their own gameplay quirks, with some being significant advantages while others rapidly become heavy handicaps.

In my dozen or so (not all of them successful) runs, there were no two alike, thanks to the sizeable amount of possible combos of team, star players, bench-warmers, unlockable team relics, and individual player skills. A successful run will expose huge chunks of delightfully silly lore and can run to over an hour while you pick your path between opponents' stadiums and a cast of oddball individuals that will (mostly) help to bring out your team's potential.

The other unexpected stars are the opponent teams, from stereotypical spoofs like the soccer team (with easily recognisable caricatures of real-life players) that doesn’t even use sticks to play to the Canadian team that requires tariffs (translating into huge handicaps per period) and has their heads animated in unmistakable South Park fashion, all the way up to the hockey nemesis themselves, the club wielding Golfers in the final campaign act.

And the less said about the cheating Officials team, the better. Having a clean run end abruptly because the official grabs the puck and shoves it into the back of your net might be part of the fun, but it still stings.

Overall, this is a refreshingly addictive take on hockey, with tight gameplay, humour that lands, and rewarding unlockable content. The Switch edition offers something not found on other versions: the option to throw a Joy-Con at other players and have a quick match in tabletop mode. If you grew up with Ice Hockey and Blades of Steel on NES, Mutant League Hockey on Mega Drive, and the all-mighty, all-conquering NHL Hitz on sixth-generation hardware, this game was made for you.

If you have never played a hockey game in your life before and have zero interest in the sport, this game is also for you! Tape to Tape is not just a great hockey video game - it is a great video game, period.