Where to get it

Steam

2016 · Waygetter Electronics · Christma · Horror

Tattletail

Tattletail is a short, story-driven first person horror game about everyone's favorite talking toy from the 90's. You opened your Tattletail before Christmas, and now he won't stay in his box. Can you keep him out of trouble until Christmas day? Or will Mama Tattletail find her baby and hunt you down first?

Released: 28 December 2016
Platforms: Windows macOS
Genres: Christma Horror Indie
Developers: Waygetter Electronics
Publishers: —
Modes: Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Horror
Country: United States
Languages: English
Time to beat: 1hmain story2hwith extras2hcompletionist

About

Tattletail is a 2016 survival horror video game created by Waygetter Electronics and published by Little Flag Software. The player must care for their virtual pet toy, Baby Talking Tattletail, while avoiding the pursuit of its recalled predecessor, Mama Tattletail (commonly referred to as "Mama"). The game was released on Steam on December 28, 2016.

Two updates were released, one adding multiple endings and the other adding an expansion campaign that takes place after the main game's campaign. During the expansion there is a mysterious person giving the player notes referencing that they failed to fix their memories.

Players say

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The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Five nights before Christmas, the player sneaks into the basement to open their present early. The gift turns out to be a Baby Talking Tattletail, a Furby-like talking plush toy. 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 Tattletail is not a threat, it is prone to generating a lot of sound when its three needs are not met, alerting Mama Tattletail of their location.

While completing a set task, the player must avoid Mama by staying quiet when she is near. Failure to do so, or going too close, will result in Mama attacking the player in a jumpscare.

Story

The game takes place in 1998 through five nights, beginning on December 20 and ending on Christmas Day. The player wakes up on Night 1 to open their Christmas present early. The present is the new fad toy, a purple Baby Talking Tattletail (based on a Furby). After playing with the toy briefly (which involves feeding and grooming him), the player puts him back into his box and goes back to bed.

On Night 2, the player finds the same Tattletail in the tumble dryer, with no indication of how he got there. The player then charges him, wraps him back up into his box, and goes back to bed.

Development

The game was published under the name of the in-universe fictional toy company named Waygetter Electronics. In reality, the team is led by game designer Ben Esposito, and consists of character designer/co-developer Geneva Hodgson along with lead programmer Tom Astle, Cartoonist and later writer for OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes. Ryann Shannon also stars as the voice of Talking Tattletail while Hodgson voiced Mama.

Reception

The game has received criticism for its resemblance to the Five Nights at Freddy's series for featuring similar elements, including its visual aesthetic, five-day time limit, and animatronic-based antagonists. GameSpew's Chris McMullen praised its more structured gameplay, as well as its reproduction of 1990s childhood fears.