It’s unthinkable the amounts of money people will pay for even just an hour with the bucket.
Tape Man
Tape Man is a character in The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe, heard as a voice over a tape recording in the bucket version of the Tape Recorder Ending. He is voiced by Joe Finegold.
Information[]
The sole appearance of the Tape Man is through activating the cassette already inserted into the cassette player. In contrast to the regular Tape Recorder Ending, where an orange tape labeled "NARRATOR DIALOGUE" is already activated upon entering the area, the bucket version's tape is a dark turquoise color and labeled "EVIDENCE #252", as well as requiring manual activation by the player.
Upon activation, an unfamiliar male voice is heard.
The Tape Man begins the recording by stating the day of studying the Reassurance Bucket, he attempts to state the tape number as well but has lost track due to his focus on the bucket itself. Rambling over its euphoric qualities over the recording, feeling as the things around him begin to make less sense the more time he spends holding the bucket, and how empty he feels upon placing it down.
He quickly becomes frustrated at the ambiguity of the bucket and its abilities to affect him so much. After a moment, he ponders what he should do with something as powerful as the bucket, eventually landing on the idea of monetizing it by allowing consumers to pay to hold the bucket to achieve the same euphoric feelings he felt, dubbing the idea as his golden ticket. He realizes that he must be careful, because as soon as the idea is brought to the public - a target will be on his back.
Before he even has the chance to begin, a mysterious entity emitting screeching metallic noises, labeled as "[Strange otherworldly noises]", enters his vicinity and proceeds to approach the Tape Man, where he whispers the identity of the interloper, Gambhorra'ta. These are the Tape Man's final words as he goes silent and the otherwordly noises resume, suggesting that something was done to him at the hands of Gambhorra'ta. Whether this was him being killed or another fate remains unknown.
Theories[]
- It is speculated by members of the community that the Tape Man and Watching Man are the same person, as they both exclusively appear in Bucket-related endings. The Watching Man appearing in the Bucket Press Conference Ending and No Buckets Ending, while the Tape Man only appears in the Bucket Tape Recorder Ending.
- Some believe that the Tape Man could be Stanley or Employee 432 but there is no evidence of this.
Trivia[]
- "Tape Man" is an unofficial name given to this character, as he is not referred to by anything in-game.
- According to his dialogue, the Tape Man has been in possession of the bucket and/or been in hiding for a minimum of 295 days.
| v • e Characters | |
|---|---|
| 2011 Mod/2013 HD Remix | The Adventure Line™ • The Baby • The Boss • Broom Closet • The Curator • Employee 432 • Employees • The Essence of Divine Art • The Fern • Mariella • The Narrator • Player • The Puppy • Stanley • Stanley's wife • Steven |
| Ultra Deluxe | The Announcer • Bucket Destroyer • Cat and Dog • Gambhorra'ta • The Paywall • The Reassurance Bucket • Settings Person • Tape Man • Watching Man |
| Demonstration | The Receptionist |