Shift Quantum - A Cyber Noir Puzzle Platformer

[h1] An Piece of art from the developers of Epistory - Typing Chronicles [/h1] Even though I am not a huge fan of this genre, the fact that it was developed by Fishing Cactus convinced me buying it. Shift Quantum is a great [b]cyber-punk puzzle platformer[/b]. One of the great things is [b]difficulty being build up[/b] nicely. In the beginning you'll be introduced to the games mechanics, get a hang of the shifting. Once you get the hang of the shifting part the game will introduce various other elements. These elements will require out of the box thinking, especially when you start shifting the gravity and use the main shifting mechanic. Furthermore it is the most beautiful cyber-punk game I have seen ever seen. The environment is amazing and every detail is finished to convey in this big picture. To finish off, they have introduced a story that will leave you with a lot of questions during the gameplay. It keeps you going with the feeling you are doing the levels for a reason. [b]TL,DR: A Cyber-punk art piece with mind-bending puzzles [/b]

I played old shift game before around 10 years and i really love it. This game is a remake of shift quadrology from armorgames. I'm thai guys and i can buy cheaper than america zone (around 9 dollar) so i bought it quickly but 17.99 dollars for america zone is ver expensive, you maybe wait for steam summer sale. Recommended for old shift fan game and who want to play casual puzzle and who you are in the zone that can buy a cheap price.

5/10 - kinda meh. Pick it up if you haven't played the Flash game, but a fairly forgettable experience otherwise. The game is a "spiritual successor" of sorts of the original Flash game. The foundational mechanic of shifting between the black and white "portions" of the level is here, but with better graphics, cool soundtrack, some lore, and support for modern systems (although you need Proton to run under Linux). If you have not played the original Flash game, this is a perfectly fine substitute. But the game has many flaws, resulting in a "meh" experience. [list] [*] The servers for the community levels are down (there are complaints about this since 2022 in the Steam forums), killing replayability and making the four related achievements unachievable. [*] The lore/storytelling is confusing, and the "story levels" cannot be replayed unless I wipe out my entire save; so I cannot replay those levels to try to understand what is going on. [*] The platforming is awkward. In many instances I tried to fall down a gap, but ended up grabbing the edge of the adjacent block instead. If I jump and hit my head in the ceiling, the character keeps its upwards momentum, so if I continue moving horizontally until I'm not under the same block, the character noticeably raises in the air a bit. Landing on the side of a spike block does not kill you, allowing me to cheese at least one level. And the controls are not configurable, so e.g. I had to hold CTRL to move blocks around. [/list] The shifting mechanic is clever, but it carries this game, so given its flaws I cannot recommend it to a general audience.

Keep in mind this review is written before completely finishing the game (I'm about 2/3 of the way through). Do recommend, this is a well-designed little puzzle game. The puzzles build on each other well and solving them feels fulfilling. It's exactly what I was looking for in a brain teaser game. However, there's a couple of things that are making it really frustrating to play in places. First, I can't zoom out, which in early levels is fine, but in later maps leads to frustration as I am often stuck trying to navigate towards a goal that I can't see, using a device where I have to reset the level if I'm one block left or right of the goal. It feels tedious to have entirely solved a problem, but have to reset and redo it all because of this. Second, on a similar note, though not on the same level of frustration, the inability to see how many levels are left intuitively on the map screen. I'm often finding myself wanting to move to map nodes that I haven't seen yet (even if they'd be locked and inaccessible!) in order to get a visual representation of how far I've come and how far I'm going. The percentage completion at the top of the screen is good, but it's really not as intuitive, and I find myself missing the ability to visually see at a glance how far I've come and exactly what's on the roadmap going forward. As an aside, the bonus goals on each level, the 'glitches' aren't always well integrated. There are some puzzles where it's an extra level of puzzling to figure out how to get the glitch without putting yourself in a bad position and being unable to get to the exit of the level. However, these are only a handful of levels, and the rest of the time, the glitches tend to be either trivial or they're just an exercise in platforming execution, which doesn't feel like it adds a lot to the game. So overall, do recommend: 90% of the time, the puzzles are really well designed and fun to solve, and I love the switching in and out gimmick of the game. But there are definitely a few things that hold it back from being an A+ experience.

A challenging and mystifying addition to the always excellent Shift series! While you have the usual Shift mechanic (swap to the opposite side of reality so up is down, black is white, walls and floors are now open space and vice-versa, etc.), they've added pushable blocks that follow the same rules (blocks that are floors and walls in one shift perspective are now open space in the opposite shift perspective). Combine that with shifting gravity (everything falls one specific direction, even if the player has turned their personal gravity another direction) and the regular addition of new types of blocks with unique abilities, and you have a recipe for crazy complicated puzzles. On top of that, they add even more excellent Trap mechanics for bonus puzzles after you beat the main game! (Want to push this block? Too bad! It has spikes on multiple sides!) All in all, a very solid puzzle game that shouldn't drive you crazy with "impossible" puzzles. There's also a confusing story being told intermittently through cutscene puzzle levels involving chasing after / working with a little girl. Even with the additional story details being provided as flavor text through the achievements, I still have no idea who this girl is supposed to be. I'm also not certain if the corporation that has the player going through Shift puzzles is actually evil or if their therapy pitch is legit... Honestly, that's probably what the dev was going for. It's like the movie Inception - what actually happened at the end of the movie is up to the viewer to decide. My only regret is that the servers for community levels (as well as the game website) are down. You're not going to be able to get every achievement on this game if that matters to you... I was personally just hoping to try out tricky levels from other players. You can at least still see some of the in-universe corporate technobabble through the Internet Archive, but the website is partially broken there too.

Nice puzzle game with a novel mechanism. Not too mind-bending as of halfway through the game, so good for a relaxing session.

Just okay. Some nice, challenging puzzles, but story didn't make sense, and it was often unclear where you were supposed to go or what you were supposed to do. The only way to get 100% is to play the game through more than once, which only the most die hard achievement-hunter will do. It's very annoying that you can't simply go back and re-play a level (instead of having to start over from the beginning). That makes me feel like the devs are trying to manipulate me into spending more time playing the game (NOPE). I liked the original shift games (way back when, on Armor Games), but some of the magic of the original was lost here. What was really missing was the humor/playfulness of the original games. I hope they make more of these, but I recommend adding a little fun to the story.

A good sequel to one of the best flash game puzzle platformers.

Really cool design, great complexity in puzzles. Only thing I'd fix is the initial startup. When you go to video, change the settings to what you prefer, and go use your arrow to go below v sync (offscreen) to save the changes.

A great rendition of the classic flash games. Quantum introduces a variety of new blocks and mechanics which keeps the game fresh. I really love the level editor and smooth gameplay; the only thing I would add would be customizable controls. The soundtrack is amazing too!

Very, very impressed by Shift Quantum. I was anticipating that the shifting mechanism would be confusing, but this has not been my experience at all. The learning curve has been smooth, with new ways to use the mechanism introduced to the player at an appropriate pace. The visuals and theme tie together well. Even the menu system is part of the experience, not just a break in immersion. I'm looking forward to more games by this developer.

Thoroughly enjoyed playing Shift Quantum. 33 hours spent mucking about in these increasingly complex and frustrating puzzles. I admit I had to look up a YT vid on 2 puzzles, but the rest took time, patience, deep thought. Well done devs.

It's similar to a flash game I played when I was young. (You can't get 100% achievement since the server for community level is down.)

really cool stuff ! the game play is very amusing and keeps u playing it until u get tired of it and finally decide to go to sleep! the story is something empty but very sweet to follow. u will enjoy it alongside the game play. try to do the levels all by yourself ... and if u really couldnt do it , just search for a walk trough guide.

TL:DR - 8/10 - Enjoyable puzzle platformer with a neat art style, some genuine headscratchers, and a great deal of replayability courtesy of community levels. Definitely recommend, especially if you're into puzzle games. And now the slightly longer review... Shift Quantum is a very well done puzzle platformer with an arresting art style and some genuinely good puzzles. It features community levels in its endgame content, adding a great deal of replayability to the experience long after you've completed the main missions. It features a loose story that is very open to interpretation. Your mileage will vary on the story. It's intriguing enough that I was curious where they'd take it, but this is not a game you should play specifically for the story. Puzzles range from pretty easy to really hard. For a few select levels, the difficulty feels artificial, requiring perfectly timed jumps rather than clever reasoning (looking at you, last of the trap levels) or an abundance of distractions (erroneous gameplay elements) requiring you to find the correct thing that you need to get out. All of that said, these are few and far between, and not reflective of the game as a whole, which generally requires logical reasoning for its solutions. I did encounter a few glitches while playing (and I don't mean the in-game collectibles). Once again, these issues were also few and far between. I can see myself coming back to this game again, and maybe trying my hand at making a level or two using the level editor. 8/10. Highly recommend if you're into puzzle games.

[u]The quick review:[/u] An overall OK puzzle game with a Mind-bending mechanic and bland atmosphere. The Level Editor adds nice value and replayability. 3/5 stars. Wouldn’t recommend it, but wouldn’t not recommend it either. Shift Quantum can be a fairly challenging puzzle game. But it can also be a bit of a slog to get through. With 17 hours logged into the game, and 100% completion, I think I’m well informed to share my opinion. Let’s take a look... [u]Gameplay:[/u] The goal of each level is to get from your starting point to the exit. To do so you’ll need to climb platforms, push/pull movable blocks, click switches, and more, while also avoiding non-moving traps like spikes. There are no enemies in this game, and no time countdowns or anything, so you can take your time solving. This all sounds rather basic. But that’s before you add the Star Feature and mind-bending ability: Quantum Shifting. “Shifting” is when you flip to the inverse of the puzzle. Your character punches the floor, you transition to the other side of the floor, and the whole puzzle inverts. Open spaces become walls, walls become your new area of movement freedom. This adds a unique and very interesting twist to solving puzzles. And it is a lot more complicated to visualize than it sounds. All of those basic mechanics previously described are integrated into this over arching ability extremely well, making them not so basic. You’re going to have to think about both what you’re seeing, and the opposite of what you’re seeing. You’re going to have to think about where blocks need to be moved to so they act as openings once you Shift, or how a switch will change what blocks are available to use relative to your shifted state. Add on top of this switches that change your direction of gravity (by spinning the puzzle around for added effect), and it becomes a disorienting and mind-bending challenge. And that’s a good thing! Having to keep track of Shift states, gravity direction, switches, movable blocks with their [i]own[/i] gravity direction...let’s just say the mechanics are utilized very well. There aren’t any features that are somehow isolated from the rest of the experience. Everything fits together very nicely. So it’s definitely a challenging puzzle game—Not the hardest one I’ve played, but definitely a challenge. It [i]was[/i] the most difficult to comprehend though. For some reason the inverting mechanic was a really hard concept for me to grasp from a visualization perspective. Personally, I found it harder to get my brain around than Portal, if that’s any indication. There is also a Level Editor which is fun. I haven’t messed around with it too much, but I did make a level and could really see the appeal. I felt a kind of joy bringing a challenge to life. So if you’re into that creative activity, it’s here. [u]User Interface:[/u] Pretty basic and minimal. There aren’t that many controls to worry about. Playing on a DS4 controller: left stick to move, X to jump, circle to shift, square to grab. There’s no hud in game, and no need for one. Level-selection navigation in the home menu is a bit cumbersome, but not a big deal. [u]Atmosphere:[/u] The mechanics and puzzle solving features are all well and good. But… that’s it. That’s all there is. There are puzzles to be solved, and nothing more. You might be thinking, “Well isn’t that the point?” To that I say: Maybe. Maybe solving a puzzle is all you want. But personally, I want a puzzle game that brings a bit of story, or charm, or atmosphere, or character, or something to draw me in and keep me there. As of this review, I’ve played [i]Hitman Go[/i] and [i]Puddle Knights[/i], both with “less mechanics” and both less mind-bending. Yet, They both kept me engrossed and entertained as I worked out each puzzle largely because their atmospheres. Shift Quantum, unfortunately, does none of that. And without an engrossing context to freshen up the puzzles, the game feels...repetitive. There is technically a story. But it did nothing to enhance my experience. The game would have been just as effective if it was purely abstract without context. Since that’s how it functions, that’s how it feels. No real story. The visuals are minimalistic in a sort of digital-dystopic way. It kind of creates a cool look at first, and the slick black-and-white color scheme is what hooked me into getting it initially. But after just a few puzzles, it started to look rather drab and bland. I think the lack of color really did this game a disservice. By the way, as far as I can recall, the background location is the same for every puzzle. This further adds to the minimalistic atmosphere, which is not a good thing. Outside of basic grunting, switch clicking, and blocks falling or sliding, there are no SFX. No environmental sounds. This means the audioscape is largely left to the soundtrack which, at least to my taste, falls flat. The music is uninteresting and repetitive, and that just really kills my score for this game. With the minimalistic visual design, the music was really the last hope that this game had to keep the player engrossed in an experience that was something more than just some abstract puzzle. (I didn’t think of this until I was writing this review, but I would highly recommend you listen to your own music while playing this game. I wish I had thought of that because it would’ve made it a lot more fun.) Music here is a big disappointment. Honestly, this game has all of the atmosphere of a crossword puzzle in a newspaper: black-and-white and devoid of charm. This is not to trash on crossword puzzles. I love doing crossword puzzles. I just want some thing more out of a video game. [u]Conclusion:[/u] I consider Shift Quantum to be an abstract puzzle game. It implements cohesive mind-bending gameplay very well, and makes for a challenging puzzle solver. And it’s Level Editor adds for some creative value. But its bland and minimalistic atmosphere is disappointing, and ultimately hurts the gameplay by making it look and feel like a repetitive slog.

An excellent evolution of a classic puzzle platformer series. Takes the concept (shifting between black/white ground tiles) and established variations (gravity/rotation) and adds a bunch of new components to explore and expand on the core gameplay mechanic. Platforming works well and isn't too floaty, puzzles are challenging but not to the point where I got frustrated. I didn't do a great job following the story but the art and characters seemed to work well.

If you played the old flash game, this is basically exactly what you say except with a thick layer of atmosphere on top. If you didn't play the old flash game: This is a relatively good puzzle game whose central mechanic sounds simple but lends itself to good brainteasers. It does occasionally take a break from actual puzzles to give you a linear "story"/atmosphere segment (not that there's much story).

I played this long time ago back on facebook games or flash game whatever it's name, and I love it xD here we got the game again, and it's just so cool sunovbitch xD no seriously, this game is really good and I highly recommend it

Eversince I first played this game on the Gamescom 2017 I was hyped and couldn't wait to get my hands on the full version. And I was not disappointed. This game is addictive and just so much fun. If you enjoy puzzle games this is a must have!

Love the classic games. So far this one is taking it to the next level! Great work. <3

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