SHIFT Extended by Fishing Cactus is a unique platform game that places you inside a black and white world. As a test subject, it is your job to survive the various rooms that are armed with hazards, moving platforms and puzzles. It sounds simple enough, but there is more to the game than jumping and running.
Your character can occupy the black or white spaces at any given time by pressing L1 or R1 buttons (which flip the room). If you’re standing at the bottom of a level, flipping is not possible. The object is to reach the door on the opposite side of the room and then continue to the next area.
The first few rooms are pretty simple to understand and require little-to-no skill. Later rooms have moving spikes (which can kill the test subject) and moving platforms (which pose little threat unless you’re occupying the opposite space).
Some rooms require the test subject to collect three different icons. The lightbulb icon clears the checkered walls that prevent movement; the half-moon icon will manipulate the level; and the key icon will rotate large locks, creating bridges for the test subject to cross.
Depending on the level, some elements must occur in succession: the first task may require the lock icon to rotate some locks. Afterwards, the half-moon icon may be needed to clear a path to the door. The concept sounds a bit linear, but the complexity of each level will boggle your mind.
There are platform elements too. Aside from jumping, avoiding a series of moving spikes – while flipping spaces – can be quite challenging. It’s also common for your eyes to play tricks on you (I found myself falling into a pit of spikes on occasion).
Compared to the flash game (which was released some time ago), the PS3/PSP version of SHIFT offers sharp graphics. The test subject sprite looks clean and sharp, while the flash version looked low-res and blocky. The graphical upgrade between the two versions is obvious.
Shift is not the most complicated game, but it does have a very addictive quality to it. As a puzzle game with 120 rooms to explore, there is plenty to keep gamers busy. Fishing Cactus and Zallag did a fantastic job bringing SHIFT to Playstation 3 / PSP. Even though Shift is a MINI release, it shouldn’t be ignored. It is well worth the price of admission.
Mike Pittaro
Platform: Playstation 3 / PSP (Available on PSN)
Developer: Fishing Cactus
Publisher: Zallag
Price: $3.99
Size: 9megs
| Review Score | |
|---|---|
| Graphics |   |
| The black and white graphics are crisp and clean. | |
| Sound | |
| There isn't much available in the sound department, but what is there works. | |
| Gameplay | |
| SHIFT Extended is addictive and offers about 2 hours of gameplay. | |
| Overall | |
|---|---|
| If you're looking for a good puzzle game, SHIFT Extended will deliver. | |
