Where horror and anomalies come to meet in an incredible tale of Ooo spooky ghost… welcome to Shift 87, which was Developed by Pixelsplit and Published by Daedalic Entertainment. Now, let’s dive right into the Simulation.

Shift 87 is a horror simulator that unfolds across three locations, each in an endless loop. Your objective is to identify and analyse the anomalies that appear in each loop. It’s important to memorise each level as you navigate; this will significantly aid your progress with each simulation being vastly different from the last.

Starting the game, you are dropped right into the first level with little dialogue. Suppose you are not familiar with the game or genre. In that case, it’s challenging to understand precisely what you are meant to look for, as sometimes there are no deviations in the current loop, and it can feel quite misleading. However, the game is very short, with roughly 30 minutes of one entire game loop. It takes multiple hours to see every anomaly for those who want to complete the game and get the horror experience.

I would expect some tutorials to help players understand what to look for. Still, with the game having much replayability and each playthrough having different and new deviations with 66 anomalies throughout the game, each playthrough is always different from the previous. But be careful; your current sequence will be reset if you incorrectly report anomalies.

Shift 87 has full mouse, keyboard, and controller support. A mouse and keyboard use WASD for movement, a mouse for looking around, a left click for interacting, a shift for sprint, and R for reporting anomalies, and a controller uses the most common functions for movement and interaction.

Now for the graphics, it has some fantastic realistic details for a very short game. Accurate rain falls, creating puddles with splashes, and each anomaly changes the current map from moving lights to gravity anomalies to even blackouts, completely changing the look of the whole game and immersing you fully in the horror simulator that is Shift 87.

I noticed a few graphical glitches, with rain falling onto doors that weren’t fully open yet, which threw off immersion as it was meant to feel and look realistic.

The sound gave me chills as it felt like someone was whispering in my ear as the lights went out, travelling from one ear to the other, providing that full surround sound atmosphere that makes you crouch in a corner and yell get away from me! Even the rain and thunder fill the air. The typical sound was quite mellow and calming until you started progressing. Then, it starts to ramp up and get creepier and twisted, and finally, it bursts when you complete the location. Every sound felt like it was where it was meant to be, making it feel natural and easy-flowing, which I enjoyed.

Overall, Shift 87 hits the horror simulation nail on the head, creating a short but jam-packed experience with great visuals and sounds that put most AAA games to shame. It shows real dedication to the horror franchise. This game has a lot of potential, and from what the natator said, I say there will eventually be more added to it, which I can’t wait to see.

Written by: TypicalCambieAU