Shift Happens Demo

Finally, a lab experiment goes wrong the right way and creates a pair of characters that fit the profile for what’s about to happen. Shift Happens, stars two funny-looking blobs that can swap body size and abilities to overcome clever puzzles.

Shift Happens is built around a simple and effective core mechanic. The two protagonists, Bismo and Plom, are linked by their mass and can swap shape and abilities between them when needed.

What this means is that they can shift body sizes and strengths to make it out alive from the predicaments they’re in. This is used to solve a wide array of puzzles that range from simple and cute to scenarios where you spend twenty minutes scratching your forehead trying to figure out what you need to do.

One of the game’s key strengths, one that you rarely encounter, is the fact that it’s a great game to play alone, and it becomes even better when you play it with a fiend. In solo mode, you have an extra degree of difficulty because you alone have to move the characters and figure things out.

Two minds are always better than one so in co-op mode things can go much smoother when it comes to solving the puzzles. However, it’s a lot more fun this way because you get to goof off a lot. Needless to say, there will be that moment when you’ll both get stuck on something and it’s a matter of time before one of you thinks “hey, what would happen if I throw you into those lasers?”, and then you try it.

Shift Happens is a very good game, and that’s a statement I can make with confidence. Character animations are great, the gameplay mechanics work like a charm, and the puzzles are well-suited for a game of this nature.

The full version of the game comes with over forty levels, all of which are hand crafted, local and online co-op, and a good deal of extra challenges for those who enjoy going the extra mile. Hats are probably the only thing missing from this.