![]() ![]() It was then I realised that Mr Shifty is at its blistering best when played as fast as humanly possible. Having a vague memory of the room and enemy layouts allowed me to shift, punch and shift again faster and faster. The game didn’t quite click with me until I started again after my initial playthrough. It’s times like these, and when faced off against rooms packed with smartly-programmed baddies, where Mr Shifty excels. These parts require arguably the most strategy and patience, often resulting in some clever solutions to proceed. On the flipside, the game is littered with sections that disable the shifting ability to good effect. The issue was that the distance the barrels travelled after being punched was inconsistent – this made for a tedious section where I just wanted to get back to punching bad guys in the face, as opposed to wanting to punch the Switch screen. I spent longer than I care to admit trying to precisely arrange the barrels so that a turret would detonate them. However, this was much easier in theory than in practice. One such example required me to punch a bunch of explosive barrels to line them up against a wall I needed to destroy. In addition to the frame rate dips, there are a couple of mild puzzle elements that are needlessly fiddly. Patches are reportedly incoming to fix this but the current issues cause many cheap and infuriating deaths in its current state. Unfortunately, performance does struggle at times on the Switch, as the frame rate drops at irregular intervals during the crazier fights. Especially by the latter stages, the game throws ridiculous amounts of enemies at you, requiring a high level of concentration and mental endurance to survive. Shifting across rooms to line up enemies and rack up the body count is a thrill. One bullet is all it takes to down Mr Shifty, so you better be on your A-game. The game rewards speedy play, giving players a temporary slow-mo ability for chaining quick combos. This vital ability can only be used five times in quick succession before it needs to cool down, which creates an element of careful planning to the mayhem. This is a great thing, as it forces the player to make full use of the shift ability. Mr Shifty relies heavily on his fists, with only the occasional pick-ups allowing for very limited long-range assaults. Shifting across rooms to line up enemies and rack up the body count is exhilarating. Mr Shifty relies heavily on his fists, with only the occasional pick-ups allowing for limited long-range assaults. However, once the fighting starts, you only have time to act, not think. Enemies are strategically placed to make you think before acting. Each room requires precision and adaptability to succeed. Stages consist of a series of rooms to navigate, with the end goal being an elevator to take our hero up through the evil corporation’s skyscraper. Teleporting through anything and everything in your way feels natural and makes for fast-paced action. More tantalising is the game’s shift mechanic, which is where the real fun kicks in. Those claiming to play this game for the plot are the same sort of people who insist on watching adult films for the deeply affecting dialogue, the rising tension in the character arcs, and the explosive narrative conclusions. Playing as the silent protagonist, Mr Shifty, players are instructed to infiltrate an evil corporation to prevent a volatile chemical from being weaponised – at least that’s what I vaguely remember. The game’s title hints at its major hook – the ability to teleport short distances through obstacles and walls. However, to dismiss Mr Shifty as merely a Hotline Miami clone would be doing a great disservice to the game developed by Brisbane-based Team Shifty. They both are also swift in punishing the player’s slightest timing mistakes. Both games require a combination of fast reflexes and memorisation of level design to succeed. ![]() It is impossible not to compare the slick top-down ultraviolence of Hotline Miami to that of Mr Shifty. As evidenced by that opening sentence, I failed the challenge spectacularly. I challenged myself when writing the Mr Shifty review to avoid mentioning the 2012 psychedelic, 80’s-inspired classic Hotline Miami as a comparative device. ![]()
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