''Shift'' is a

Flash game A browser game or a "flash game" is a video game that is played via the internet using a web browser. They are mostly free-to-play and can be single-player or multiplayer. Some browser games are also available as mobile apps, PC games, or on co ...

series created and developed by Antony Lavelle and published by

Armor Games Armor Games is an American video game publisher and free web gaming portal. The website hosts over a thousand HTML5 (and previously Flash) browser games. Based in Irvine, California, the site was founded in 2004 by Daniel McNeely. Armor Game ...

. The game has been ported to several platforms, including

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

and PlayStation Minis. The gameplay revolves around pressing the

shift key The Shift key is a modifier key on a keyboard, used to type capital letters and other alternate "upper" characters. There are typically two shift keys, on the left and right sides of the row below the home row. The Shift key's name originated f ...

to flip the room. The games have had critical success with ''Shift 2'' having a score of 87/100 on

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Gameplay

In ''Shift'', the player is in a room that is half black, half white, one of which is solid. When the player presses the Shift, the room flips upside down, and the opposite color becomes solid. The player tries to get keys and get to doors while avoiding spikes and other objects. Shift makes a few references in some levels to the popular Valve game Portal, with the phrases 'the timer is a lie!' and 'Now you're thinking with shifting'. In ''Shift'', Keys are used to move Doors around, which can either serve as platforms or obstacles. Starting in ''Shift 2'', your character(s) would pause once they touched a key. In ''Shift:Freedom'', Keys and Doors were color-coded. In ''Shift 2'', Lightbulbs, Checkered Barriers, and Directional Arrows were added. Lightbulbs were used to remove Checkered Barriers that would serve as obstacles. Directional Arrows, when touched, would change the directional gravity of the level. This would result in some Exit Doors be positioned side-ways. The player character would need to be rotated in the same direction relative to the exit door in order to access it. In ''Shift 3'', levels had both Entrance and Exit Doors, allowing the user to retrace their steps and access previous levels. In addition, some levels had multiple Doors, resulting in the user navigating a maze of levels. Some keys would serve to move Doors in other levels. In ''Shift 4'', the Levels and Exit Doors would be numbered, making it easier to navigate. In ''Shift 4'', the mechanic of multiple characters had been added, although the user could only control one character at a time. Buttons and Pressure Pads were added, which only worked if a character was holding them down. One character could move to a button/pressure pad to move a door(s), while another character could then get to the Exit Door. Only one character needed to reach the Exit Door in order to go to the next Level. In ''Shift : Freedom'', boxes were added. Boxes were either black or white, and could be pushed or pulled by the player. The box would be a solid object if the same color as the player, or act as space if it was the opposite color. The box could also be affected by Directional Arrows, as well as certain markers that would cause the Box to Shift.

History

Main series

* ''Shift'' was released February 1, 2008. It was released for

on May 1, 2009. * ''Shift 2'' was released April 12, 2008. It was released for iOS on Dec 22, 2010. * ''Shift 3'' was released October 27, 2008. * ''Shift 4'' was released May 20, 2009.

Other games

* ''Shift 2 Mini-game'' * ''Shift: Freedom!'' (formerly known as ''AltShift''), containing several minigames. * ''Shift Lite'' is a version of the game released for

on May 2, 2009. * ''Shift Extended'' is a version made by Fishing Cactus for PlayStation Minis on Jan 18, 2011. * ''Shifting World'' is a game based on the Shift series that was developed by Fishing Cactus and was published by

Arc System Works , commonly referred to as ArcSys, is a Japanese video game developer and publisher located in Yokohama. Founded by Minoru Kidooka in 1988, the company is known for arcade 2D fighting game franchises, including ''Guilty Gear'' and ''BlazBlue'', a ...

in Japan (where it is known as ),

Aksys Games Aksys Games Localization, Inc. is a video game publisher that specializes in translating and localizing Japanese video games for English-speaking markets. It was founded by Akibo Shieh in 2006. Some of its clients include Bandai Namco Games, X ...

in North America and

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in Europe for the Nintendo 3DS. It was released on April 24, 2012, in North America, April 26, 2012, in Japan and on September 28, 2012, in Europe. * ''Shift DX'' (Nintendo 3DS) * ''Shift Quantum'' (PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch)

Reception

The

version of ''Shift'' was rated 3/4 by Slide to Play, stating "While the iPhone edition of the game has some issues, the mind-bending idea at the core of the experience still captivates." The iOS version of ''Shift 2'' has a score of 87/100 on

. Slide to Play rated it 4/4, stating "Shift 2 has the most content of any game in the series on any platform, and it's a great way to spend a dollar." ''Shift Extended'' has a score of 76 on

References