Shift 87 doesn’t do much different to others in the genre, but it’s a comparatively solid horror observation game.
I don’t really like the term “horror observation”: the name now given to the genre Shift 87 falls into. Personally I much prefer calling them ‘3D spot the difference games’, as you walk through a repeating environment, trying to spot something that’s changed. Regardless of what you call them though, these games became very popular around the time The Exit 8 popped up, and whilst I have dabbled in the genre with Project 13, it’s not been the sort of game I’ve leapt into. Shift 87 is pretty competent though, and I had more fun with this game compared to others in the genre.
As is often the case, there isn’t much of a story here, although there does appear to be more going on than in other games of its ilk. Via a faceless voice, you are instructed to travel through an office block and determine if anything has changed. If it has, you press a button to report and move on, but if it hasn’t then you simply leave the area. Make a mistake and it’s back to the start. Quite why you are doing all this isn’t entirely clear, but there’s a secret ending that reveals a little more if you manage to find all sixty six anomalies over the course of all your playthroughs.
Interestingly, I’m pretty sure that Shift 87 takes place in the same universe as one of Pixelsplit’s other horror games: Reveil. Ideas of the world that you’re in not being reliable, a mysterious circus’, and an abundance of red lighting. I don’t think it really develops the story any further, but I like the idea that there’s a bit more going on than simply finding differences.
Unlike Project 13, Shift 87 understands that the horror in these games comes from the mundane. The office you begin in is a regular, boring office that you might have worked in yourself. This means that the spooky moments land a lot more effectively than games already set in a creepy environment. Some of the scares actually made me feel uncomfortable, which is a rarity in horror games these days.
There’s a greater element of progression here than in other games in the genre too. Your goal is to complete just six loops successfully, at which point you’ll find yourself in a new environment, tasked with the same job. The new area means things remain fresh rather than you being stuck in the same area and they also act as a checkpoint. If you’ve reached the warehouse area and screw up, you’ll restart the warehouse rather than the whole game which is such a blessing compared to other games.
What hasn’t changed is that some differences are so miniscule that the chances of you spotting them without scouring every inch over and over are pretty slim. If you’re lucky and the anomalies you are given are significant enough to spot quickly, you’ll likely finish this in short order. If you’re unlucky, you could be at this for far longer.
The visuals here are very nice for the most part. Lighting is used well, whilst the environments feel well put together rather than being a selection of random assets. Luckily, character models are uncommon, as those that I did see didn’t look particularly well detailed, even veiled in shadow as they often were. I liked the use of sound too. Subtle noises would keep me on edge most of the time, and the ambient sounds felt environment specific. The sounds of the rain transitioning from outdoors to indoors came across very well.
Shift 87 isn’t going to suddenly change your mind on the genre if you don’t already like horror observation games, but it’s certainly a stronger entry compared to other games of the same style. The more forgiving nature of the gameplay, as well as the strong visual style help make this one stand out from the crowd a little more and would certainly be worth your time if you need another entry in this rapidly growing genre.
Shift 87 is available now on PC.
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