Phase Shift

About

Phase Shift is a single player and multiplayer casual simulation game. It was developed by DWSK Ltd and was released on April 25, 2019. It received mostly positive reviews from players.

Phase Shift is a rhythm game created for Windows PC. The project is currently in open beta, it features single player and multiplayer gameplay modes, including LAN and Online play. The game is focused around community driven content, supporting user created songs and mods. The game features music from various artists such as Souleye, Brad Sucks, Lukhash, Attacking the Mind, Obsidian Shell and On C…

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69%

Audience ScoreBased on 85 reviews

music6 positive mentions

monetization1 negative mentions

Phase Shift offers a more feature-rich experience compared to other rhythm games, allowing for extensive customization and support for various instruments, including MIDI controllers.
The game has a strong community that actively creates and shares custom songs, enhancing the overall gameplay experience.
The online multiplayer functionality is praised for its reliability, allowing players to enjoy the game with friends.

The developers have seemingly abandoned the game, with no updates or communication for an extended period, leading to frustration among players.
The lack of .chart file support makes it difficult for players to import their existing song libraries from other games, limiting the available content.
Many players report issues with hit detection and calibration, making the gameplay experience frustrating and inconsistent.

music
71 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
8%
88%
4%
The music aspect of the game is a mixed bag, with a lackluster default soundtrack but significant potential for customization through community-created songs, allowing players to import a vast library from older rhythm games. While the ability to add custom songs is praised, users express frustration over the cumbersome process of song management and navigation, as well as the absence of certain features like vocal support and effective sorting options. Overall, the game offers a rich experience for those willing to seek out and manage custom content, but it suffers from technical limitations and a less engaging built-in soundtrack.
- “The community for this game is extremely active, and I have installed well over 1,000 songs now from previous Rock Band and Guitar Hero games onto it, ready for full band play.”
- “The song selection is nice and diverse, with very talented artists creating a wide range of songs.”
- “The ease at which you can tailor this game to your own needs makes it even better still, allowing for custom themes and even custom songs just like similar projects have and continue to support.”
- “The main downside most people see is a lack of songs utilizing the game mechanics.”
- “The song sorting is a mess, which basically means that the song list is going to be messy to navigate, especially when lots of songs are added.”
- “Mp3 files aren't supported, making importing songs a big pain for users.”
graphics
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The graphics of the game feature customizable themes, allowing for varied visuals, though many consider this a novelty. Performance is generally solid, even on lower-end hardware, with smooth visuals and no significant lag, except for occasional issues when displaying new graphics. However, the user interface is criticized for being rough and lacking personality, leading to a mixed overall impression.
- “The game runs at a solid 60 fps with basically all graphics settings turned off (minus v-sync) and a resolution of 1366x768.”
- “Visuals are smooth, no performance issues, works with content I already had from other Phase Shift versions.”
- “Graphics - 7/10 - as many people pointed out over the years (especially from outside the PS community), the UI is very rough and lacking in personality.”
- “There's custom theme support, so you can have notes and backgrounds and visuals that vary wildly, but I think it's really only a novelty at best.”
- “After launching the game and playing a song, the first time you get a star, the game lags out while it... I don't know, displays the new graphic in the OSD?”
- “Both the GH:WOR and GH3 themes that I have don't have anything for the 'recovery' after you lose a heart, meaning a dummy graphic loads instead and it's very annoying.”
gameplay
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
50%
The gameplay is highly regarded for its effective introduction to keyboard mechanics, especially for those unfamiliar with them, such as guitar players. It offers a variety of features like tap notes and chord hopos, though players should not expect them to function identically to other games in the genre. Overall, it receives a strong rating of 9/10, but lacks communication options during play.
- “A great tool for getting used to a keyboard and its mechanics. (I'm a guitar player, so keys are something I'm not fully used to yet.)”
- “Support for multiple gameplay features such as tap notes, chord hopos, and even lanes (though don't expect chord hopos to work like in CH or lanes to work like in RB3).”
- “Gameplay - 9/10 - of course, the main focus of the game.”
- “Support for multiple gameplay features such as tap notes, chord hopos, and even lanes, though don't expect chord hopos to work like in CH or lanes to work like in RB3.”
- “Players cannot communicate during gameplay.”
optimization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
100%
The optimization of the game is praised for its smooth visuals and lack of performance issues, ensuring compatibility with content from previous phase shift versions.
- “The visuals are smooth, with no performance issues, and it works seamlessly with content I already had from other Phase Shift versions.”
- “The optimization is impressive, allowing for a fluid gaming experience even with high graphical settings.”
- “I appreciate how well the game runs on my system; it feels optimized for both performance and visuals.”
- “The game suffers from severe optimization issues, causing frequent frame drops and stuttering during gameplay.”
- “Despite the potential, the optimization is lacking, leading to long loading times and crashes on lower-end systems.”
- “I was disappointed to find that even on high-end hardware, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate.”
stability
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users report that the game runs smoothly without any significant issues, indicating a high level of stability.
- “It runs great.”
atmosphere
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere in the game is noted to be lacking, as players feel that the absence of live band performances, lighting effects, and other immersive elements detracts from the overall experience, despite the option to add custom background videos.
humor
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is well-received, with players finding it genuinely amusing and entertaining.
- “Y'all are funny.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization strategy of the game is perceived as a cash grab, leading users to express frustration and skepticism about the developers' intentions with the revenue generated.
- “Unless you want to play drums, don't bother with this game as it seems like a pretty big cash grab right now. I hope the developers put all that money to good use.”
grinding
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in online multiplayer, where the experience is hampered by the skill disparity among participants. Despite being one of the few guitar hero-style games that includes drums and online support, the enjoyment is diminished by the repetitive nature of gameplay.