Shift Quantum - A Cyber Noir Puzzle Platformer
- May 29, 2018
- Fishing Cactus
Get on Steam"Shift Quantum is a cerebral puzzle-platformer set in a monochrome, cyberpunk world. Its signature 'Shifting' mechanic allows you to invert black and white environments, creating negative space to overcome obstacles. With a level editor and community-created puzzles, the challenges are endless."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features a clever shifting mechanic that adds depth to the puzzle-solving experience.
- It has a visually appealing art style and introduces new gameplay elements that keep the game fresh.
- The level editor provides additional replayability and creative opportunities for players.
- The community level servers are down, limiting replayability and making certain achievements unachievable.
- The storytelling is confusing, and players cannot replay story levels without losing their save progress.
- Platforming mechanics can feel awkward, with issues like unintended character movements and non-configurable controls.
- gameplay40 mentions
- 15 % positive mentions
- 78 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The gameplay is centered around a clever shifting mechanic between black and white tiles, enhanced by new elements like gravity and various blocks that keep the puzzles engaging and challenging. While the integration of these mechanics is well-executed, some levels suffer from artificial difficulty and a lack of visual appeal, leading to a repetitive experience. Overall, it offers a solid puzzle-solving experience, but its minimalistic atmosphere detracts from the enjoyment.
“It implements cohesive mind-bending gameplay very well, and makes for a challenging puzzle solver.”
“Takes the concept (shifting between black/white ground tiles) and established variations (gravity/rotation) and adds a bunch of new components to explore and expand on the core gameplay mechanic.”
“Quantum introduces a variety of new blocks and mechanics which keeps the game fresh.”
“The shifting mechanic is clever, but it carries this game, so given its flaws, I cannot recommend it to a general audience.”
“For a few select levels, the difficulty feels artificial, requiring perfectly timed jumps rather than clever reasoning or an abundance of distractions requiring you to find the correct thing that you need to get out.”
“But its bland and minimalistic atmosphere is disappointing, and ultimately hurts the gameplay by making it look and feel like a repetitive slog.”
- story30 mentions
- 20 % positive mentions
- 70 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story in the game is often described as confusing and lacking depth, with players noting that it is open to interpretation and not central to the experience. While some find the narrative elements charming and intriguing, many agree that the storytelling is minimal and can detract from the overall gameplay, particularly due to the inability to replay story levels without losing progress. Overall, the game is better appreciated for its puzzles and atmosphere rather than its narrative.
“It features a loose story that is very open to interpretation.”
“But personally, I want a puzzle game that brings a bit of story, or charm, or atmosphere, or character, or something to draw me in and keep me there.”
“The lore/storytelling is confusing, and the 'story levels' cannot be replayed unless I wipe out my entire save; so I cannot replay those levels to try to understand what is going on.”
“The story is something empty but very sweet to follow.”
“It's intriguing enough that I was curious where they'd take it, but this is not a game you should play specifically for the story.”
- atmosphere18 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 67 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is largely criticized for being bland and minimalistic, lacking the charm and character that could enhance the puzzle-solving experience. Many reviewers express a desire for a more engaging narrative or aesthetic elements to draw players in, as the current atmosphere feels flat and repetitive, akin to a mundane crossword puzzle. While some moments attempt to introduce a story element, they do little to alleviate the overall disappointment in the game's atmospheric presentation.
“But personally, I want a puzzle game that brings a bit of story, charm, atmosphere, character, or something to draw me in and keep me there.”
“Yet, they both kept me engrossed and entertained as I worked out each puzzle largely because of their atmospheres.”
“If you played the old flash game, this is basically exactly what you say except with a thick layer of atmosphere on top.”
“Honestly, this game has all of the atmosphere of a crossword puzzle in a newspaper: black-and-white and devoid of charm.”
“But its bland and minimalistic atmosphere is disappointing, and ultimately hurts the gameplay by making it look and feel like a repetitive slog.”
“But personally, I want a puzzle game that brings a bit of story, or charm, or atmosphere, or character, or something to draw me in and keep me there.”
- music14 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it uninteresting and repetitive, which detracts from the overall experience. Some reviewers suggest that the minimalistic visuals leave the soundtrack as a crucial element to engage players, but it ultimately falls flat, leading to recommendations to listen to personal music instead. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a significant disappointment for a game that relies heavily on its audio to enhance gameplay.
“The soundtrack is amazing too!”
“The foundational mechanic of shifting between the black and white 'portions' of the level is here, but with better graphics, cool soundtrack, some lore, and support for modern systems.”
“The music is uninteresting and repetitive, and that just really kills my score for this game.”
“With the minimalistic visual design, the music was really the last hope that this game had to keep the player engrossed in an experience that was something more than just some abstract puzzle.”
“(I didn’t think of this until I was writing this review, but I would highly recommend you listen to your own music while playing this game. I wish I had thought of that because it would’ve made it a lot more fun.) Music here is a big disappointment.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 30 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The graphics of Shift Quantum are praised for their minimalistic, digital-dystopic style that effectively complements the game's theme and mechanics. Reviewers highlight the improved visuals compared to previous iterations, along with a cool soundtrack and engaging lore, contributing to an overall enjoyable aesthetic experience. The art style is noted as arresting, enhancing the replayability of the game through community-created levels.
“Shift Quantum is a very well done puzzle platformer with an arresting art style and some genuinely good puzzles.”
“The visuals and theme tie together well.”
“The visuals are minimalistic in a sort of digital-dystopic way.”
- replayability8 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
Replayability is significantly impacted by the ongoing server issues for community levels, which have been a point of contention since 2022, rendering related achievements unachievable. While the game initially offers a high replay value through its community levels and level editor, these features are currently hindered, detracting from the overall experience.
“Tl:dr - 8/10 - enjoyable puzzle platformer with a neat art style, some genuine headscratchers, and a great deal of replayability courtesy of community levels.”
“It features community levels in its endgame content, adding a great deal of replayability to the experience long after you've completed the main missions.”
“The level editor adds nice value and replayability.”
“The servers for the community levels are down (there are complaints about this since 2022 in the Steam forums), killing replayability and making the four related achievements unachievable.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players have reported experiencing several glitches during gameplay, indicating that stability may be an issue for some users.
“I did encounter a few glitches while playing (and I don't mean the in-game collectibles).”
“I did encounter a few glitches while playing (and I don't mean the in-game collectibles).”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Many users feel that the humor and playfulness that characterized the original games are noticeably absent in the current iteration, leading to a less engaging experience.
“What was really missing was the humor and playfulness of the original games.”
