Geekscape Games Reviews: ‘Shiftlings’

Sierra is a company near and dear to my heart. Besides Rare, they were my first introduction into the world of videogames. Founded in 1980, by Ken and Roberta Williams, Sierra would go on to create such classic adventure and puzzle games such as The Incredible Machine, Leisure Suit Larry, King’s Quest, and many more. Sadly, the company has been missing for the last 6 years. Fear not though, because just last year, Sierra has re-opened their doors and is ready to start making new memories with a brand new generation of gamers. This brings us to one of their first new outings, Shiftlings.

This Adventure Puzzle game is about 2 alien janitors who are connected together by a cord and can inflate themselves at will. Together, they will travel across 5 different planets and 50 levels to overcome all odds. Oh, did I also mention that they’re being recorded as part of a reality TV show called Shiftlings? Weird, huh? So, can Shiftlings re-capture the fun and quirkiness that Sierra games of old had?

Art Style & Sound

Art style in the game is very nice. All the backgrounds for all the different levels and worlds are nicely textured and extremely bright and colorful. Even in the most basic asteroid space level the colors pop out nicely and really help make the levels and worlds feel different. Sound effects are very animated; making the game feel like it’s straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. To further help with that is the music, which is very ambient and help sets the tone that these 2 janitors are all alone on these planets. There are also cut scenes, which are very well animated and voice acted. They help break up the game in certain sections and provide just enough laughs to keep you going to the next.

Gameplay & Negatives

The gameplay in Shiftlings is easy to learn, but difficult to master. At any point in a level you can switch which characters to move and which one to inflate. You can also move both of them at once in order to bounce across large gaps and collect hidden collectible cola bottles in each level. As you steadily progress, the game starts introducing new mechanics such as doors, rotating platforms, and many more. And what kind of Sierra game would this be if there weren’t a variety of death animations? Everything from getting electrocuted, to being incinerated by flames and you’ll want to die as many times as you can. You also have a narrator voice commenting on each of the levels you play and that really helps cement the fact that this is a reality TV show.

While the game excels in many places mentioned above, there are some problems with it. One of the biggest problems is its difficulty. There are some cases where it can ramp up a little too fast, and that may cause novice players to get a little too frustrated with the game. The controls can also be a bit confusing when first starting the game, but after a while you will settle into them.

Final Thoughts & Rating

Shiftlings is a very smart, if not difficult, puzzle game that really re-captures the magic of what made Sierra such an unusual and fun company. Although I thoroughly enjoyed the game and recommend it to expert puzzle fans, I’m not quite sure if novice players would find it easily accessible. In this case I’d recommend downloading a demo of it since it’s on all major platforms with the exception of Wii U (sorry Nintendo fans the E-shop doesn’t have a demo of it.) If you still like it afterwards, then I whole heartedly recommend picking the game up.

FINAL RATING: 3/5. Try it first, then buy it.