Mr. Shifty Review

April 15, 2017 0

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Have you ever watched X-Men and wondered what it would be like to be Nightcrawler? Mr. Shifty’s got you covered.

The easiest way to describe Mr. Shifty’s gameplay would be a mix of Hotline Miami’s intense action, with the ability of X-Men’s Nightcrawler allowing you to easily warp around the map. Needless to say, this sounds incredibly awesome, and that’s an understatement. While this package may sound too good to be true, the game definitely delivers.

Mr. Shifty follows a silent protagonist on his mission to take down the nefarious Mr. Chairman Stone (yes, his first name is Chairman according to the game) who is not only wanted for numerous criminal offenses, but also intends to weaponize the mega-plutonium. With the assistance of Nyx who serves as the intel/hacker, Mr. Shifty must ascend the super secure Olympus Tower to stop the evil Chairman Stone.

As you begin playing the gameplay mechanics are rather simple to pick up on. Much like Hotline Miami, Mr. Shifty has you clearing rooms of enemies. Though unlike Hotline Miami, this game’s protagonist is against the use of weapons. Mr. Shifty primarily uses his fists to defeat most of his enemies, but also can grab various items from around the map the subdue his foes in a faster manner. Whether it is a broom, keyboard, or cushion, Shifty has a variety of possible weapons at his disposal. At the same time his foes are armed with an arsenal of firearms including pistols, auto-shotguns, machine guns, and rocket launchers. This is where Shifty’s warping ability becomes vital as most of the time you’ll be extremely outnumbered, to the point where it may be 20-vs-1. This warping ability lets Shifty warp through walls to escape enemies, or away from the crossfire of enemies leaving them to shoot each other.

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Levels follow the formula of clearing about 5 different areas per floor, and getting to the elevator to ascend further up the toward. Along the way, you’ll take on waves of enemies in each area, where one shot will kill Shifty. Luckily failing means you only must restart the area, and not the floor. To even the playing field, defeating enemies in a faster manner fills up a special meter that will slow time when a bullet comes close to killing you. This allows Shifty to warp away, and gives you about 6 seconds to deal some heavy damage to your enemies. While this ability is useful on earlier levels, weapons later in the game won’t work with the ability leaving you dead without warning.

Gameplay is extremely fun, and addicting, so expect to be hooked on the game. Sadly you won’t be hooked too long as the game’s 18 levels go by rather quickly, with the game only lasting 4-6 hours (based on your skill level). Levels are filled with loads of enemies so you’ll not only have a lot of foes to defeat with your incredible teleporting ability, but you’ll have to think and act quickly to survive. While the overabundance of enemies could seem unfair, I never felt cheated.

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With Mr. Shifty focusing on ascending Olympus Tower, the scenery is rather repeating. Much of the map repeats the bland purple color scheme, with little variety further on. While this monotonous, you tend not to notice is since you’re so focused on warping around the barrage of bullets. There are times where the game will show some issues with lag when more enemies spawning on the map, which not only can lead to your demise but take away from the enjoyment of the game as character’s movements look choppy.

Mr. Shifty is an incredibly addictive action title that will keep you playing until the end. While the end may come sooner than we would have wanted, the time spent playing felt worthwhile. If you’re looking for a great action title that will test your reflexes, and skills, Mr. Shifty is the perfect fit.

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