Are you the kind of person that laughs their way through a haunted house? Do you enjoy games with uncanny environments, a 70s-style film grain, and a droning background track that heightens your anxiety? Yes? Then we have a game for you! Publishing company Daedalic Entertainment has partnered with Pixelsplit, the developers of Reveil, to put their understanding of atmospheric horror and immersive environments to use to give players an intense horror experience in their latest title, Shift 87.

The anomaly-spotting genre has been gaining momentum lately and Shift 87 perfectly blends the eerie atmosphere of I’m On Observation Duty with the compelling gameplay loop of Exit 8 to deliver a truly unsettling yet enjoyable experience. 

I Think We’ve Been Here Before

The anomaly finder gameplay loop is one that is becoming exceedingly familiar to many gamers. Combine a walking simulator, liminal spaces, and uncanny environments to create interesting gameplay and you’ve got a game that is both fun and unnerving. 

Floor 0 serves as your base line floor, and every detail truly matters as some anomalies are more obvious than others. What follows are 5 floors of occasional anomalies- or nothing at all. Each successfully reported anomaly brings players to the next level. Accuracy is of the upmost importance as failure to report, or misreporting, sends players back to floor 0.  

Navigate through each level and memorize it closely as even the smallest detail has the potential to change. From upside down letters to objects that disappear as you move past them, take your time and look closely as some anomalies are easier to miss than others. 

Developers say a full playthrough takes between 2-3 hours. This time varies greatly depending on what players might call a full playthrough. If you’re seeking all 66 anomalies, it could easily take more than 3 hours depending on how observant you are. 

There Is No Turning Back In The Haunted House

We’ve long been in the era of cheap jump scares but Shift 87 offers a spectrum of spooky things ranging from not so spooky to ‘if I don’t look at it, I can pretend it’s not there’ scary. I was impressed by the quality of scares. I found 33 of the 66 anomalies and none of them were jump scares. That isn’t to say Shift 87 is devoid of jump scares, but the game doesn’t rely on them as heavily as others do.

The lack of jump scares makes sense. Because unlike with Exit 8, there is no turning around when things seem off. You need to walk past the anomaly to get to the next floor. When you see the scary thing at the end of the hallway, you must walk towards it to get to the other side. Face your fears and move on, or don’t. You can always try again from the beginning. 

Shift 87 can be particularly intense if you’re easily shaken by loud noises and constantly anticipate what might be around the corner, as the game can get LOUD. I found loud noises directly related to the anomaly only once, but background sounds build pressure and tension as you ascend the floors, even in levels without anomalies. The experience varies based on your nervous disposition. 

The Spookiest Name Plate You’ve Ever Seen

There are three possible environments. Each are uncanny in their own way, with 22 anomalies per area for a grand total of 66. The anomalies you encounter are random every time, and in multiple playthroughs, I never encountered the same anomaly twice. 

My favorite thing about each area is that they are just normal enough to feel familiar but just bizarre enough to keep you guessing. You think there was a name plate there, but was it always sideways like that? What about that motorcycle? Was it always blue? This second-guessing gets to you after a while, leading to accidental misreports and a lot of going back to Floor 0.  

Each environment is immersive, with realistic yet compelling handcrafted visuals and eerie sounds that exploit liminal spaces to build tension. Couple that with the optional film grain filter and Shift 87 delivers a retro horror movie feel with a focus on suspense rather than easy jump scares. 

Toothless Wonder

While I enjoyed Shift 87, it wasn’t all spooks and roses. Despite being anxiety-inducing, the only real punishment for misreporting anomalies is being sent back to the beginning of that area. Although being sent back to Floor 0 makes players question their sanity, the game itself lacks teeth. 

The game doesn’t do much to punish players. The scares don’t kill you if you stare too long and being sent back to Floor 0 feels less like feedback and more like a way to extend gameplay. You’ll eventually come across the anomaly again, but you’ll never know how many times you missed it. 

I wish the game tracked how often you encountered specific anomalies. A catalog tracking the number of times you discovered specific anomalies versus their occurrences would add value to finding those subtle anomalies. Just imagine how frustrating it would be to see an unrevealed log with zero reports but multiple encounters.  

My only other critique is the mouse acceleration, which varies in effectiveness. Sometimes it enhances gameplay by making anomalies slowly creep into view. Other times, it feels sluggish, as if the game is suffering from performance issues. This is especially noticeable in dimly lit areas with limited visibility, or when using the flashlight. l wish this was an adjustable feature, but I didn’t see any way to change this in the game settings. 

Final Thoughts

Shift 87 is a walking simulator, indie puzzler hybrid made for fans of the anomaly-finding genre that captures the joy of a haunted house. Although it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, the game still offers a good 2-5 hours of fresh gameplay with scares of varying intensity. The three immersive environments made me want to see more. A sentiment that I’m sure many other players will agree with.  

Thank you to Daedalic Entertainment for providing NeverMore Niche with a game key.

Shift 87 is out today, July 23, 2024, for PC (Windows and MacOS). It normally retails for $4.99 but is $4.49 as an introductory rate.