The Third Shift

ENG REVIEW (avaliação PT-BR abaixo) I'm so glad to play this as a full release after working as QA tester for this game! I discovered the demo in 2020 on itchio and I've played countless hours during development ever since. Still, every single time I play it manages to give me give me a visceral reaction ;D This game has an amazing atmosphere, you get drawn in a mistery and continue to descend into more horrifc situations as the story goes on. It has immersive soundtrack, massive map and AMAZING creature and environmental design, which are just a few of many highlights of this game. Also the multiple story paths that branch according to your choices and multiple endings will make for many hours of creepiness. This is truly an one of a kind game, huge thanks to Scottie and Julian for letting me in! Find me in the Cryptid exhibition at any time! ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- PT-BR Muito feliz por poder jogar a versão completa do TTS, já que eu trabalhei como Analista de Qualidade (QA tester) durante o desenvolvimento do jogo! Eu conheci o TTS através da demo publicada no itchio, e desde então joguei inúmeras horas durante todo o período de desenvolvimento. Mesmo assim, não importa quantas horas passe, o jogo ainda consegue me surpreender e tirar algumas reações viscerais. A atmosfera do jogo é incrível, a gente começa envolvido no mistério inicial, enquanto o jogo vai se tornar cada vez mais tenso e assustador a medida que a história continua. Eu sou apaixonada pela trilha sonora imersiva, mapa enorme e design das criaturas/ambientes, que são algumas das minhas coisas favoritas nesse jogo. O TTS tem vários caminhos na história dependendo das suas decisões, então isso somado aos multiplos finais dá a ele muitas horas de gameplay! Realmente é um jogo único, muito obrigada Scott e Julian por me darem a oportunidade de trabalhar como QA! Estarei na exibição dos Criptídeos que é a minha favorita ;D

Instantly unnerving! You'll get drawn in by the mystery and your shady boss who is clearly hiding things from you about this museum...And if you don't believe me, listen to my 5-year-old who never wanted to clock out, "I like the creepy guy's face."

I waited a long time for this game to come out and I was not disappointed. There are lots of different randomized moments and different endings that make replayability totally worth it. Absolutely would recommend to people who like horror games or game boy games or horror gameboy games or LEARNING.

I am astonished that this game has only about 40 reviews - the art quality alone makes it great in my eyes! But I also really enjoyed the game itself - it had a decent plot that didn't overstay it's welcome, non-intrusive collectibles and even replayability with different routes to try out. The game is fairly short and it probably would not scare you if you are a horror fan, but this is what actually makes it great - a self-contained "spooky" story with great visuals.

A stellar showcase of pixel art and chiptune music A throwback to the Clocktower era, with its strengths and inconvineces Took a minute, but now in a stable state

So much love went into this game and it SHOWS. The story telling, attention to detail, and music really create a very cool atmosphere reminiscent of old gameboy games. The horror elements are so classic and fun. Absolutely would recommend.

Really good Game! When i bought it I hadn't very high expectations regarding the horror aspect but damn i was wrong. The entire underlying theme was captivating and triggered an unpleasant feeling in me. The weird world and its feeling of uncertainty was Peak Also the creepy Gameboy music did a fantastic job. Recommended <3

Genuinely one of the coolest retro-styled horror games I've played. You are a newly hired security guard for a museum, whose most controversial feature is the Human Body Exhibit that displays realistic deconstructed human bodies. However, you start noticing some odd things about these body exhibits, and eventually you become wrapped up in the museum's dark secrets behind this body exhibit. The entire game is shown as if you, the player, are playing the game on an original Gameboy where you look at the zoomed in view of a Gameboy, while the actual game is the screen of said Gameboy. There's also various color palettes to swap between, just like a real Gameboy, so that's fun to have. Anyone unaccustomed to Gameboys though might dislike what is essentially a smaller screen. I grew up on these handhelds though, so I felt right at home. I did initially think that there would be some mechanic or scene where the person holding the Gameboy would be incorporated, akin to the "haunted game" genre of horror games, but that's not the case here. This game's most interesting feature in my opinion is the perspectives. Since you are a newly hired security guard, your boss is watching your movements through the museum's numerous security cameras. When you are in an area with a security camera, you see your own character and use standard WASD/d-pad controls, but the perspective is through the eyes of your boss watching the CCTV monitors. In other words, you are controlling your character through a second-person view. If you move to an area that does NOT have a security camera where your boss has no eyes on you, you switch to your character's eyes in a first-person point-and-click style of gameplay. This switching between views not only makes sense in a realistic perspective, but it's a really cool way of combining two distinct modes of gameplay. Since this game is presented through a Gameboy, the audio and graphics also match the theme, with most characters and environments presented with rather simplistic art and 8-bit sounds, particularly in the second-person view segments. However, the monsters in first-person views are much more detailed, to a horrific extent, while still remaining what would be possible with a Gameboy. They're well animated and shown to be very jittery with unnatural twitches and movements. The Gameboy's audio limitations only accentuate the guttural groans and cries made by the game's enemies. One complaint that I might have is that the game is kind of on the easier side, particularly the chases. With no means of defense as well as limited stamina, getting chased can be tense, with the consequence being a close up of the monster's hideous face twitching, groaning, and repeating cryptic phrases (as well as taking damage). The problem comes with how threatening they actually are. The faster you break free from them, the less damage you take. Generally if I mash quick enough, then I might endure a good 3-5 hits before my health even goes from "Good" to "Caution." Even then, the enemies aren't too difficult to avoid. I don't think I've actually died once in my time playing. Just now while writing this review, to see how many hits I can endure, I purposely got caught about 12 times (with mashing) before I actually died, and I saw the game over screen for the first time. This isn't supposed to be a brag, but a demonstration of how low the stakes really are. The chases themselves are pretty good, but the gameplay consequences feel rather weak. Overall, I really enjoyed this game. I love how it stays true to what it was like to play on the Gameboy. The retro art and sounds, the pacing, and the creative use of perspectives all make this a very strong entry in the retro horror genre, and it's a big shame that this doesn't have more attention.

Great atmosphere and aesthetic. I found navigation confusing sometimes (due to the frequently-switching perspectives), but it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the gameplay. Has multiple endings, too.

Awesome game!