Shift at Midnight Review (Xbox Series X)

Do it for Quackers the duck

Sometimes you just want to work at a fake job in a video game. And sometimes, you also want to do it in a horror setting. Which you also play at night with the lights off and earbuds in. Yeah, I’m starting to think a part of me likes being scared.

I’m just going to get this out of the way now, Shift at Midnight is a multiplayer co-op game that can be played solo. As a solo girly I played this game by myself and thus my review focuses solely on the solo experience. Now with that out of the way, shall we get into the review?

In Shift at Midnight you play as yourself during 1993 in an American town ironically called Midnight Town. One day, you randomly decide to visit an animal shelter and you leave with a little companion. You get to choose your pet out of four choices and name it. I picked the duck and named her Quackers cause, come on, (1) it’s funny and (2) how could I resist. You and your pet have a good time hanging out and bonding, however the worst thing happens. Your pet gets sick. This means that you now have a routine bill that you can’t afford and you have to look for a job (whether it’s a second job or not is your headcanon). However, it gets worse when the only places you could find are dangerous due to the whole doppelganger situation, but you try to calm your nerves with “it’s only temporary”. The job you take? The midnight shift at a gas station. How many are scheduled for your shift depends on how many people are playing with you and in my case, it was me, myself, and I.

Your main goal here is surviving and earning enough money to pay for your pet’s vet bills. Which means learning how to spot doppelgangers and how to combat the Entity and the creatures that can join it. Don’t worry though as you do get official warnings from N.E.T. (or Non-human Eradicating Taskforce) to notify you and give you tips on dealing with them. However, even if doppelgangers end up becoming a normal thing in your nightlight, it soon becomes apparent that you have caught the attention of something else. Something powerful. Will you be able to earn enough money to save your pet? How far will you go? Will you be able to survive?

I quite liked the story here. I think taking up this midnight gas station job to pay for your sick pet’s vet bills was a good motivation for me. I also liked the way the game did worldbuilding. I watched my fair share of analog horror series and Shift at Midnight definitely gave me analog horror vibes with how things are presented. Heck, I wished the game went a bit more into that analog vibe. Like the emergency broadcast that plays after one of the shifts is peak analog horror that creeped me out so much. A part of me knows it helped set the creature featured in it apart, but also a part of me wants one for all of the creatures that you’ll encounter haha. Anyway, I couldn’t stop imagining how this could have been presented if it was an analog horror series. I liked how you’re just a normal person and you’re in the dark about the Entity and the creatures as much as everybody, developing theories about them (maybe exchanging theories like gossip), and learning about things that are happening and information about your customers through newspapers or by talking to them.

Also, I do like the addition of that added overarching threat and the ending was pretty cool. Especially since I was kind of connecting the dots and the game pretty much confirmed my suspicion (and about this, I do like how the game gives you the clues but doesn’t outright tell you, which ties into how you second-guess yourself during gameplay). I guess what I’m saying is that the game gives you good stakes and it does well with giving a vibe that makes you expect to not get answers.

Lastly, man, playing Shift at Midnight alone really makes you think about your life decisions. Like you definitely deserve your base pay to be more than $10 and how horrible it is to be at that gas station all alone. Heck, I don’t think I would be able to do this job if it was irl. Also, it was probably not a great choice to play this game when I was having some weather anxiety due to upcoming severe weather.

Now onto the gameplay! There is a solid gameplay loop here and it all starts when you’re dropped off at the gas station. Your shift doesn’t officially start until you look at what your boss posted and this allows you to look around for any coins and do any stocking and cleaning you didn’t do the night before. Once you’re ready, you just need to click what your boss posted to start the shift.

Starting with the normal, or semi-normal, aspects of your shift, there is some mundanity here that makes you forget of the various creatures that are roaming the world. You, of course, need to keep the store shelves stocked, keep it clean (don’t forget the bathrooms!), and nicely decorated (for people living in this world they really have high expectations for a gas station haha). All of this is pretty simple, but cleaning up does include blood, flesh, and going outside to behind the store where the dumpster and creepy forest is. The creepy forest where you will also…spot things. As for decorating, the computer is where you’ll go to buy more. The computer, which turns on once the shift starts, is where you can check any emails you get, see the stats of your store (telling you what to do if customers are displeased) and the reviews people leave, and an online shop where you can buy um regular store supplies. The shop will have various different decoration items, let you buy more product boxes for restocking if needed, and you know…*whispers under breath* various weapons, defense tools, and upgrades for your shop and yourself. You can also reroll the shop a couple of times (and buy more rerolls).

Other than that, you will also find coins scattered around the premises both when you start the Night and as it progresses. These coins can be used to buy soda (giving you a way to make noise or giving you a quick energy boost), open the first aid kit (single use per night), or to spin the wheel that will either give you nothing, a random hat, more coins, or money that goes towards your store income. There are also some scripted events here that’ll play on certain Nights. As you progress, you will also have to deal with rats, cockroaches, and thieves.

Gasp that’s meee

Customers will, of course, come in over the course of your shift. Some will just come in to browse, some will come in to use the bathroom, and some will buy a few things. This would usually be normal as you just scan, bag, and take payment; however this is a world where doppelgangers exist. To survive, you need to investigate every customer to assure they’re human. Luckily, N.E.T. has a system in place already in the form of their database. The N.E.T. Database gets updated weekly with new information and this greatly helps in spotting doppelgangers that are more skilled. Everyone will have an ID and a profile which you can use to cross check things and ask questions. You’ll be able to check their photo, date of birth, their status, and anything that N.E.T. deemed important enough to put as their description like their job or any notable features (like tattoos). You can also ask some questions to verify things like the way they’re moving or their limbs. If they seem to check out, you can complete the transaction and let them go. If they’re not human, but a doppelganger? Well, that’s where the gun under the counter is for.

The gas pump will eventually be fixed as well, which is a bit different. You won’t be scanning any IDs and your questions are limited, but you can still access enough information to catch doppelgangers. You have the authority to investigate their car and, if they have anything, you can inspect it and ask them about it. You can also look up their license plate to see if the car checks out. If they check out, you just pump some gas and have them go on their merry way. Otherwise, shoot them.

While some doppelgangers are obvious, some are pretty sneaky. They will catch you on small details that you may not think twice about or you can easily overlook. Some may trip up on dates, some will require you to cross check their family members, some will be so good the only evidence will show on a specific tool that’ll be added in later, some will have a small change in their appearance, and some will require you to be up to date on current events. Every doppelganger will have something that will point to them being one no matter how small the detail is. However, you also have to take into account weird behaviors that humans may exhibit.

If you complete a transaction with a doppelganger, or it’s a Blood Moon, your shift is not over once the last customer leaves. Oh no no no. The doppelgangers you let through notifies the Entity, probably that you’re easy prey, and now it’s after you. You only have a minute to barricade the doors, place any traps, grab any weapons to defend yourself (whether it’s a gun from the emergency weapons arsenal or any loose defense tools like a molotov) and find a spot where you’ll hole yourself up in. There are vents, but you can’t hide in them forever due to a weird flesh wall slowly coming down to push you out. Anyway, there are a couple creatures that you’ll have to face up against. The main one is the Entity, which appears as a nightmarish giant eight legged creature sprouted from what looks like a human body. The Entity doesn’t necessarily have health, but patience and you have to board up enough entryways, set enough traps, and/or damage it enough so it will run out of patience and skitter out. The bar also slowly, very slowly, depletes as time passes. However, as you work more nights, the Entity will start bringing some friends. There’s little baby doll-esque creatures that’ll jump at you when they see you; very tall, blackened creatures that are very fast but only when you’re not looking; and a ghost-y creature that comes out of a music box. You won’t know what will come other than the Entity, which always comes, but each creature will have to tackle it a different way and are weak or strong to certain types of damage.

However, even if you manage to do a perfect run where you catch all the doppelgangers you won’t be in the clear. You see, there’s also a phenomenon known as the Blood Moon. A Blood Moon not only paints the sky blood red and brings blood rain, but it guarantees an Entity visit. It seems the Entity is especially emboldened on these flights and if you let any doppelgangers through on Blood Moon nights it will instead cause the night to be more intense. Even worse, there are some nights where the emergency weapons arsenal will act up and not open immediately. This is based on the Entity’s patience bar in-game, but this does push you to also buy defense items that aren’t placed in the arsenal. Once the Entity leaves and you killed any of the friends it brought along, you’re in the clear.

Once your shift ends and you survive the Hunt (if you let any doppelgangers through), you can then do any clean up and head home. You’ll get to see how well you did overall through how much income the store made, how much you were paid, get updates on the situation with your pet or any other important news, and get to see the list of all the customers where you’re told if they were human or doppelganger (and the evidence that pointed to them being one). The game autosaves at the start of each Night and the whole game loop repeats.

There are a few additional, optional stuff here. There are three endings to the story mode and when you finish Night 13, and thus get one of the endings, it’ll turn into a post-game save file. This basically means it’s now in endless mode and your pet will join you for every shift now. Completing the story will also give you the option of starting a new save file in endless mode too. On that note, the game is planned to get an endless mode update later this year which sounds like it’s going to be cool. Other than that you can aim to get the achievement for finishing a Hunt in 30 seconds or to get all of the hats (which I totally did, I may have been playing solo but I liked the hats).

I ended up really liking the gameplay in Shift at Midnight. The first night and the fact that this is a co-op game did worry me a bit, but the first night is just lowkey so you can learn the basics. Aside a little annoyance that I’ll go into soon enough, I enjoyed my time with the game enough that I was willing to do three separate story mode playthroughs and played some more in endless mode. I liked the whole gameplay loop here. I liked the whole gas station management where you’re making sure it’s clean, stocked up, and decorated (even though I was like “you’re asking too much for a gas station in the middle of nowhere”). I like the investigative aspect of the game and how it’s linked to checking customers out. It does well in starting out simple, adding more things as time progresses, and then catching you on small details that you may not have thought about checking or totally overlooked. Like, one of the doppelgangers that got past me was a woman in a bikini talking about going to the beach when she still could. I was like “ah yeah checks out” and that was the detail that she was a doppelganger. Or how the year is sometimes the evidence that the customer was a doppelganger. There’s always a sign that will point to the customer being a doppelganger that can be obvious or pretty hidden. This also doubles as telling you that doppelgangers are getting better at copying people. It is interesting seeing what details the doppelgangers miss.

It was also a great decision to not tell you if a customer was a human or doppelganger until the end of the shift. It really makes you second guess yourself when you decide to shoot someone and then makes you wonder who was the doppelganger when you get that notification that you checked so many out. Whenever you shoot someone, they’ll run out saying something and sometimes they still keep up that human facade. You also have to take into account the way the characters are modelled (is it weird because the doppelganger got it wrong or because that’s how it’s translated on the 3D model?). You also have to wonder if a customer acting weird is a doppelganger or if they were just drunk for example.

I also did like learning that there are more docile creatures in this universe, how customers are randomized, that you can learn more lore about the world through them, and how you need to take into account events happening in the world for spotting doppelgangers (which also double as worldbuilding). There are also some weird people (who may or may not be doppelgangers who I like think they’re just pranksters) and interesting interactions. Oh, and the game does a good job with spooking you during your shift. This is an aspect you need to experience yourself, but man it really does a good job with creeping you out and putting you on edge. Like one certain scripted event had me tense when I was leaving every day after it happened. Oh, and can’t forget how cute and helpful it is when your pet joins you on shifts.

Lastly, I liked the Hunt phase. I like how whether or not the Hunt happens and how intense it is is determined by how well you did during your shift. The Hunt doesn’t happen if you catch all the doppelgangers and you are hit harder the more you complete transactions with (though there are some scripted Hunts here). It was also a good decision to add Blood Moons to sidestep a perfect run situation. Hunts are definitely a tense experience, even when you’re confident. And oh boy, it’s best to not be overconfident during your shift early on as you may find yourself in a situation where the Entity is coming and you bought nothing. I liked how you have to deal with the different creatures differently and the different tools you get too. I also definitely appreciate how the store and your personal funds are separated.

I also do think this game works well as a solo experience. There are aspects that do feel like it would be more manageable with a friend or two and hats clearly are for multiplayer, but it doesn’t feel like singleplayer was an afterthought. I’m not sure if the game is balanced differently if you’re by yourself or with others, but if you’re picking this up to play by yourself the game you are able to finish story mode without much difficulty. Once you get used to things and learn that the majority of the customers will wait for you, it gets less overwhelming. I do also think the simplicity of the gameplay loop really helps here too.

It is a bit weird how some mechanics are added for like one night, but it makes sense since you are meant to transition into endless mode after finishing the story.

As for negatives, I do have a few. Most of these are just going to depend on each person though. The first needs a bit of context. On the day where it’s a guaranteed Entity visit, which also had a scripted story event, a new Entity friendo is added to the night encounter which is also guaranteed to appear. I’m just going to just say it, you have to find a music box and wind it before it plays the song three times and then it’ll spawn into the map. Easy enough, except it took me five tries to progress to the next night. The problem that I found is the way the game communicates information for this creature. You’re told how to prevent it from spawning in and then when you die to it you get a tool tip saying it gets faster when you damage it. Pairing that with the fact that it takes a lot of health (and I mean a lot) I thought it was another creature that is invincible to damage, especially since it’s a ghost-like creature. So I thought the music box was hidden somewhere and you’re not supposed to hurt it cause that means it’ll be on your butt constantly while you’re trying to look in the nook and crannies. Turns out it just has a lot of health and I was close to progressing the first time I encountered it and then one other time. I wished there was some line that hints at it having a lot of health like “just hope you have a stockpile of guns/bullets” or “it takes an army to defeat it”, but obviously in the same voice as the emails are written in. Just something that tells the player it has a ton of health as personally I thought the game was telling me it can’t be killed with weapons or traps. Next up, when you’re in the computer, sometimes the game can get stuck highlighting the text box or have it just disappear (luckily, I was able to fix it by scanning their ID again or going between tabs). I did also wish when you’re looking at emails, scrolling down to continue reading didn’t also move your selection on the list of emails and wished the game automatically scrolls it to the top when switching emails.

Alright, with that slightly embarrassing negative out of the way, now onto the negatives that will depend person to person. You do need to do three separate story mode playthroughs to get all the endings. This doesn’t give you definitive answers to the mysteries here and I can see some people not liking that. Personally, I didn’t really mind as right away it gave me that vibe, but I understand others that do mind as there is one scripted event that I was like “what was up with all that”. A part of me did wish you could have hats not be on the coin wheel if you’re playing solo. Lastly, I just simply wanted more story mode. I think the developers did a great job with the worldbuilding here and I would have loved to learn more. Like more theories that people had. More N.E.T. broadcasts. Did people make a whole cult around the Entity? Can we find that lost dog? What’s going on with Midnight Town serial killers? Maybe give me a whole binder where I can look at all the newspaper clippings I saw (and then even show you if you’re missing any). I also think it would also be cool if there were hints to what happened during the dayshift. Like little sticky notes or a chance of them leaving a mess or not restocking.

As for Shift at Midnight’s visuals and sound, they are well done here. I really liked the visual style of the game. I liked the models for the various characters and items, which take on an early 3D look where it still has that retro aspect to it, but is a bit more detailed. It allows that retro vibe to still be here, which also adds to the horror atmosphere, while allowing for the details needed for examining customers. I think it also plays well into how you never know if the person in front of you is a Doppelganger or not (unless they’re very obvious) and the paranoia that comes with that. Not to mention it does mean the customer pool has good variety in terms of everyone’s looks. The environment of the gas station itself is also well done, I like how the products are detailed enough you can tell what it is, and I liked the gas station’s surroundings as it gave me the feeling that it’s a pitstop in a long stretch of road. I also liked the designs for the different creatures here as I certainly would not want to encounter any of these guys if I lived in this universe.

As for the sound design, it’s great here. The ambience is heavy and it surprisingly ended up getting to me as it really sunk in how I was alone in the gas station. How I can only rely on myself and if danger finds me I’m the only one that can save myself. I did like the various sound effects for the different interactions you have, but special shout out to the weapon sound effects. It is loud, but I feel it really sells how impactful the hits are and it does make a good progression where you start by being shocked by how loud it is to turning into a badass. Plus, it helps with communicating that it will alert the Entity of your location.

As for performance, it’s good but could be better. I’d say most of the time it does run smoothly, but there are times where the game does noticeably lag. I noticed this when I was specifically outside towards the back (which doesn’t make much sense until you get to a part in the story where it makes a bit of sense why it does) and there was one time where it lagged a bit due to everything that was going on on screen.

Verdict

I’m glad I decided to play Shift at Midnight as it turned out to be an enjoyable experience. The horror is done well (and hits harder since I was alone), I loved the gameplay loop and how it rewards or punishes you for how well you did, I really liked the variety of the customers and creatures, and I especially appreciate how this game’s singleplayer mode wasn’t clearly an afterthought. There are a few aspects that I did have gripes with, but I overall enjoyed the game and learning more about the world and the characters.

Shift at Midnight is an easy recommendation whether you’re going to play this solo or with friends and whether you’re just going to play the story or continue into endless mode.