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Critical Shift

Critical Shift is a story-rich tactical RPG that blends turn-based squad combat with tense exploration, deep lore, and a dark science-mystery adventure set beneath Antarctica.

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Developer
Rhinotales
Publisher
Rhinotales
Release
Coming Soon
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Updated: Jul 12, 2026Developer scaleThe operating scale of the game's developer.
Updated: Jul 12, 2026Publisher scaleThe operating scale of the game's publisher.
Updated: Jul 12, 2026Publisher statusHow the game's publishing relationship is classified.
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Updated: Jul 12, 2026Release statusWhether and how the game has been released.

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About the Game

 
 
 
Critical Shift is a story-rich tactical RPG that blends turn-based squad combat, character progression, tense exploration, and a dark science-mystery setting.
 

You lead an elite team into ICE-1 — a classified research facility buried beneath the Antarctic ice. The station has gone silent. Communications are lost. Strange artifacts, abandoned experiments and sealed sectors are waiting inside.

What happened here is not just a disaster.
It is a mystery you uncover level by level.

  • Tactical Turn-Based Battles

  • Dangerous Anomalies

  • Story by the Author of Shadow Slave

  • Dark Science-Mystery Atmosphere

DEEP TACTICAL COMBAT

Fight tactical turn-based battles where cover, positioning, hit chances, weapon roles, and agent abilities shape every decision.

  • Emergent Battles

  • Enemy Infighting

  • Fair Hit Chances

  • Weapon Range System

RPG PROGRESSION

Upgrade your agents, shape their combat roles and adapt your tactics as new enemies, environments and mission objectives change the battlefield.

  • Unique Agents & Skills

  • Artifact Research

  • Supplies Crafting

  • Weapon upgrades

  • Build Variety

SCIENCE MEETS THE UNKNOWN

Uncover layered science-mystery lore built around hidden organizations, anomalous artifacts, unexplained phenomena, and classified research.

Every level reveals another piece of the truth through notes, reports, environmental clues, enemy behavior, character dialogue, and discoveries that reframe what you thought you knew.

EXPERIENCE A CINEMATIC STORY

Written in collaboration with the author of Shadow Slave, Critical Shift delivers a dramatic, unpredictable narrative filled with twists, betrayals, uneasy alliances, and high-stakes discoveries.

The story unfolds through missions, exploration, dialogue, hand-painted 2D cutscenes, and motion-captured in-game story scenes.

  • 30 Handcrafted Story-Driven Levels

  • 40+ Hours of Gameplay

  • 1+ Hour of Hand-Painted 2D Cutscenes

  • 2 Hours of Motion-Captured In-Game Story Scenes

 

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