Late Shift Reviews
The concept behind Late Shift is not necessarily a bad one, but if you're going to design a game around an interactive story, it is crucial the story is actually well done. This isn't the case here, sadly.
An interesting idea, but not a very good game. I enjoyed watching it for an hour but replaying it became very frustrating. Bandersnatch did a similar idea and doesn’t require a direct purchase price.
If you really boil it down, Late Shift is a movie with a plot that you can alter. Sadly, that plot isn't very good. Gameplay is minimal, and where The Bunker struck a decent balance, the lack of interaction here only serves to make the experience more of a slog. This can only be described as a complete disappointment.
Late Shift is an interesting update on the idea of the interactive movie. While it brings decent tv-quality production values and soap opera level acting to a genre notoriously riddled with far worse, it still doesn't do enough to stand out as a film, nor offer enough interactivity as a game. There's potential for this template, but the interactivity needs to be much more ambitious.
Late Shift is interesting enough on its first go around, but without reward in its narrative or punishment in its gameplay, there's not enough reason to go back.
Despite being a thriller, Late Shift, is not nearly as well written, or structured as the films of the very same genre, such as the critically acclaimed North by Northwest. And that’s okay, because unlike Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, Late Shift is a compound entity, which consists of numerous scenes which revolve around each other depending on the choices made by the player.
Overall, Late Shift does well to ensure any choices you make impact on the story, either immediately or later on. The technical issues really hold it back though, and despite not being game-breaking, it’s irritating to have such problems spread out from start to finish.
Because the understanding on how to make FMV games really function is still underdeveloped, there are still structural issues that creators are clearly struggling with, and Late Shift is very much a product of this.
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For fans of the interactive movie genre, Late Shift is, without a single doubt, a product worthy of its price tag. Those grown tired of the usual flaws of this flavour of games, however, beware, as these make their appearance here too, with choices rarely changing things as much as they should.
Late Shift would be a fine movie, although it would falter from an odd lack of direction from time to time. As a game, though, Late Shift just feels too disconnected from the player to justify even giving them control. It does allow you to steer the story, and on occasion it feels like the decisions that have been made actually mattered. Still, the player's involvement just feels like the movie occasionally wondering where it should go.
Night Shift is a neat concept, and it's pretty entertaining on a play-through or two. However, it's really tedious to replay, and the writing isn't particularly good. If you're a big fan of choose-your-own-adventure games, pick it up on a sale.
Full motion video games are making a comeback and you could do worse than the crime thriller Late Shift.
Late Shift brings back the interactive movie genre, based on the use of the Full Motion Video, to the current age with all the technical advancements that it brings in terms of visual improvements. However and while the actors' interpretations are competent and there are plenty of choices, they end up having less of an impact on the plot that it would be legitimate to expect and the game's own level of interactivity feels very narrow.
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Late Shift is a decent FMV title with a cast that puts in a lot of effort to make their characters believable. It's let down by some glaring plot holes that don't stand up to scrutiny. There are seven endings, meaning that some of the choices made do matter, while others feel a bit like filler and don't seem to change anything. The ambition and the actual cinematography is there, but the writing really needs some improvement to push Late Shift toward greatness.
For those who enjoy visual novels, or are looking for a Sunday afternoon in front of the couch for a casual playthrough, Late Shift is catered exactly for you. However if you’re looking for something little more fast paced, you could safely pass on this one. The FMV genre is certainly interesting, and with plenty of positive reviews on Steam, CtrlMovie may very well be in a position to explore other film genres to continue to strengthen their fanbase.
Though Late Shift looks stylish and boasts a clever script, the lack of meaningful choices and a chapter selection drowns its promise
A well-executed novelty experience for the most part, and proof that outings such as this deserve to be taken seriously rather than reduced to kitschy relic status within a few years.
Late Shift is a great attempt at reviving FMV-led gaming, avoiding the pitfalls of The Bunker by choosing to opt for a purer movie direction rather than including unnecessary forced interactions, making it almost visual novel-esque with its decision-making route and multiple endings inclusion to encourage repeated play-throughs.
A slightly iffy script, one or two uneven performances and some questionable scenes aside, Late Shift is an intriguing FMV crime thriller worth checking out.