Indie developer Rhinotales has announced Critical Shift, a new and hardcore turn-based tactical game with RPG elements.
Critical Shift is in development for Windows PC (via Steam), Xbox Series X|S, and PS5 with a release set for later in 2025.
Here’s a rundown on the game, plus its reveal trailer:
A distress call is received from a top-secret research station in Antarctica, and then all communications are completely cut off. The final official report contained only scraps of information:
…experiment #347 has reached critical parameters… …transportation of the sample from Sector D to████████████… …stability indicators are dropping… …WARNING… …containment conditions have been breached… …personnel evacuated from Levels 6 to 9… …OH GOD, █████████ IS REAL… …TIME CAN ████… …IT’S NOT A VACUUM, IT’S WATCHING US…
Your squad’s mission is to reach ICE-1 Station, located deep under thick layers of ice. This is a place where hundreds of scientists, soldiers, and researchers lived and worked. Within its depths are hidden things that can obliterate the boundary between reality and insanity. And if even one of those objects gets out of the station, it will mark the end of the world as we know it.
Hardcore tactical battle system
Lead a squad created to solve impossible problems. Use dozens of unique abilities and develop new skills. Explore the area, bolster your arsenal and your gear, but don’t forget that your greatest weapon is a sharp mind.
Resources are limited, and every cartridge could be worth its weight in gold. Study the battlefield and your enemies carefully to understand the most effective course of action. Awaiting you in the game is a fair fighting system, so you won’t have to worry about misses with a 99% hit chance. Just think carefully and win!
Factions and enemies
ICE-1 Station is packed full of mysteries. In its depths, you’ll encounter not only anomalies that shatter the rules of reality. The accommodation blocks and laboratories have become a battlefield for various powers. A hive intelligence is turning people into mutant puppets, an insane AI is creating monstrous hybrids of flesh and metal, and the few survivors are desperately trying to keep the situation under control. In the shadows, meanwhile, hide creatures whose origin is entirely inexplicable. Exploit the conflicts between the different factions wisely—within these walls, any move can turn the tide of battle!
A profound story from a master creator
A whole new world from the masterful pen of Guiltythree, author of the cult web novel Shadow Slave, awaits you in Critical Shift. His work is renowned for its rich character development, dark atmosphere, and genuinely unexpected plot twists. In our game, the writer reinterprets familiar events, intertwining them with mystery and throwing the heroes into a dizzying vortex full of lethal danger, drama, treachery, and a whole lot more
Explore the world
The gigantic underground complex stretches for miles beneath the Antarctic ice. Official maps show a number of research facilities, accommodation blocks, and technical areas. However, the true scale of the location and all its secrets are known only to a few. Explore every corner in search of mysterious artifacts, read top-secret documents, and talk to the survivors to discover the whole truth. One of the (im)possible truths.
Features
- Tactical Depth – Master combat where weapon range and positioning are critical to victory.
- No Luck, Just Strategy – Outsmart enemies through precise planning, agent swaps, and real-time tactical adjustments.
- Story-Driven Missions – Every operation unfolds a gripping chapter of the conspiracy.
- Handcrafted Challenges – Over 30 meticulously designed levels across diverse biomes, each hiding secrets and deadly threats.
- Manipulate the Enemy – Exploit rival factions, tricking them into fighting each other or luring them into traps.
