Quality Chaotic Co-op | Shiftlings Review

These days it seems as if a new puzzle platformer pops up every week, and despite how fun they all are, implementing something unique is the only way to stand out from the pack. Fortunately Rock Pocket’s Shiftlings does bring something new to the table and the toilet humor surrounding it aside, it makes for some interesting and entertaining solo or co-op fun.

The little story that is Shiftlings, centers entirely around a fart joke. After the more dimwitted of the two space janitors in your control drinks some extremely fizzy cola, the gas from a fart inflates his suit. Due to these two clones being tethered together by a hose you are able to pass the gas from one janitor to the other. This is where the major mechanic of Shiftlings is born. Passing this gas back and forth as you make your way though the 5 different worlds adds a whole new dynamic to the puzzle platformer.

To add to the already simple plot, our two janitors are the subjects of a popular TV show where each episode or level requires both of the janitors to reach an objective and then to get to a different location to finish the mission. The host of the Shiftlings show is an alien announcer who adds in a one-liner here and there to try and inject some humor as your work your way through each level. The game also offers up a repetitive soundtrack and an abundance of fart noises. The animation of these quirky little characters is excellent and the overall look and feel of each of the different planets is a bright and bubbly cartoonish visual feast.

The main star of Shiftlings is the actual gameplay and trying to get from a to b as you switch between inflated and deflated janitors can be quite challenging. The inflated janitor is slow moving, can pull the other janitor along and can’t jump very high, whereas the smaller janitor can fit into smaller spaces, jump, run and even bounce off the inflated janitor for some extra height. Shiftlings is quite a hefty game; there are 5 different worlds, each with 10 base levels to complete. Every few levels there is a new game mechanic, obstacle or special platform introduced. From cannons used to blast your clone across the map or bounce pads to launch your janitor skyward, the introduction of these elements keeps the sometimes-repetitive nature of the gameplay from becoming too stale.

At the end of the each of the 5 different planets there is a boss battle that although doesn’t change the gameplay completely, offers a more challenging and intense finale. After defeating each of the bosses you will unlock a time attack mode for all of the stages. This new mode allows you to go back and test what you have learnt and try and beat the time you set during your first playthrough. An online leaderboard is present making for a good way to challenge your friends. Along with the 10 standard levels at each world there is a bonus level to unlock as well. These stages are unlocked by collecting all of the hard to reach cola bottles that are scattered throughout the areas.

Even though Shiftlings can be played solo, the game is best suited to local and online co-op. I had so much fun sitting next to a friend as we made our way through the many different levels of Shiftlings. The chaotic fun that was had as we did our best to navigate through the puzzles and avoid getting our hose cut was fantastic. When playing through the game solo the cooperative fun wasn’t present and the later levels were a lot more difficult which sadly leant more towards tedium than anything else.

Underneath the toilet humor and vapid plot of Shiftlings, is a good cooperative puzzle platformer. Even though you can play Shiftlings solo, I recommend bunkering down with a buddy and getting through this one together. The quirky animations and bright and colorful levels are great to look at and frequently changing gameplay additions keep the gameplay from getting too stale.

This review is based on a review code of the PlayStation 4 version of Shiftlings developed by Rock Pocket Games and produced by Sierra Entertainment