Late Shift

Late Shift is an interactive film and video game written and directed by Tobias Weber. The participation film technology behind the title was developed by CtrlMovie. The title was screened at many international film festivals, including The New York Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, and the Festival du nouveau cinéma.

Late Shift
Developer(s)CtrlMovie
Publisher(s)Wales Interactive
Director(s)Tobias Weber
Producer(s)
  • Baptiste Planche
  • Kurban Kassam
Writer(s)Michael R. Johnson
Composer(s)Cyril Boehler
EngineUnity Engine
Platform(s)
Release
  • Microsoft Windows, OS X, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
    • WW: 18 April 2017
  • Nintendo Switch
    • WW: 26 April 2018[1]
Genre(s)Adventure, interactive movie
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay

Late Shift is presented much like a regular movie. During the film, the player is able to make choices on behalf of the protagonist. The presentation doesn't pause during the decision making process, so viewers must react in real-time. There are 180 choice points in the feature-film, and the user interaction influences characters and the events of the game and lead the story to one of seven different endings.

Story

The playable character and main protagonist is Matthew Thompson (Joe Sowerbutts), a college student who works as a parking lot attendant. One night, Matt finds himself embroiled in London's criminal underworld when he is forced to work with a group of armed robbers. He ends up befriending, possibly romantically, one of the members of the group; a young woman named May-Ling. The player's choices influence the events of the game and can lead to a variety of different endings resulting in different fates for Matt and May-Ling.

Reception

Late Shift received "very positive" reviews on Steam,[10] 4.4 out of 5 stars on Apple's App Store, a 7.2/10 rating on IMdB,[11] 72/100 points according to review aggregator Metacritic.[2][3][4][5] The Sunday Times named it "the most important film of the year",[12] The Guardian called it "a digital experience to look out for[13]". The film won many awards, including a BAFTA Cymru Award[14] (Best Game), "Best Mobile/Tablet" and "Most Creative and Original" at Game Connection Development Awards[15] and "Best Narrative" at BIG Festival Brazil.[16] Further it was nominated for an IMG Award,[17] for "Visual Design" and "Action and Adventure Game" at The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards 2017,[18] and for "Writing or Narrative Design" and "Gameplay Innovation" at the 2018 Develop Awards.[19]

Apart from the majority of positive reactions there were also a few critical voices. Vice deemed it an "intriguing failure".[20] Eurogamer noted the game's continuity errors.[21]

References
  1. Reseigh-Lincoln, Dom (16 April 2018). "Cho[o]se Your Own Adventure And Solve The Case As Late Shift Arrives On Switch This Month". Nintendo Life.
  2. "Late Shift for Switch Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  3. "Late Shift for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  4. "Late Shift for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  5. "Late Shift for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 January 2019.
  6. Valdez, Nick (18 April 2017). "Late Shift for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Destructoid. Retrieved 18 April 2017.
  7. Gwaltney, Javy (27 April 2017). "Late Shift Review - Riding The Rails". Game Informer. Retrieved 27 April 2017.
  8. Lane, Gavin (3 May 2018). "Late Shift Review (Switch eShop)". NintendoLife. Retrieved 3 May 2018.
  9. Olivo, Matthew (26 April 2018). "Late Shift Review". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  10. "Late Shift on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
  11. Late Shift, retrieved 22 May 2020
  12. Dean, Jonathan (18 December 2016). "Will cinema grow up next year?". The Sunday Times. ISSN 0956-1382. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  13. Gwynne, Kate (12 October 2016). "Read it and bleep: is virtual reality the future of storytelling?". the Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  14. "Winners of the 2018 British Academy Cymru Awards". www.bafta.org. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  15. "Game Connection Europe 2016 - Development Awards". Game Connection. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  16. "Nominated & Awarded Games of 2016". BIG Festival (in Portuguese). Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  17. "Late Shift - International Mobile Gaming Awards". International Mobile Gaming Awards. Retrieved 16 November 2018.
  18. "2017 Winners". The Independent Game Developers' Association. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  19. MCV staff (21 May 2018). "Announcing the Develop Awards 2018 nominations shortlist". MCV. Retrieved 4 September 2018.
  20. Diver, Mike (19 April 2017). "'Late Shift' Is an Intriguing Failure of an FMV 'Game'". Vice.
  21. Parkin, Simon (24 April 2017). "Late Shift review". Eurogamer.
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