Thank you Black Shell Media for sending us this game to review!

Protoshift is a very simple game involving a black square that is moved via the mouse and it cannot leave the game window or touch any object within it.  The tutorial level will explain the basics and go over the three power-ups and how they each last five seconds.  The clock will slow down the movement of the obstacles while the snowflake will make you smaller and the shield will make you invincible.

Even though I just gave you all of the information provided in the tutorial, you’ll still have to complete it to unlock the first difficulty level: Hard.  One you launch the difficulty level the clock will start ticking and you’ll have to keep moving to avoid touching any of the rotating blocks.  Initially you’ll increase in a level for every fifteen seconds you stay alive.  After you reach level five, you’ll get a Steam achievement and unlock the next difficulty level.

In total there are ten Steam achievements and the first one will be earned after completing the tutorial.  There are other achievements for getting to level five on Hard, Very Hard, and Futile modes.  I was able to get to level five on the Hard and Very Hard modes and up to level four on Futile on my first play through.  Unfortunately, my age got to me as my wrist couldn’t take much more.  (Mark 14:38b)   On my second play through I was able to reach level five on futile after a few tries.  I like how that stats show you the number of deaths and power-ups you have accumulated.  

Besides potential carpal tunnel issues, the game has a warning about flashing and dizziness inducing visuals.  They are not kidding around here.  If you have motion sickness you may want to skip on this game and just buy its awesome soundtrack instead which sells for $2.99 on Steam.  

The Futile difficulty is the most intense with a spinning and flashing screen.  It’s also the most lenient on the seconds needed before going to the level.  You only need to be alive for five seconds to advance to the next level.  However, it’s much easier said than done and the chances of finding a power-up are slim in this mode.  

While there is leaderboard support, this feature was broken at the time of this review.   It’s a shame since I was hoping to see how I stacked up against other players across the world.  Perhaps it’s best that I don’t know, but still this feature should be functional.  Another glitch that I noticed is that the black square seemed to allow slight touching of the objects before triggering the collision detection.  

Issues aside, Protoshift is a fun little game that had me trying and trying over again to reach level five despite my wrist begging me not to.  It may not hold your attention for long, but the regular price is a low $1.99.  Even if the game isn’t your cup of tea, the soundtrack is worth picking up regardless.