Info about Shift At Midnight: Official game description: Managing a gas station is tough work, keep your stock shelves full and sell enough products to meet your quota each night, take deliveries and keep your store nice and clean. Oh, and make sure to interrogate each customer as you serve - as some are not human and are in fact doppelgangers – miss one and they will return later that shift to try and kill you and your friends… Execute on site if you think they are not human – just be sure to clean up after. If you mess up, be prepared to set traps, barricade the doors and hide as the doppelgangers return as horrible monsters. **Manage your gas station** --------------------------- Stock the shelves, take deliveries, keep your store clean & serve customers. Each shift is randomly generated… meaning no 2 shifts are the same. **Not all customers are human…** -------------------------------- Managing a gas station these days also means you have to be a detective… examine their ID, cross-check their details in the computer, and observe their behaviour. Make sure they are human before you let them leave, or they will come back… **Board Up, Lay Traps and Hide** -------------------------------- If a creature manages to leave the store, all hell breaks loose. Barricade the doors, place traps, and find a place to hide. Survival is no longer guaranteed. **Better with friends!** ------------------------ Multiplayer is where the game thrives, work together or at least be together… proximity chat enhances the experience. **Features:** * Multiplayer * Proximity chat * Interrogate customers * Story Mode with 13 Randomly Generated Shifts * Gas Station Management * Character customisation **Endless Mode (BETA):** A free, major ENDLESS MODE update is planned for Q4 2026, with exclusive customers, weapons, traps, monsters and more. Release date: Jul 22, 2026 Categories: Retail Horror Simulation, Doppelganger Detection, Cooperative Multiplayer, Store Management, Survival, Social Deduction, Proximity Chat - Hardware Profile: - Summary: On lower VRAM Windows systems (<8GB) the game suffers from significant stuttering, lag, and crashes, while higher VRAM configurations (12GB+) report smooth performance. - Sample size: 74 (14% coverage) - Audience skew: Review sample is mostly Windows-based. - Windows <8GB VRAM (negative, 31 reports): Many users with less than 8GB VRAM on Windows report severe lag, stuttering, crashes, and item vanishing, making the game unplayable for some. - Windows 12-15GB VRAM (positive, 24 reports): Users with 12-15GB VRAM report the game runs fine with no major performance issues. - Windows 16GB+ VRAM (positive, 5 reports): Users with 16GB+ VRAM report good performance, with no complaints about lag or stuttering from this hardware cohort. - Caveats: 74 of 538 reviews expose hardware metadata.; Review sample is mostly Windows-based. Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $5.00 - $10.00 - Reasoning: Most reviews agree the current $9.99 price is fair for the content, with several directly stating it's worth it. However, some note the game is best for groups and suggest it's slightly high for its limited replayability, and a sale is recommended, indicating a lower price would be more broadly acceptable. The Canadian $12 (~$9 USD) endorsement supports the current price, but the 'must buy on sale' sentiment and 'bit high' comment imply a range around $5–$10 is the community's fair zone. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 4.5h - Story completion: 4.5h - Session length: 4.0h - Endgame: N/A - Reasoning: Multiple reviews consistently report story completion between 3.5 and 5.5 hours, with a median around 4.5 hours. The 4-hour and 3-4 hour quotes support storyCompletion at 4.5. The 5-hour and true ending in 4 hours quotes support gameCompletion at 4.5 (since true ending is likely the full game). One review explicitly states a 4-hour straight session to reach the true ending, indicating a typical session length of 4 hours. No specific endgame playtime is reported, only mention of an endless mode without hours. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: The game is immediately fun and engaging, especially in co-op, with minor bugs that do not hinder the early experience. - Stance: Fun immediately - Anchor: N/A - Time to anchor: N/A - Friction: occasional bugs; lag out issue in multiplayer; tedious small quality of life issue - Unlock drivers: N/A - Conditions: best played with friends; co-op enhances enjoyment; solo experience not mentioned as worse but co-op preferred; horror elements remain in multiplayer - Player Archetypes: - Co-op Social Player (buy) - Motivation: To have chaotic fun with friends, sharing horror and comedy in a low-stakes social setting. - Playstyle: Plays in multiplayer, does not take the game seriously, focuses on keeping friends alive and enjoying absurd situations. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: N/A - Reference games: Quarantine Last Check; Chilla's Art - Solo Horror Veteran (buy) - Motivation: To experience a challenging, atmospheric horror simulation that tests observation and quick decision-making. - Playstyle: Plays solo, carefully managing tasks, relying on intuition and genre knowledge, and embracing the horror without social dilution. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: solo player - Reference games: Papers Please; No I'm Not a Human; Quarantine Last Check; Chilla's Art - Critical Pragmatist (no buy) - Motivation: To get a polished, bug-free experience at a reasonable price; frustration with unfinished mechanics and poor value. - Playstyle: Plays with a critical eye, notices bugs quickly, evaluates time-to-cost ratio, and may give up when issues accumulate. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: no buy - Labels: N/A - Reference games: N/A Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Great with friends (weight 0.54): Players report exceptional fun when playing with friends, highlighting co-op sessions as highly enjoyable and entertaining. - Overall fun game (weight 0.4): The game is consistently described as fun, entertaining, and enjoyable, with a solid gameplay loop. - Good value for price (weight 0.34): Many players feel the game is worth its full price, offering good value for money with satisfying content. - Atmosphere praised (weight 0.32): The game's atmosphere is compelling and adds to the experience, with a good balance of horror and comedy. - Replayability high (weight 0.25): The game offers high replayability, especially with friends, and each playthrough feels different with new elements. - Fun solo too (weight 0.25): The game is also enjoyable for solo players, who find it meets expectations and offers a fun, sometimes scary, experience. - Horror-comedy balance good (weight 0.19): The mix of horror and comedy is well-received, providing scares alongside laughter and chaotic moments. - Improvements from demo (weight 0.18): The full version has significant improvements and more content compared to the demo, making it a better experience. - Recommended strongly (weight 0.16): Players strongly recommend the game, with high ratings like 9/10 or 10/10, and urge others to try it. - Endless mode wanted (weight 0.16): Players look forward to an endless mode, expecting it to enhance replayability, and note it is unlocked after clearing the game. - Smooth performance (weight 0.13): The game runs smoothly and flawlessly, with no major performance issues reported. - Unique and interesting (weight 0.13): Players find the game unique and interesting, especially as a twist on the supermarket simulator genre. - Sledgehammer fun (weight 0.12): Using a sledgehammer to chase and kill doppelgangers is a highlight, providing satisfying and chaotic gameplay. - Future updates hyped (weight 0.1): Players are enthusiastic about promised future updates, looking forward to new content and improvements. - Co-op playtime adequate (weight 0.06): Co-op sessions last around 4.5 hours for three players, offering a satisfying group experience. - Norbert character loved (weight 0.06): The character Norbert is an instant favorite among players, adding to the game's charm. - Story enjoyed (weight 0.06): Players enjoyed the game's story, finding it compelling and worth experiencing. Common complaints: - Minor bugs and glitches (weight 0.59): Many reviews mention various small bugs, but these are often not game-breaking. Examples include restocking crashes, softlocks, items getting stuck, and minor visual or interactive glitches. - Player cap reduction issue (weight 0.5): Multiple reviews state the full game reduced the maximum number of players from 4 to 3, compared to the demo. This is a major point of frustration and feels like a downgrade. - Multiplayer and server issues (weight 0.47): Reviews report that multiplayer does not work, servers are unstable, and connections are laggy compared to the demo. Some players cannot connect or stay connected for long sessions. - Performance and optimization problems (weight 0.47): Players experience FPS drops, stuttering, jittering, and general poor optimization, especially when near trash bins or during action-heavy moments. Performance is often worse than the demo, even on better hardware. - Connection and lobby problems (weight 0.36): Some reviews report issues creating or joining lobbies, long wait times, lobby name bugs, and region-locking leading to high latency for certain players (e.g., Chinese players needing a VPN). - Repetitive and boring gameplay (weight 0.26): Several reviews find the game becomes boring after the first few days or runs, citing lack of variety, monotonous tasks, and repetitive days. Replayability and long-term engagement are low. - Content and length concerns (weight 0.24): Reviews indicate the game is short (around 4-5 hours for the campaign) and lacks depth or additional content. Some feel it does not justify its price, especially with limited replayability and only 13 nights. - Difficulty and balance issues (weight 0.2): Players report the game is too easy later on, especially in multiplayer, but also suffers from unfair difficulty spikes, including large enemy groups or extremely high HP bosses. Some find singleplayer too hard. - Price and value complaints (weight 0.19): Players find the price too high for the amount of content or quality, citing poor value for money (e.g., over 2 euros per hour) and feeling deceived after buying for friends. - Disconnection and crash bugs (weight 0.18): Some reviews report frequent disconnections, crashes (including PC shutdowns), and freezes that force restarts, particularly in co-op lobbies. - Pets feature controversial (weight 0.17): Reviews express strong dislike for the pets feature, feeling it was added last minute, ruins the experience, or is too difficult/annoying (e.g., pet balance causing frustration). - Lack of horror atmosphere (weight 0.16): Several reviews note the game is not scary, with humor undermining horror, action elements diluting tension, and the horror effect fading after a while. Some expected a more tense retail horror shift. - Story confusion (weight 0.15): Multiple reviews find the story confusing or unsatisfying, with unclear character motivations and a disappointing ending. - Tutorial and guidance lacking (weight 0.14): Players mention bad tutorial or guidance, slow mechanic introduction, and being unsure about game rules (e.g., skipping imposters with no penalty). - Missing features and content (weight 0.14): Reviewers note missing features such as gender options, graphics settings, more key mappings, or missing Ukrainian localization, and some feel the game feels incomplete like a test version. - Enemy AI and behavior issues (weight 0.14): Players report monsters/humans becoming invincible to all but certain weapons, enemies getting stuck, or AI-related bugs that break gameplay (e.g., doppelganger escapes not penalized). - Frustrating item interactions (weight 0.14): Reviews mention items disappearing, getting stuck in inventory, and grenades rolling under shelves, making them hard to grab, which adds frustration to gameplay. - Launch state dissatisfaction (weight 0.13): Several reviews express disappointment that the game was delayed for fixes yet still launched with many bugs, worse than the demo in aspects like player count and stability. - Visual and audio issues (weight 0.1): Reviews note visual clutter (molotovs, grenades, screen effects) that hampers gameplay, and some request separate sound effect volume sliders or report audio bugs like missing mic hiss. - Co-op lacks interaction (weight 0.04): Some reviewers feel the co-op mode lacks cooperation, with players simply doing their own tasks rather than interacting meaningfully as a team. Gameplay feedback: - Co-op multiplayer supported (weight 0.43): The game supports cooperative multiplayer for up to 3 players, with both singleplayer and co-op modes. Many reviews emphasize the co-op focus and its role distribution. - Retail horror simulation (weight 0.32): The game is described as a supermarket simulator blended with horror elements, specifically about working a night shift at a retail store. This unique genre combination is frequently highlighted. - Doppelganger detection mechanic (weight 0.29): Players must identify and kill doppelgangers among friends or customers by noticing small inconsistencies in behavior or appearance. This is a core gameplay loop. - Store management tasks (weight 0.26): Core gameplay includes restocking shelves, cleaning, checking customers, and using a tablet to scan IDs. These simulation tasks form the foundation of each shift. - Weapon and trap variety (weight 0.23): The game offers diverse weapons and traps like flamethrowers, molotovs, music boxes, bear traps, and grenades. Items can be placed or thrown to defend against enemies. - Single-player story mode (weight 0.21): A main story mode lasts around 5 hours, with 13 shifts (or days). It includes a true ending and branching paths, offering narrative variety. - Pets as a feature (weight 0.21): Pets are included, such as dogs and cats (even a named cat Fidel Castro). They serve as motivation or plot elements, adding emotional value. - Endless mode available (weight 0.21): Multiple reviews mention that an endless mode is available, unlocks after completing the main story, and is a requested feature. This extends replayability beyond the campaign. - Short game length (weight 0.2): The main story is short, typically 4-6 hours. Co-op sessions can be completed in 3-4 hours. This makes it accessible for quick playthroughs. - Pseudo-human enemies (weight 0.2): Enemies called pseudo-humans (or doppelgangers) are a key threat. Players defend the store from them using various weapons like sledgehammers, guns, and traps. - Horror with humor (weight 0.19): The horror elements are frequently mixed with comedic moments, such as throwing rats, toilet paper, or having funny character interactions. This lightens the tense atmosphere. - Atmosphere and creepiness (weight 0.18): The game is noted for its creepy atmosphere, combining psychological horror with pixel-style or oldschool graphics. Sounds and unexpected events enhance the tension. - Night shift setting (weight 0.17): The game simulates a night shift at a convenience store or gas station (like Wawa). This setting is central to the horror atmosphere and monotony. - Social deduction among friends (weight 0.15): The multiplayer mode involves social deduction where players identify doppelgangers among their friends. This creates tension and cooperation similar to 'I Am Not a Human'. - Mechanics added gradually (weight 0.13): New mechanics and activities are introduced slowly over shifts, starting simple and becoming more complex. This provides a learning curve and keeps gameplay fresh. - Customer AI and interactions (weight 0.13): Customer AI can react to traps, get stuck in shelves, or blow up bathrooms. They require attention for ID checking and service, adding chaos. - Replayability and variety (weight 0.13): The game is replayable with new discoveries each night, procedural events, and collectibles like gnomes and coins. Different nightly events keep shifts varied. - Friendly fire and consequences (weight 0.13): Shooting NPCs or teammates costs money or has consequences. This adds risk to combat and discourages reckless behavior. - Multiple endings available (weight 0.11): The game features multiple endings, including a true ending. One ending is called 'Grave Decision', indicating player choices matter. - Beast enemy appears suddenly (weight 0.08): A beast enemy can suddenly appear and chase players, adding intense horror moments. This is part of dynamic nightly events. Performance notes: - Frame drops in gameplay (weight 0.2): Players experience frequent frame drops during various actions such as throwing items, moving boxes, and even when simply being near a trash bin. These drops degrade the overall gaming experience, indicating suboptimal optimization. - Server and network issues (weight 0.17): Reports include laggy servers, network disconnections, and latency problems for non-host players. These issues hinder online multiplayer experiences, making them frustrating or unplayable. - Crashes and stability problems (weight 0.15): The game crashes in multiplayer lobbies, when others join, and even shuts down the computer entirely. These stability issues disrupt play sessions and are particularly problematic for cooperative modes. - Poor optimization issues (weight 0.14): Many players cite general poor optimization, describing lag, stutters, and jittering. This is a broad but recurring complaint that affects overall playability across various systems. - Microstutters and unexpected lag (weight 0.08): Players note microstutters and extreme lag that can cause items to vanish or make gameplay feel choppy. This affects the smoothness of actions and immersion. - Steam Deck performance concerns (weight 0.08): On Steam Deck, the game requires lowering resolution for consistent FPS, and a referenced video shows specific performance issues. This indicates the game is not well-optimized for handheld hardware. - Minor bugs and screen clutter (weight 0.07): While the game runs smoothly for some, minor launch bugs and screen clutter during boss fights cause visibility or performance issues. These are less critical but still affect the experience. - Resource-heavy engine issues (weight 0.04): The game is resource-heavy on GPU, CPU, and RAM due to Unity engine limitations, even when running smoothly. This might cause problems for lower-end systems. - Lack of graphics options (weight 0.04): One reviewer notes there are no graphics options, which limits players' ability to adjust settings to improve performance on their specific hardware. - Server optimization needed (weight 0.04): Explicit requests for server optimization highlight the need for better backend performance to ensure stable online play. - Camera bugs affect gameplay (weight 0.04): Camera bugs are reported, which can disrupt player control and visibility, adding to the list of technical issues. Recommendations: - Overall positive recommendation (weight 0.65): A large number of players give the game a strong, general recommendation without specific caveats. These reviews often use high ratings or enthusiastic language. - Strong co-op recommendation (weight 0.55): The game is highly recommended for cooperative play, especially with friends. Many players emphasize that the experience is best shared. - Worth the price (weight 0.39): Many players feel the game offers good value for its cost. Some mention it is worth buying, even at full price, while others suggest waiting for a sale. - Recommend trying demo first (weight 0.13): A few reviewers suggest trying the demo before buying, especially if uncertain about the game. This helps players decide if the game appeals to them. - High replayability noted (weight 0.12): The game is considered highly replayable and worth playing through at least once. Some reviewers mention they would replay it. - Great for specific genres (weight 0.11): The game is recommended for fans of horror, co-op, or simulation games. It appeals to those who enjoy jump scares and retail themes. - Fun for groups of two (weight 0.07): The game works well with one or two friends, but may not be suitable for larger groups. Some players note player limit issues for four players. Other player notes: - Co-op mod from Bilibili (weight 0.04): A multiplayer cooperative mod created by a Bilibili blogger is available for the game, allowing players to experience the game with friends. Emotions: - Excitement (weight 0.14): Players expressed excitement about the game's release after a long wait, enjoying the variety of random events, fun gameplay with friends, and the anticipation of future updates like endless mode. The engaging combat, such as thrilling gun battles and powerful sledgehammer attacks, also contributed to the positive sentiment. - Frustration (weight 0.14): The primary cause of frustration was the reduction in player count from 4 to 3 compared to the demo, which prevented groups of friends from playing together. Additionally, numerous bugs, server issues, and poor optimization led to crashes, disconnections, and unplayable experiences, overshadowing the gameplay. - Satisfaction (weight 0.13): Satisfaction stemmed from the game meeting or exceeding expectations after the demo, with smooth performance, good value for the price, and enjoyable co-op and solo play. Players appreciated the developer's responsiveness to feedback and the overall quality, leading to high ratings and recommendations. - Amusement (weight 0.09): Players found amusement in the absurd and chaotic moments, such as killing friends who were doppelgangers, customers blowing up the bathroom, and humorous interactions like naming a duck or setting up traps. The game's quirky characters and freedom to commit violent acts without consequences also provided laughter. - Disappointment (weight 0.08): Disappointment arose from the player count reduction from 4 to 3, poor optimization compared to the demo, and bugs that persisted despite a delay. Many felt the game lacked tension, had a short story, and did not live up to the horror expectations, especially for solo players. - Enjoyment (weight 0.06): Enjoyment came from engaging multiplayer sessions with friends, fun gameplay mechanics like shooting spiders and throwing toilet paper, and a good balance of horror and humor. The game's fast-paced action, creepy atmosphere, and high replayability were frequently praised. - Anticipation (weight 0.02): Anticipation was driven by hopes for future updates, especially endless mode and story expansions. Players looked forward to more content and improved features, with some waiting for specific fixes like pet removal before fully enjoying the game. - Fun (weight 0.02): The game was described as fun for its varied content, cheap price, and entertaining mechanics like throwing rats or hiding and playing the boombox. Co-op play enhanced the experience, while solo mode still provided a mix of horror and enjoyment. - Surprise (weight 0.02): Surprise was triggered by jump scares, impressive details about doppelgangers, and the realization that multiplayer did not diminish the horror. Unexpected difficulty spikes and discoveries about gameplay mechanics also stood out. - Desire (weight 0.02): Players expressed a desire for higher player counts beyond 3, wish for additional content like DLC and Ukrainian localization, and the ability to pet the cat. These requests highlight a wish for more features and expanded multiplayer options. - Joy (weight 0.02): Joy was experienced through laughter with friends, fun goofy moments, and satisfying mechanics like rat slamming and dog chasing. The mix of scares and humor, along with finding items like the gun, created a happy and engaging experience. - Fear (weight 0.02): Fear came from scary moments, jump scares, and tense situations like trying to save a duck. The game's ability to induce terror, with moments that made hair stand up, was a key emotion for many players. - Hope (weight 0.02): Hope centered on future improvements and updates, such as increased difficulty, more nights, and better optimization. Players expressed confidence that the developers would address problems and continue to support the game. - Humor (weight 0.01): Humor arose from absurd situations and self-deprecating comments, such as missing details, taking a dog to work without consequences, or a cow incident. The game's lightheartedness in the face of horror provided comedic relief. - Annoyance (weight 0.01): Annoyance stemmed from minor bugs like spelling inconsistencies, UI issues requiring re-entry, and connection problems requiring a VPN. While these issues didn't ruin the fun, they caused frustration during gameplay. - Gratitude (weight 0.01): Players felt gratitude for the developers delivering new content after months of waiting, adding Chinese support, and creating a quality co-op game. The game's ability to help with real-world skills also earned appreciation. - Love (weight 0.01): Love was expressed for the game's funny moments, the ducks, and the overall blend of horror and fun. The strong attachment to characters and the experience with friends made it a beloved title. - Appreciation (weight 0.01): Appreciation was directed at the inclusion of a single-player mode, solid atmosphere, rich content, and the developer's responsiveness to feedback. The game's execution of its concept was highly valued. - Confusion (weight 0.01): Confusion arose from unclear story elements, such as the Dentist character's identity and reasons for suicide, as well as visual clutter during combat. The lack of a four-player online option also puzzled players. - Anger (weight 0.01): Anger resulted from severe bugs and performance issues, frustration with the developer's focus on pets over servers, and the wasted potential of the game. Some players felt their investment was wasted, leading to heated reactions.}