It’s not often that I can honestly say I’ve been scared by anything horror-related, at least not in the heart racing, fight-or-flight sense. I’m usually alright with most horror games and, aside from a jump scare or two, they don’t generally leave me in fear for my virtual life. Shift at Midnight is different. 

Shift at Midnight is an indie horror game by Bun Muen that blends Papers Please mechanics with elements of shop management and a whole bunch of horror tropes that will leave you feeling like you’ve just run a marathon. 

ID, please

The first major mechanic in Shift at Midnight is very similar to and likely inspired by games like Papers Please, That’s Not My Neighbor, and Teller’s Duty. You work as a graveyard shift clerk at a gas station and serve customers, but you need to figure out whether those customers are human or doppelgangers. To do this, you check their ID and have the chance to ask them five questions. 

If you ask them a question and they turn out to be a doppelganger, you pick up a gun and shoot them in the head. 

I know… That escalated quickly. 

Unlike That’s Not My Neighbor, in which you call the DDD, the onus for ridding the world of the doppelganger blight in Shift at Midnight falls squarely on your shoulders. Once you’ve shot a doppelganger (or, if you’re bad at this, a human by mistake), you’ll have to mop up the blood, bag up the body parts, and then get on with your shift. 

Managing the stock

Between customers and cleaning duties, you’ll need to manage the stock levels of the store. Deliveries come every night, a mixture of stock that you can use to refill empty shelves, and survival items such as traps and bombs that you’ll wind up needing sooner or later. 

There is no break in the customers, so you wind up having to leave them standing at the checkout while you go about grabbing items and manually dragging them onto the shelves. I have to admit, this part of Shift at Midnight is oddly relaxing, especially with the madness going on in every other aspect of the game. 

I did learn one valuable lesson: Don’t leave boxes lying in doorways. Not because you’ll trip over them or anything, it’s not as if you need to worry about health and safety legislation, but you do need to keep all escape routes clear for the true horror that ends up arriving. 

What the hell is that thing

Once you’ve mastered the art of distinguishing between humans and doppelgangers and got on top of your stock, the true horror begins to unfold and everything quickly descends into chaos. A very strange customer will arrive, and your first reaction will be to shoot it. I think, in hindsight, that’s your only option, but I can’t help wishing there was an alternative. 

After shooting this thing, you’ll have sixty seconds to use your traps, bombs, and wooden planks to barricade yourself in the store and protect yourself from whatever the hell is coming to get you. If, like me, you got a bit trigger-happy, you’ve already detonated your bomb and forgotten where your bear traps went, and you’ve blocked half of your doorways with boxes of stock… Well, you’re screwed. Sorry. 

Be better than me. Please. 

I found myself sheltering inside a vent and watching the scene unfold before me. A very creepy spider-esque creature began hovering around, and I had no traps to send it fleeing. So I’m just trapped in a vent with no option but to get out and try to find my bear traps. I spent a good amount of time pretending the problem didn’t exist, though.

Think I’m joking? Here’s some photographic evidence of my cowardice:

I did eventually leave, but as it turns out, this was a bad idea. Because the doorways were blocked with boxes, I ended up running around in circles, screaming, and praying for a quick and painless death. I’m not so sure the painless part ended up happening, but it was definitely quick. 

Needless to say, Shift at Midnight is phenomenally scary and atmospheric. There isn’t a release date for the full game just yet, but there is a demo you can go and download through itch.io that will leave you feeling on edge. The game also has a Steam page, where you can go and wishlist/follow for updates.