Hello, agents! Hope you’re doing well!) Work on the game is in full swing, but we still wanted to take a moment to share a few locations from the Critical Shift with you - from their first drafts to their current versions. This is where our game begins: the entrance to a seemingly abandoned Antarctic research base that was still online and active just a few days ago. This dining room is current…
Hello, everyone! Last Saturday, we launched our first closed playtest. The first 100 participants are already getting access to the beta version - thank you all for such a quick response, it truly means a lot to us! If you didn’t make it into the first wave, don’t worry, we’re continuing to accept applications. You can still sign up and join the next stage of the closed playtest (still under ND…
Greetings, agents! We’re preparing to start playtesting this spring, and the first step will be an early closed beta. At this stage we’d like to invite around 300 players to join the test and help us improve the game through feedback before moving on to the next beta phases. A few important notes: - PC only. We have not prepared a Steam Deck version yet. - NDA required. It’s a simple one. Durin…
Hey everyone! Before we proceed with talking about game mechanics in future posts, today we want to talk about the story in Critical Shift and explain one important decision we made early in development. When we started building the game together with our narrative designer Guiltythree , we quickly faced a classic question. Should the story branch with lots of player choices, or should it remai…
Dear agents, our systems have detected new material in the Archive. It is particularly relevant given the recent events of February 14. Link: Love happens at ICHOR too, and like many things in our organization, it is unpredictable. Remember that we are all biological organisms subject to the effects of hormones. This is important, but serving humanity is even more important. Sincerely yours, Ad…
Hey everyone! Heads up: today’s update is a slightly longer read behind-the-scenes story about a combat system that used to be at the heart of Critical Shift - and why we ultimately moved on from it. Early on, we were obsessed with making a tactical game that didn’t rely on the classic “90% chance to miss” moments. So we built our own approach: Concentration - a stamina-like resource that absor…
Hello, everyone! In this video, we want to show how Warlock - a master of totems and manipulation - came to life step by step: from the early concept, searching for shapes and details, to a fully-fledged 3D character. A lot changed along the way: proportions, mood, elements, and everything else to make the character feel organic in the game. We would love to hear your thoughts and impressions! :)
Greetings, agents! In January, we took another step forward and want to share the details with you: · The combat chance system has been improved (previously we used pure random, but that turned out to be too harsh on players). · The first iteration of pre-battle placement has been implemented (when you start the fight first). · Improvements were made to camera behavior during combat. · The meta…
Hello, agents! We decided to show you a short recording of what our out-of-control artificial intelligence is doing at the base in Antarctica! 👀 Aside from that, we wish you a pleasant day, a productive week, and no hostile and dangerous cyborgs along the way!
Hi everyone!:) For our turn-based horror game, we needed a lot of unique corpses. Making them by hand was unrealistic, so we took a different approach. We built a procedural corpse generator. How it works: · take rigged models · place them into poses using IK · choose the damage level (from "fresh" to a skeleton in a lab coat) · enjoy the result Everything runs in a Unity + Houdini pipeline. In…
Hey everyone! Today we want to share a bit of behind-the-scenes context on how Critical Shift became what it is now. Originally, we were building a story-driven tactical game. But while playtesting early prototypes, we noticed something unexpected: the exploration phase - navigating underground corridors, offices, labs, storage rooms - started giving us the same kind of vibe you get from old-sc…
ICHOR ARCHIVE // FILE OPENED We released the first file from the ICHOR Archive. Tombstone Gambit is an internal operational report documenting an incident that resulted in the loss of an agent and the recovery of an anomalous EXO object. The file is presented in its original archival form. No additional context has been provided. Access the file: WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR We invite creators to pr…
As a small New Year's gift, we are launching the ICHOR Archive - a collection of materials that allows you to delve deeper into the lore of the Critical Shift universe. The ICHOR Archive collects reports, documents, and records that reveal events and structures of the game world beyond the usual gameplay. This is a space for those who want to understand what is really going on. The first publis…
Friends, Happy New Year!🎄 This year was truly important for us. For six years, we’ve been building this game - quietly, persistently, without shortcuts. And this year, we finally stepped into the light. Thank you for the warm welcome. For your comments, messages, discussions, feedback, and support. Reading them has been a real pleasure and a huge motivation for the entire team. 2026 is a pivot…
Hello, agents! Here’s a development update on Critical Shift. The past few weeks were challenging, but also very productive! Not without challenges We had to upgrade our Unity version after a security vulnerability was discovered. The transition triggered several build and pipeline issues, and the team is actively tracking them down and fixing them. Progress is steady. Overall progress Despite…
Hello, folks! Today we will share with you our work on maps!:) We spent several months refining one of our first levels, carefully shaping it to feel just right. Step by step, we revisited core ideas, tested different approaches, and fine-tuned numerous details along the way. Starting with a simple prototype, we experimented with lighting, adjusted sound, and explored various techniques for pac…
Merry Christmas! ✨ On this joyous holiday, we wish you peace, harmony, and confidence in every day. May your home be filled with warmth and comfort, and may you always be surrounded by loved ones whose smiles brighten your life. May every moment of this season of miracles bring joy, and may small surprises be only pleasant ones: may gifts find their recipients, and may holiday cookies not disap…
Hello, everyone!:) We decided to show how we improved our character lighting! Unity’s default settings weren’t giving us the results we needed - characters looked flat and cut out from the environment, so we had to build our own solution. Quick breakdown of our rendering improvements: - added SH compensation for better environment matching - implemented a custom shading model for more artistic…
Hello, friends! We are alive. And that is the first piece of good news ! Our Critical Shift was in information silence for some time, and we did not share progress, good or bad news. We are fixing this! 🫡 What has happened to us in the last few months? The last news was that we participated in Gamescom , where we showed gameplay video. In October, we conducted closed playtests of the alpha ver…
Hey, everyone! We’re excited to share that Critical Shift is taking part at Gamescom! This is a big milestone for us, and we’re truly grateful for all the support that helps us move forward ❤️ One of the founders will also be at the event - a great chance to connect in person, talk about the project, ask questions, or just get to know each other better. We’re always open to new ideas, conversat…
! This event is not related to our game Critical Shift ! Rhinotales was honored to support and partially fund the sound performance in the city of Karaganda. On July 12, a powerful and emotional sound-art performance titled "T 1/2 (Time of Half-Life)" took place in Karaganda, dedicated to the memory of nuclear testing at the Semipalatinsk Test Site. The number 498 refers to the 498 nuclear expl…
Hey everyone! We’re excited to share some new screenshots from across our levels! In this scene, you’re getting a first look at one of the game’s most intriguing - and still under wraps - features: the bosses. Each boss is unique, with its own strengths, weaknesses, and occasionally very specific battle mechanics. We can’t reveal much yet about this creature, but check out how its massive tenta…
On July 10, our team at Rhinotales, represented by Artyom Slessarenko, had the pleasure of participating in Comic Con Astana 2025, where we presented our game Critical Shift. We hosted an AMA session, shared insights about the gameplay, world, and inspiration behind the project and had a great live conversation with the audience. It was incredibly rewarding to see genuine interest in the game -…
During the OTK Expo 2025 stream, Asmongold checked out the Critical Shift trailer - and we were genuinely glad to see his reaction. We’ve put together a short cut of the most interesting moments, where he comments on key scenes and follows along attentively. It was especially great to hear his “that’s kind of cool”. The video is below - what about you? Which parts of the trailer stood out to yo…
Hey everyone! Since announcing Critical Shift, we've been thrilled to see your reactions! Thank you so much for your attention, thoughtful questions, good wishes, and kind words. It genuinely means a lot to us and brings with it a huge responsibility to meet your expectations. Seeing your sincere enthusiasm for the genre and atmosphere, as well as your mentions of the games that inspire us - it…
In the trailer, you’ll see gameplay footage, a glimpse of the mysterious atmosphere, and the first strokes of the story we want to tell. We’ve prepared this gameplay preview so you can already get a sense of the direction the project is taking. Please note: this is a work in progress — both visuals and gameplay will receive significant improvements as we move closer to release. Critical Shift i…
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Announcements are the developer’s own posts to the game’s Steam news feed: updates and their patch notes, in-game events, releases and sales. The important ones are marked on the players chart.