Critical shift | Rhinotales

Join a secret organization to explore an underground Antarctic facility. Uncover its secrets by sending agents on missions and try to survive.

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Critical Shift is a hardcore turn-based tactical game with RPG elements and a deep, dramatic story. You’ll face an atmospheric sci-fi mystery, filled with the unknown and the strangest of phenomena.Every enemy is a deadly threat, and resources are worth their weight in gold.
Think you can survive?

📌 Add to your wishlist on Steam: https://t.co/ubx1xbgitE

💬 Join our Discord server: https://t.co/az5hkrMfk4
Discuss the game, share your theories, and become part of the game's community.

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Hello, friends!
We hope you're doing great and enjoying your summer days. And today, we'd like to tell you a little more about our secret base.

ICE-1 might surprise you. Deep under the South Pole, its underground levels hide a real garden.

This recreation area was meant to give the base personnel a quiet place to breathe, relax, and pretend they weren’t buried beneath endless ice. There’s even a bar with things no one outside ICE-1 has ever seen.

These days, though… you probably don’t want to meet the garden’s regulars.

#CriticalShift #ICHOR

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

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.

1. 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.

2. This dining room is currently closed to guests - unless you’re in the mood for a chilling story. What happened here?
The ice was surprisingly tricky to get right, and the lighting carries a huge part of the atmosphere.

3. This reception hall looks suspiciously calm and inviting - probably by design.
It’s there to calm you down before you head right, toward the morgue. Or left, where the crematorium waits.

That's all for today!
Thank you for being with us and for your support - we really appreciate it❤️

#gamedev #indiegame #criticalshift

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

The first closed playtest for the mystical tactics game Critical Shift has begun!

You can sign up for the second wave to access the early version (under NDA):

- Join the playtest: https://t.co/uXJQV2lZYF

- Wishlist on Steam: https://t.co/ubx1xbgQjc

We’re also excited to show you the in-game hub - a cargo elevator deep beneath Antarctica!
This is where agents conduct research and return between missions.

#gamedev #indiegaming #criticalshift #ICHOR

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

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 100 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. During this stage we ask participants not to stream or share gameplay publicly.
- At the moment, the beta version is available only in English.

If you’re interested in participating, please send your request through this form: https://t.co/uXJQV2lZYF

Selected players will receive further instructions by email.

Thanks to everyone who wants to help us shape the game!

#CriticalShift #ICHOR #indiedev #gamedev #playtest

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Why doesn't Critical Shift have a branching storyline?

In our new devlog, we explain why we decided to focus on a single, cohesive story and how the game's story campaign is structured.

Read the full post at: https://t.co/t3vCFAtQw5

#CriticalShift #ICHOR #gamedev

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Dear agents, our systems have detected new material in the Archive. It is particularly relevant given the recent events of February 14.

Link: https://t.co/XmR7c77f31

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,
Administration

#ICHOR #CriticalShift #ichorarchive

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Hello, everyone! :)

Today, in our devlog, we're talking about a combat system that could have become the basis for Critical Shift, but ultimately wasn’t included in the game!

We explain why we abandoned this idea in detail here:
https://t.co/j7TMSZY3Gy

#CriticalShift #ICHOR #indiedev #gamedev

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

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!:)

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Greetings, agents!

January update brings combat improvements, pre-battle placement, camera tweaks, meta-gameplay progress, bug fixes and optimization!

More details on Steam: https://t.co/Xiw7KngKCX

#ICHOR #CriticalShift #gamedev #indiedev

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

The rebellion of deranged artificial intelligence in our game is going according to plan

#ICHOR #CriticalShift

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

We built a procedural corpse generator for our horror game - rigged models, IK poses, damage states (Unity + Houdini)
#unity #gamedev #indiedev

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

During the prototyping of Critical Shift, tactical research unexpectedly took on the characteristics of survival horror. Resource shortages, dangerous enemies, and the atmosphere changed the focus of the game. Why and how is explained in a new post:
https://t.co/6zlEXCTNz6

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

Full archive file and participation details:
https://t.co/DQVtmkwkmy
Deadline: January 21, 2026

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

An agent was lost.
An anomalous EXO object was recovered.
The first file from the ICHOR Archive has been released.
Tombstone Gambit.

[Critical shift | Rhinotales @cshiftgame]

We’re inviting creators to visually interpret what this file describes.
Not retellings.
Interpretation. Atmosphere. Mood.