Way off in a distant part of the galaxy, two alien spacemen are on an intergalactic reality TV show where they must work together to solve puzzles while being berated by an annoying announcer.  But in the Black Hola Cola factory, one of the aliens accidentally drinks a bottle of the fizziest cola in the universe, and gets a little gassy.  The air fills up his spacesuit like a big ball.  Luckily the two aliens are connected by a tube on their spacesuits, so they can trade off being filled with gas.  Help them solve puzzles and overcome obstacles in this 2-D platform jumping puzzler downloadable on Wii U.

In each 2-D stage, you must find a switch to open a portal, and then you must find the portal to complete the level.  You can switch between the two aliens in single player, or work together with another player in co-op mode.   The alien whose spacesuit is not filled with gas can fit through small spaces and jump higher.  The alien whose suit is filled with air can hardly jump, but the other player can use him to bounce to higher areas.  You must also mind the cord that connects the two aliens together, so expect to encounter a lot of physics-based jumping and climbing puzzles.

The controls are a little complicated, but at least they always show you what buttons to push in case you get confused.  You can jump, switch characters, and change who gets the gassy suit.  In single player mode, hold down the L trigger button to move both characters at the same time, which you’ll need to do a lot.  Once you play with another person, you’ll never want to go back to single player mode, as it is much easier to manage things and solve puzzles with another set of eyes.  Shiftlings is just a better two player game.

The game has a few problems here and there.  It can be tough to figure out puzzles sometimes, and the annoying announcer doesn’t help matters.  The controls are a little complicated and aside from finding hidden soda bottles to unlock secret levels, there isn’t a whole lot of replay value.  But if you enjoy brain-teasing puzzles, you may want to check this one out anyway.

Kid Factor:

Shiftlings is rated E-10 with ESRB descriptors of Mild Fantasy Violence and Crude Humor.  If you get hit by an obstacle like jet fire, among other things, you’ll just disintegrate.  And there’s a few fart and burp jokes and noises for the crude humor.  Reading skill is helpful for some of the text, and younger gamers may quickly get frustrated at the tough puzzles.  Luckily a second player can join in and help out, but it’s important that both players are on the same skill level to work together.  The game could be considered slightly educational as it encourages using thinking skills and cooperation.

Tags: Game Reviews