Shift Happens

Visually I find Shift Happens very pleasant - it's stylised so we can't talk too much about texture qualities but the general shading and design of the game looks very good. I dropped my graphics rating by 1 star purely because it didn't have a wow factor, but I certainly don't have any complaints. Once you get playing, I'll be amazed if you notice any graphical shortcomings anyway as in many parts of the game you really need to concentrate on what you're doing/where you're going! There's a nice background audio track, a tad nondescript which isn't necessarily a bad thing - it doesn't distract your attention from the challenges at hand but it still adds a little something to keep the gameplay interesting. Sound & Visual

Mainly standard WASD controls with Space to jump (though S is only used for aiming down for some actions as it's sort of a 2D platformer). It has controller support (almost seems like their first thought) but as a keyboard user myself I haven't tested the controller integration so cannot comment on it. There are a number of zones (4 at time of writing, with the 4th being in-progress), each having just over 10 levels in them. These levels will test your co-op skills through a variety of puzzles involving timing, accurate jumping, thinking logically, good hand-eye coordination and keen eyesight (especially when it comes to spotting secret areas!).Controls

The main mechanic of the game is the ability to shift your mass from one player to the other (shown below), alongside this you make use of the big character being taller, heavier, able to throw their teammate and the small character being shorter, lighter, more acrobatic and throw-able. Collect stars as you progress through the level (hopefully also getting the bonus stars in the hidden, secret areas) and once complete, you can re-do the level as a time trial.Gameplay

I've only recently started playing Shift Happens and I've completed the first 3 zones whilst waiting for the 4th to be released. Thus far it's been compelling and I've been desperate to move onto the next stage to see what puzzles await me. I'll likely still play before it gets released as I've only completed it in co-op mode and am interested in going through the single player. Then of course in both modes, you can re-do the levels as a time trial which always adds replay-ability. My only downside I can mention is an arguable lack of variety when it comes to the individual elements of the puzzles, there aren't a huge amount of them - although to be fair, there is a good number of variations of how they're combined, effectively creating an entirely new problem to solve. Overall replay-ability and variety is pretty good, but might come to be a problem without future content/gameplay mechanics updates. Replay-ability/Variety

It will of course depend on your play style and what you're into as a gamer, but my friend and I have had a blast on this game so far. We've taken it in turns having to stop playing, crying with laughter because of the ridiculous situations we find ourselves in, or simply laughing at our partner's (and our own) utter stupidity and/or lack of coordination. The puzzles are good and you get a bit of satisfaction once you've figured it out and completed it, my only negative being that it's mostly a bit too easy with a few exceptions. However the ability to pick up your partner and throw them around, or shift mass at an opportune moment to kill your teammate and many other chances at malice create (for our sick and uncaring minds) a lot of opportunity for fun and laughs. Fun factor