Kazakhstan-based independent studio Rhinotales, an Astana Hub participant, has released the first public demo of Critical Shift, a tactical role-playing game that combines turn-based squad combat with real-time exploration. The approximately two-hour demo has been available on Steam since September 14.
The demo’s release coincides with the Party-Based RPG Fest. Players will explore ICE-1, a classified research complex buried beneath the Antarctic ice. The station went silent after transmitting a distress signal. Upon arrival, a rapid-response team discovers that the facility’s personnel have fallen under the control of a parasitic hive mind, its security systems have become hostile, and its experiments have triggered anomalies and space-time paradoxes.
Alongside the demo, Rhinotales has also released a new game trailer showcasing the characters, combat system, and dangers lurking within the ICE-1 complex.
Critical Shift is one of the most ambitious video game projects currently being developed in Kazakhstan. A team of 35 professionals has been working on the game for six years. Its primary markets will include North America, Europe, China, and the CIS. The game is expected to be localized into 11 languages, with full voice-over available in English, Chinese, and Russian.
“Releasing the public demo marks an important milestone in our team’s six-year journey developing Critical Shift. We set out to create an ambitious, story-driven game that combines tactical combat, exploration, and the atmosphere of a science-fiction thriller. Players can now immerse themselves in the world of ICE-1 for the first time, meet its characters, and experience the project’s core mechanics firsthand. Their feedback will help us make the full game even deeper and more engaging,” said Artyom Slesarenko, co-founder of Rhinotales.
The gameplay revolves around managing a squad, selecting weapons, and making strategic use of limited resources. Players can employ a range of tactical approaches, such as distracting enemies with noise, luring them into traps, and using the environment to their advantage.
The demo features three sectors of the ICE-1 complex: the surface, administrative facilities, and the warehouse. Players will also meet six of the game’s eleven operatives, each with their own skills, personality, and role within the squad.
The available characters include Bear, a battle-hardened commander; Diver, a scientist and biological protection specialist; Bishop, an expert in the occult; Goblin, a marksman and explosives specialist; Rook, a hacker and engineer; and Saint, a physicist and talented chess player. Players will need to adapt their squad composition to each mission, using the characters’ unique abilities in combat, while exploring locations and uncovering the station’s secrets.
The story of Critical Shift is a layered science-fiction narrative with elements of mysticism. It was developed with the involvement of Guiltythree, the author of the popular web novel Shadow Slave. As the story unfolds, players will uncover the causes of the ICE-1 disaster and face events that challenge everything they thought they knew about their allies and enemies.
The full version of the game will offer more than 40 hours of gameplay, over 30 handcrafted levels, 11 playable characters, character progression and weapon upgrade systems, as well as multiple factions and enemy types.
Critical Shift is scheduled for release on PC in 2027. Rhinotales also plans to release the game on Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo Switch at a later date.
Kazakhstan-based independent studio Rhinotales, an Astana Hub participant, has released the first public demo of Critical Shift, a tactical role-playing game that combines turn-based squad combat with real-time exploration. The approximately two-hour demo has been available on Steam since September 14.
The demo’s release coincides with the Party-Based RPG Fest. Players will explore ICE-1, a classified research complex buried beneath the Antarctic ice. The station went silent after transmitting a distress signal. Upon arrival, a rapid-response team discovers that the facility’s personnel have fallen under the control of a parasitic hive mind, its security systems have become hostile, and its experiments have triggered anomalies and space-time paradoxes.
Alongside the demo, Rhinotales has also released a new game trailer showcasing the characters, combat system, and dangers lurking within the ICE-1 complex.
Critical Shift is one of the most ambitious video game projects currently being developed in Kazakhstan. A team of 35 professionals has been working on the game for six years. Its primary markets will include North America, Europe, China, and the CIS. The game is expected to be localized into 11 languages, with full voice-over available in English, Chinese, and Russian.
“Releasing the public demo marks an important milestone in our team’s six-year journey developing Critical Shift. We set out to create an ambitious, story-driven game that combines tactical combat, exploration, and the atmosphere of a science-fiction thriller. Players can now immerse themselves in the world of ICE-1 for the first time, meet its characters, and experience the project’s core mechanics firsthand. Their feedback will help us make the full game even deeper and more engaging,” said Artyom Slesarenko, co-founder of Rhinotales.
The gameplay revolves around managing a squad, selecting weapons, and making strategic use of limited resources. Players can employ a range of tactical approaches, such as distracting enemies with noise, luring them into traps, and using the environment to their advantage.
The demo features three sectors of the ICE-1 complex: the surface, administrative facilities, and the warehouse. Players will also meet six of the game’s eleven operatives, each with their own skills, personality, and role within the squad.
The available characters include Bear, a battle-hardened commander; Diver, a scientist and biological protection specialist; Bishop, an expert in the occult; Goblin, a marksman and explosives specialist; Rook, a hacker and engineer; and Saint, a physicist and talented chess player. Players will need to adapt their squad composition to each mission, using the characters’ unique abilities in combat, while exploring locations and uncovering the station’s secrets.
The story of Critical Shift is a layered science-fiction narrative with elements of mysticism. It was developed with the involvement of Guiltythree, the author of the popular web novel Shadow Slave. As the story unfolds, players will uncover the causes of the ICE-1 disaster and face events that challenge everything they thought they knew about their allies and enemies.
The full version of the game will offer more than 40 hours of gameplay, over 30 handcrafted levels, 11 playable characters, character progression and weapon upgrade systems, as well as multiple factions and enemy types.
Critical Shift is scheduled for release on PC in 2027. Rhinotales also plans to release the game on Sony PlayStation, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo Switch at a later date.
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