Crimson Shift

Crimson Shift is a RPG Maker VX Ace game made by atasuke10. The game was released as a commercial game on Steam (with a free demo available here), and in 01/06/2022 the full version became available for free, so now you have no reason to avoid playing it!
But what's this game about? Assassins!

Yes, the story is set in a dark futuristic setting and it's about Naokee, a girl that's kidnapped and forced to become an assassin. That's rather mysterious and in fact the stpory is about learning the truth about who is she, and breaking free.


Hello, combat has startand, and it's Ccccccombo time!

But the game does NOT begin with Naokee, but with a flashback in which we play as a hooded assassin named Verone that is searching for a missing girl, he finds a purple haired girl named Naokee, but also a mysterious red man and some dangerous shadow creatures that will let the playes experience immediately the wild combat of this game. After this prologue we'll start Naokee's storyline and the real game... and I won't tell you more because the story is good, and has many twists and revelations that makes it interesting and cool.

Did I mention combat before? Of course there is combat! This isn't a classic rpg, still it's a tale about badass assassins, so expect fast paced combat, guns and blades. The system includes combos and the need to press certain keys at the right time, it requires fast reflexes and speed, but don't worry, I believe that the difficulty is very well balanced.

Graphically the game is interesting: while there IS the use of many RTPs (for example I think that Verone's faceset will surely be familiar to almost every player, but also the sci-fi tiles are some I've already seen used many times) there are also many custom made sprites, tilesets and backgrounds.
Custom made animations and artworks are very good, they really add to the game and fit with the rest. Mapping is pretty good, lightning is used well, and there are lots of interactions available, exploration is rewarded and what about the music? It's pretty cool too (even if not original) and appropriate to the mood of the game.


Battle on the dance floor! And this time I do not mean fighting a literal battle, but disco dancing!

Final Verdict
Cool is how can I describe Crimson Shift using a single word: a dark modern/futuristic setting isn't something I see often, and a cool fast paced combat like this was attempted in the past in other games I played, but not with the same (good) result. Anyway the main focus of the game is the mystery and storyline, not combat, and I admit that's a bit complex and sometimes not that easy to follow, anyway a lot of effort went into this game and it shows! It's an exciting adventure and you can take some decisions that will influence the story. In the end this is a good product and a solid game.
If you like Crimson Shift, note that the game has also a prequel called Crimson Light (but I did not play it even if that apparently introduces a lot of lore).