Late Shift

This article is about the interactive film. For other uses, see The Late Shift.

Late Shift is an interactive FMV video game written and directed by Tobias Weber. The participation film technology behind the title was developed by CtrlMovie. The title was screened at many international film festivals, including the New York Film Festival, Raindance Film Festival, and the Festival du nouveau cinéma.

Late Shift
Developer(s)	CtrlMovie
Publisher(s)	Wales Interactive
Director(s)	Tobias Weber
Producer(s)	Baptiste Planche Kurban Kassam
Writer(s)	Tobias Weber Michael R. Johnson
Composer(s)	Cyril Boehler
Engine	Unity
Platform(s)	macOS Windows PlayStation 4 Xbox One Nintendo Switch
Release	Windows, macOS, PS4, Xbox One WW: 18 April 2017 Switch WW: 26 April 2018[1]
Genre(s)	Adventure, interactive movie
Mode(s)	Single-player

Gameplay

Late Shift is presented much like a regular movie. During the film, the player is able to make choices on behalf of the protagonist. The presentation doesn't pause during the decision-making process, so viewers must react in real-time. There are 180 choice points in the feature-film, and the user interaction influences characters and the events of the game and lead the story to one of seven different endings.

Plot

The playable character and main protagonist is Matt Thompson, a college student who works as a parking lot attendant. One night, Matt finds himself embroiled in London's criminal underworld when he is forced to work with a group of armed robbers. He ends up befriending, possibly romantically, one of the members of the group; a young woman named May-Ling. The player's choices influence the events of the game and can lead to a variety of different endings resulting in different fates for Matt and May-Ling.

Cast

• Joe Sowerbutts as Matt Thompson
• Haruka Abe as May-Ling
• Richard Durden as Samuel Parr
• Lily Travers as Élodie
• Joel Basman as Sébastien
• Sol Heras as Jeff
• Tom Phillips as Simon
• Johnny Sachon as Lee
• Daryl Kwan as Father Tchoi
• Junix Inocian as Mr. Woe
• Tai Yin Chan as Tchoi Jr.

Reception

Aggregate score

Aggregator	Score
	NS	PC	PS4	Xbox One
Metacritic	73/100[2]	79/100[3]	59/100[4]	72/100[5]

Review scores

Publication	Score
	NS	PC	PS4	Xbox One
Destructoid	N/A	N/A	5/10[6]	N/A
Game Informer	N/A	N/A	6.5/10[7]	N/A
Nintendo Life	[8]	N/A	N/A	N/A
Nintendo World Report	8/10[9]	N/A	N/A	N/A

Reception

Late Shift received "mixed or average reviews" on all platforms, according to review aggregator Metacritic,^[2][4][5] except for the PC version, which received "generally favorable reviews".^[3] The Sunday Times named it "the most important film of the year",^[10] The Guardian called it "a digital experience to look out for^[11]". The film won many awards, including a BAFTA Cymru Award^[12] (Best Game), "Best Mobile/Tablet" and "Most Creative and Original" at Game Connection Development Awards^[13] and "Best Narrative" at BIG Festival Brazil.^[14] Further it was nominated for an IMG Award,^[15] for "Visual Design" and "Action and Adventure Game" at The Independent Game Developers' Association Awards 2017,^[16] and for "Writing or Narrative Design" and "Gameplay Innovation" at the 2018 Develop Awards.^[17]

Apart from the majority of positive reactions there were also a few critical voices. Vice deemed it an "intriguing failure".^[18] Eurogamer noted the game's continuity errors.^[19]