Late Shift is a new FMV crime thriller

Late Shift is a new FMV crime thriller
James Orry Updated on by

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Late Shift, a new FMV crime thriller, will launch this April for Steam, PS4 and Xbox One, Wales Interactive has announced.

The game’s blurb explains: “After being forced into the robbery of a lucrative auction house, mathematics student Matt is left proving his innocence in the brutal London heist. The consequences of his actions take him on a vicious and sometimes violent journey across the capital, escaping the twisted web the player has the power to weave.”

Player choice will be pivotal in the outcome of the game, with small decisions leading players to one of seven conclusions. The game boasts more than 180 decision points.

The game is developed by CtrlMovie and written by Michael R. Johnson, author of Sherlock Holmes (2009 film).

Here’s Johnson on why Late Shift should be on your radar.

“There are two aspects of ‘Late Shift’ that really drew me to the project. The first is the idea of a truly interactive film. It’s been attempted before with limited degrees of success, but what I feel puts ‘Late Shift’ ahead of the pack is the CtrlMovie format itself, which brings the viewer/player into the experience in a very intuitive way. I like the fact that rather than saddling the viewer with a series of arbitrary “go left” or “go right” choices, ‘Late Shift’ instead puts you into the shoes of an actual character – Matt – and the decision-making process always draws on Matt’s ongoing experiences and train-of thought. You feel that each separate decision is weighted with careful consideration and the possibility of multiple consequences, good or bad.

“Which leads onto the second aspect of ‘Late Shift’ that really appealed to me: the fact that although there are any number of possible paths through the story, involving different characters and locations, the outcomes of each are strongly influenced by the morality of the viewer’s decisions. How you choose to interact with other human beings has a cumulative effect on how they decide to treat you, and how that impacts on your own fortunes as the story progresses. If Matt treats people with respect, they will tend to treat him with respect, and vice versa. But that’s not to say that ‘Late Shift’ forces the viewer to be moral against their will. Quite the opposite. The viewer is free to interact in whatever way they see fit, ethical or otherwise. It’s just I like very much the fact that – unlike many console games – you cannot simply crash through the story with impunity and not at some point be faced with the consequences of your own actions. Just like in life.”

Pre-orders are available from today, with a 20 per cent discount offered on PlayStation Store.

Source: Wales Interactive