There’s been a trend of stranger danger horror games lately, wherein players have to discern whether an entity is human or a supernatural monster. The latest entry in this genre is Bun Muen’sShift At Midnight, a terrifying co-op indie game set in a rural ’90s gas station. It’s similar to one of 2024’s hit games,TCG Card Shop Simulator, as players have to work together to manage the gas station amid the impending horror.
Shift At Midnightis currently out as ademo on Itch.io, and it’s also available to wishlist on Steam with an estimated release date sometime in early to mid 2026. Meanwhile, it’s already made waves online as content creators like CaseOh and KeemSama have tried it out, raking in millions of views in the process too. Considering the traction thatShift At Midnightis receiving prior to launch, it might already be on its way to becoming apopular horror co-op game to play with friendsin the near future.
Shift At Midnight Tasks Players With Finding Evil Doppelgangers
Shift At Midnightcan be played solo or with up to three friends, who can help with managing the gas station store. Similar toTCG Card Shop Simulator, they have to restock the shelves and check out items. While working the cash register, players can interact with customers to determine whether they’re human or not. The mechanics are reminiscent of certainsimulation games likePapers, Please: players can examine a customer’s ID, cross-check their details on the computer, and pay attention to their behavior and overall appearance if they have any unusual quirks.
Shift At Midnightalso resemblesThat’s Not My Neighbor, where players also have to discern if a resident is a doppelganger or not. In both games, players have to talk to different characters and check every detail about them to ensure that they are who they say they are. Sometimes, the discrepancies are more obvious, with people displaying extra body parts or speaking in odd sentences. When they aren’t, it forces players to be more observant of the people and the documents in front of them to ensure that they don’t kill innocents or let evil entities through. This is where thehorror in such simulation gameslies, as players might perish after making one wrong move.
If customers inShift At Midnightturn out to be non-human, players can kill them on the spot. They also have to clean up the remains of the monster to make sure that the store is squeaky clean before the next wave of customers come in. However, if a monster manages to escape, they can come back and terrorize the gas station. This is where weapons, traps, and brave companions can come in handy, because players have to kill a huge spider-like creature walking around the store aisles and hunting down the workers. WhileShift At Midnightmight haveTCG Card Shop Simulator-esque store management mechanics, it’s definitely much darker underneath.
Shift At Midnight’s Full Release Could Bring in More Terrifying Challenges
In any simulation game, leveling up means getting the opportunity to expand a store and get more upgrades that can improve the overall gameplay experience.TCG Card Shop Simulatorallows players to design their storesto welcome more customers and have enough space for additional wares.Shift At Midnighthas an opportunity to adapt the same level-up system in a future update or when the full version is released next year.
A bigger store would not just give players the chance to sell more products and make extra cash; it could also become an avenue for even more scares. If more customers can come in, then doppelgangers might fall through the cracks more easily if the cashier isn’t careful. At the same time,Shift At Midnightcould introduce stronger weapons and traps to incapacitate powerful monsters as they level up. It could even take some notes fromOrder 13’s progressionin terms of challenges and base upgrades, so players could really feel the stakes rising the longer they survive.
