
Screenshots

Watch trailer on Steam ↗The Black Shift
Vortexon Studios, RG Studios · Published by Vortexon Studios · Official site ↗
Content notice: This game contains intense psychological thriller elements and moral dilemmas. Players are placed in situations where they are coerced into making unethical decisions that directly endanger the lives of mine workers (such as sending sick or unequipped workers into a dangerous mine). While there is no visual gore or explicit violence, the game features text-based descriptions of historical mine accidents, injuries, and deaths through the in-game messaging app. The game does not contain any sexual content, drug use, or self-harm.
Last updated 28 Sept 2026
In this AI-powered thriller, your phone is the gateway to a dark past. As a mine chief, you receive messages from a mysterious stranger demanding you put your workers in danger in exchange for uncovering forgotten historical secrets. Who will pay the price for the truth?
Adventure, RPG, Simulation, Strategy · 2027 · More free games
About this game
An ordinary shift turns into a nightmare with a single unexpected message on your phone. You are the chief of a mine with a dark, deep-rooted past. Your normal daily texts with your family are suddenly interrupted by a mysterious stranger named "Shadow," plunging you into a psychological thriller.
AI-Powered Dynamic Conversations There are no fixed, pre-written dialogue options here! Powered by advanced AI technology, you can type whatever you want and text naturally with the characters. Try to calm your worried wife while negotiating with the sinister figure who is cornering you. Every character reacts to your exact words dynamically.
REACTIVE PERSONA SYSTEM
Moral Dilemmas and Tough Choices "Shadow" knows a lot about you. Worse, they hold the keys to the dark historical tragedies and legends buried deep within the mine. But uncovering these secrets comes with a horrifying price: you must fulfill unethical and dangerous demands, such as deliberately sending sick workers or those without helmets into the mine.
Uncover a Historical Mystery If you bow to the stranger's deadly demands, the forgotten pages of the past will unfold. Piece by piece, you will learn the chilling truths behind the historical accidents and legends that haunt the mine.
Will you disregard the lives of your workers to unearth historical secrets, or will you choose the path of righteousness? Your phone is buzzing... You have a new message.

This roadmap traces The Black Shift's journey from a 20-hour game jam idea into a full game. Over the next year we'll deepen our AI-driven characters, craft the story and its comic-book narration, and shape the game step by step into what we've always envisioned. We're a small two-person team with big ambitions — and on this road, you are our greatest strength. Wishlisting the game and following us helps us keep developing and reach the right investor. Let's head down into the mine together.
System Requirements
Will my PC run this? →Minimum
- OS: Windows 10 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i3 / AMD Ryzen 3
- Memory: 4 GB RAM
- Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 620 / NVIDIA GT 730 / AMD Radeon R7
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 2 GB available space
Recommended
- OS: Windows 10 / Windows 11 64-bit
- Processor: Intel Core i5 / AMD Ryzen 5
- Memory: 8 GB RAM
- Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti / AMD Radeon RX 570
- DirectX: Version 11
- Storage: 3 GB available space






