Game Review: Creepy Shift: House For Sale (Xbox Series X)

Developed bv Night Shift Team, and published by Red Limb Studio, Creepy Shift: House for Sale is a short slice of horror fun blended with basic cleaning simulation aspects and puzzle solving gameplay. For about two hours, I was thoroughly hooked, even when the final moments of the game proved to be downright insane.

Played from the first-person perspective, the story is very simple. Players take on the role of a cleaner/maintenance man, tasked with getting a neglected house prepared for sale. Not only does it need to be cleaned up, but items need to be packed away, and repairs are needed throughout, and all of this must be done by the morning.

It’s going to be a long night, and seemingly not one that will be particularly interesting. That is until the first note, and the first rule is revealed. You see the Kowalski family, who once lived in the house, vanished under mysterious circumstances and as you go about your tasks, you will slowly uncover the horrible truth of what happened to them.

At first, it’s all so mundane, but quite enjoyable. There’s something so relaxing and satisfying about packing away books and clothes, wiping down dirty surfaces, rolling up rugs, and fixing broken windows. Every time you complete a room, you’ll get a real sense of accomplishment and feel immediately ready for the next set of tasks, but then a light flickers, a door quietly creaks open, and a radio starts to glow and play unnerving sounds.

This is where the rules come into play, and when things really do get interesting and fun. Trying to, not only obey the rules and avoid temptation to ignore them, but to uncover the truth behind the house, while also completing your tasks.

It’s a wild ride, but it is one that is structured well, and proves to never be frustrating, aside from some janky gameplay moments later.

What really impressed me about Creepy Shift: House for Sale was just how engaging it is. Not only is the horror investigation enthralling, but the basic cleaning and maintenance aspects are delightfully addictive. I cared as much about cleaning the place up as I did about finding out what happened to the Kowalski family. Sure, the story ends up falling off a cliff because it gets so wacky, but I was hooked right up to the end.

Even the visuals and sound impress, although if you’re expecting top shelf quality, you will be left wanting. Instead, what we get is a sort of ‘VHS-inspired’ look that has a nostalgic layer to things. Coupled with audio that feels otherworldly and nightmarish, while also making great use of silence. This visual and audio style is hardly unique, but it’s not a gimmick here.

Creepy Shift: House for Sale is a good game, but it does have some notable flaws, with the most obvious being its physics. In particular, when it comes to using certain items and how they work in-game. I found using some of the bigger cleaning items, like a vacuum cleaner, to be irritating. Not to the point where I ever felt like I didn’t want to play it anymore, but it was a problem.

Worst then some physics issues though are the trial-and-error aspects of some puzzles and how certain things aren’t made clear. It results in unnecessary deaths, and in one case, I died without ever knowing what actually killed me. Annoying, yes. Game ruining? Not in the slightest.

If it had been dragged out to last four or five hours, I’d probably be more negative, but as I had it wrapped up in under two, I found it to be a lot of fun to play. It’s well worth checking out.