A single hit results in instant death, turning every room into a high-speed combat puzzle where positioning is more important than raw firepower.

At its heart, Mr. Shifty is a top-down brawler that pits a single, gun-averse thief against an entire skyscraper of armed guards. Unlike other games in the genre, the protagonist’s primary weapon is a ("shift") that allows him to phase through walls and bullets alike.

While the game was praised for its "Nightcrawler-style" action, the initial release—particularly on the —was plagued by significant frame rate drops and crashes during intense combat.

Version 1.0.5 was part of a series of optimization patches designed to ensure the game maintained its frantic pace without stuttering when the screen filled with enemies.

Reviewers from sites like GameSpot and Kotaku noted that these updates were essential, as the game’s difficulty relies on frame-perfect teleports that were previously hindered by lag. Mr. Shifty Review | Nintendo Switch & PC