STILLSHOT

Time moves only when you move. Step, aim and shoot your way through red crystal enemies in a stark white room, one frozen moment at a time.

STILLSHOT All games

STILLSHOT

Time moves only when you move. Step, aim and shoot your way through red crystal enemies in a stark white room, one frozen moment at a time.

A first-person shooter where time only moves when you do. Stand still and the bullets hang in the air; walk and the world speeds up with you. Looking around lets time trickle forward, and firing gives it a short burst. The enemies are red crystal figures in a stark white room, and they shatter when hit.

One hit from an enemy and you are out. Levels are endless, with more enemies and waves as you go: melee runners from level 3, the SCATTER gun at level 4 and RAPID at level 7.

What is in it: A first-person shooter in a white room against red crystal figures that shatter into shards when hit; no blood. One hit and you are out, and the level restarts. Muzzle flashes and a brief screen flash when you are hit. More for parents

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Controls

  • WASDmove (time flows)
  • Mouselook (time trickles)
  • Clickshoot (a short burst of time)
  • Q / 1-3switch weapon
  • Rretry
  • Mmute
  • Touchleft stick moves, drag the right side to look, FIRE and GUN buttons
Stop and look before every step: time is frozen while you stand still, so plan where every bullet is going. Step sideways out of a bullet's path rather than backwards.

Tags

How to play

STILLSHOT is a first-person shooter with one big rule: time moves only when you move. Stand still and the world slows almost to a stop, bullets in the air included. Walk, and time runs at full speed. Looking around lets time trickle forward slowly, and every shot you fire gives it a brief burst.

Move with W A S D or the arrow keys, look with the mouse, and click to shoot. The first click locks the mouse to the game. Q cycles weapons and 1 to 3 pick one directly, once you have unlocked more than one. M mutes. On a phone, the left stick moves, dragging on the right side looks around, and there are FIRE and GUN buttons.

The enemies are red crystal figures in a stark white room. One shot shatters them. But one hit from them and you shatter too. Click, tap or press R to try the same level again. Clear every enemy to finish the level, and the next one starts by itself. The counter at the top shows how many enemies are left, including any still to arrive.

Tips and strategy

  • Stop and think. Because time nearly stops while you stand still, you can always pause, look around and plan. Find every enemy and every bullet before you take a step. The bar at the bottom of the screen shows how fast time is running.
  • Move as little as possible. Every step lets the enemies act. A small sidestep out of a bullet's line is better than a long run.
  • Look slowly. Fast mouse movement lets time run at up to about a third of full speed. A slow, careful turn keeps the room almost frozen.
  • Mind the burst. Each shot runs time at full speed for a moment, so a spray of shots lets the room move on. Fire once, then check where everything is.
  • Shoot their bullets. Your bullets knock enemy bullets out of the air. When a red bullet is about to reach you and there is no room to step aside, shoot it.
  • Use the cover. Crates and white pillars stop bullets, both theirs and yours. Gunmen only shoot when they can see you and are close enough, so breaking line of sight buys time.
  • Watch the runners. From level 3, melee runners charge at you at about twice the pace of the gunmen and swing when they get close. Shoot them early, before they close the gap.

What's in it

Endless levels, each a white room laid out from the level number, so a given level always has the same layout. Rooms start about 20 metres across and grow with every level, up to about 34 metres. The number of crates and pillars grows too.

Level 1 has three enemies. Each level adds one more, up to sixteen. Only some of them are in the room at the start; the rest arrive in waves from the walls as you clear the first ones. The gunmen also shoot more often as the levels go up.

Three weapons:

  • PISTOL: accurate single shots, a little over three a second. You start with it.
  • SCATTER: seven pellets in a spread, with a slower recharge. Unlocked by reaching level 4.
  • RAPID: fast fire, about nine shots a second, a little less accurate. Unlocked by reaching level 7.

The look is minimal on purpose: a white room with a faint floor grid and soft shading, and faceted red crystal enemies that glint and shatter into shards. The music's pitch follows the speed of time.

Behind the game

Time in STILLSHOT is a single number between almost nothing and full speed. Each moment, the game takes the largest of your walking, your looking and your shooting, and moves that number towards it. It speeds up quickly and slows down a little more gently. Enemies, their bullets and the flying shards all run on that clock. Your own walking does not, which is why you can step out of a bullet's way while it hangs in the air.

Enemy bullets are slow, but your bullets are about six times faster, so a shot you fire lands almost at once. Each gunman aims with a little random wobble, and only fires when you are in plain sight and within about 13 metres. Otherwise he walks towards you.

When a level is cleared, the screen flashes the words STILL and SHOT, and then the next room is built. Every room keeps a clear space around where you start, and new enemies never appear right next to you.

Questions

Does it save?

Yes. Your progress is saved in your browser, and the game picks up at the level after the last one you cleared. Your unlocked weapons stay unlocked.

Do I have to start over when I die?

No. Dying restarts the level you are on, not the whole game.

Can I play on a phone?

Yes. Hold the left side of the screen to use the stick, drag on the right side to look, and use the FIRE and GUN buttons to shoot and switch weapons. Tap to retry after a hit.

Do I need an account?

No.

Is it violent?

It is a shooter, but the enemies are abstract red crystal figures that shatter into shards. There is no blood.

Why is the game called STILLSHOT?

Because the world stays still until you move, and you aim in the stillness.

Does it flash?

There are muzzle flashes and a brief screen flash when you are hit.

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