Shil
A new puzzle game, Shil, is on the way to us all with Shil aiming to make some of us question our imaginations
We do like a good surreal puzzle game around here, and now it looks as if we're getting another one in the mix with the announcement for Shil. One that OSM Games will not only have us entertained, but also a little smarter after playing it all. That's part of the hope, even if it does feel as if that might be a bit of a stretch in the current state of the world. But, that is off-topic, as we have Shil to look at so we can try to understand how we are going to make it through all of these various puzzles when the game lands on the PC. Puzzles, along with a bit of survival, which we don't normally see in these kinds of games out there. That'll certainly make for a great twist if everything is pulled off just as the team is looking to do.
This is not the first time we've seen games like Shil out there, as it is inspired by some of the greats that've dropped before. The twist on this one is that we will be focusing on a virtual tug-of-war with an AI while also going through the various puzzles set forth. We'll also have a few choices to make along the way, while also shifting our perspectives on things in this stripped-down version of reality. It is not fully clear how we will be going about some of the things in Shil, as it is still early and not planned to be released until 2027, but we can see the shaping of how some of the puzzles and gameplay will function. A lot of linking things together and moving parts around, all while making sure the invisible monsters are not able to catch up. Yeah, that all sounds weird as I type it, but have a look at it all in motion down the page here.
Shil — Announcement
Shil is a mind-bending first-person puzzle game. A secret door into someone’s imagination. Unscrew your brains from everyday logic. Shift your perspective, solve surreal puzzles, fight invisible enemies, and explore the unimaginable. Beautiful. Bizarre. Barely logical.
Every level reveals a new world, uncovered piece by piece through stark silhouettes and traces of something beyond. As you move through it, you’ll uncover what’s hidden, follow unseen paths, and face threats that are never fully visible — guided by instinct to make sense of it all.
In the world of Shil, the real danger is what you can’t see, something you’ll encounter as you move through fractured realms filled with invisible creatures, strange weapons, and the unknown. Uncover hidden paths, outsmart hostile foes, and confront threats you can barely perceive.
This game will make you smart. Not Oxford-smart, more like microdosing-in-Silicon Valley-smart. By stripping the world down to a striking two-colour silhouette, Shil invites you to reconstruct 3D spaces through perspective-shifting puzzles, using only your intuition and your ability to shift perspectives. Progress comes from solving what doesn’t quite make sense.
Shil’s story focuses on a psychological tug-of-war: the AI that built this world acts as your companion and guide, but its true motives remain shrouded in mystery. As you move forward, you’ll face moral and logical choices — whether to trust it, question it, or resist it — and only by piecing together what doesn’t quite make sense will you reach one of the story’s multiple endings.
Are you able to see how Shil might make you a little smarter? Can you point to the titles that inspired this one to come about? What will the main gameplay mechanic be in this puzzle game? Will we ever be able to fully get rid of the monsters stalking us? Let's have that discussion going in the comments to try and make the rest of us smarter. If not there, then maybe down the line, when we have more to offer up for Shil as we get closer to the game's launch. Either way, just come back to the site as often as you can and watch all of our social channels to see when that all comes to light out there. You'll be glad you did, so you never miss out on any of the fun updates we have to toss your way as often as we can.
