The player assumes the role of a thief, Mr. Shifty, who is attempting to steal a plutonium core from a building secured by many enemy guards.

Shifty's signature ability is "shifting", which teleports him a few meters and lets him pass through thin walls or dodge bullets.

Any hit from a weapon — or from an environmental hazard such as lasers, mines, or turrets — will kill Shifty and send him to the beginning of the room to try again.

Silent protagonist Mr. Shifty, in radio contact with his superior Nyx, breaches Olympus Tower, the offices of StoneCorp.

They aim to steal a dangerous weapon called the "mega-plutonium", to prevent its use for nefarious purposes by the evil Chairman Stone.

[3] GameSpot awarded Mr. Shifty has a score of 8.0 out of 10, saying it offered "an exciting, intense experience, and it's easy to forgive the game's performance flaws".

"[5] Pocket Gamer awarded it a score of 7 out of 10, saying "Mr. Shifty is a fun, twitchy action game that fails to capitalise on what was so good about its primary influence.