ShapeShifter is the game that started Arcade Convoy and is still at the center of it. It includes more than 40 game types, solo and multiplayer play, multiple active shapes, AI-controlled shapes and ghosts, wraparound arenas, scrolling, and a large range of gameplay options. If you want to see what makes ShapeShifter different, start here.
What Makes ShapeShifter Different
One of the biggest differences is that ShapeShifter isn’t limited to a single active shape. Different game types can put multiple active and inactive shapes into the arena at the same time. Active shapes may be controlled by players or AI, while inactive shapes can continue moving through the arena until they become active. Game types such as Chaos and Twins use these systems in very different ways, so changing the number and behavior of the shapes can completely change how a round plays.
Ghost shapes add another layer. In ShapeShifter, a ghost isn’t simply a landing-position shadow. Ghosts are real AI-controlled shapes that can be spawned from an active shape and move through the arena on their own. An active shape can release several ghosts, forcing you to react to new pieces entering the playfield while you’re still controlling your own shape.
Wraparound gives those crowded arenas more room to breathe. When wraparound is enabled, a shape that moves through one side of the arena appears on the opposite side. That creates landing positions and movement options that wouldn’t exist in a normal enclosed playfield and becomes especially useful when several shapes are moving at once.
Those are only a few of the systems behind ShapeShifter. More than 40 game types combine them in different ways, along with changes to the arena, shapes, scrolling, AI, controls, clearing rules, and other options. Some game types are small variations on the basic rules, while others can feel like entirely different games. This page will grow into the deeper ShapeShifter reference for individual game types, multiplayer, convoys, challenges, arenas, and customization.