Shelved

Game premise and core loop

Shelved is a sorting puzzle game for PC where you play as a tiny orc managing a collection of over 1,560 cursed VHS tapes within a magical castle. Your goal is to organize the tapes across 20 distinct genres while dealing with various challenges that disrupt your work, such as a mischievous poltergeist and cursed tapes that emit dark energy.

Sorting mechanics

You use several magical abilities to assist in the sorting process. These include "Movie Magic," which highlights titles that match the one you are holding; "Shelf Magic," that lights up the bookcase corresponding to a tape’s genre; "Glow Stick," which allows you to drop light sources into dark corners; and "Fae Force," which summons a fairy to help collect matching tapes. Completing bookcases earns you upgrade points to improve these abilities.