ShapeHero Factory lets you enjoy those fun early stages of a factory builder over and over with a blend of tower defense and roguelite elements 

If you’ve ever wanted to relive the early stages of factory builder games without having to gratuitously tear down your creations, then ShapeHero Factory was made for you. Created by director Mamiya and the team at Asobism (who were also responsible for the hit roguelite Vivid Knight), the game combines elements of factory builders, tower defense games, and rougelikes to create something that you can play over and over again. 

ShapeHero Factory recently launched in Early Access on Steam and while the development team is eager to upgrade the game even more, it is already shaping up to be an addictive experience. 

The prep phase is where you’ll spend most of your time 

ShapeHero Factory has two main game modes, the first of which is the prep or production phase. The prep phase takes place in an expandable factory known as the Scroll. The Scroll is where you’ll be placing production resources like Minions, Conveyor Belts, Canvases, and Pipes (all of which require a resource called Mana) to create the tools needed to defeat the evil Malefic Portent and their underlings. These tools include Units, Heroes, and Spells – all of which need to be funneled into a randomly generated Portal somewhere on your Scroll. 

This is where ShapeHero Factory’s roguelite elements start to show. Aside from the Portal, everything on your Scroll is randomly generated. Motif Sources like Apples, Tea Kettles, and Dice are randomly placed, requiring you to navigate your Scroll’s layout and create efficient (or not-so-efficient) production lines. Things start simple when you’re combining triangles and circles to create Units (the basic soldiers), but as you progress, you’ll unlock Recipes that require more complex resource combinations and structures.  

As you craft your tools of war on your Scroll, a timer on the upper middle of the screen will start to tick down. This shows how much time you have left until the battle phase begins. ShapeHero Factory’s gameplay can be a bit overwhelming at first, so the game includes a nifty mechanic called Focus Time that lets you slow down the prep phase while you get your bearings. If you want to take things even slower, you can enable “Free Control Mode” (found as a checkbox at the start of each run and in the pause menu) so that you can place production resources with the timer fully paused. This mode can also be switched on in the middle of the game if you get really desperate. 

The battle phase is where you see your hard work pay off 

During the battle phase, you’ll be transported to a battlefield with a Gate in the middle. Using the tools you created during the prep phase, it is your job to prevent the Gate from being destroyed by approaching shadow enemies and bosses. Units and Heroes will automatically spawn in and defend the Gate, but you can lend a hand by clicking on enemies and dealing damage yourself. These manual attacks have a short cooldown, so you can’t just spam them.  

As the Minion Master (the first playable class), your clicks will only do a small amount of damage. Choosing specific upgrades will increase your damage and area of effect, but if you’re feeling more experimental, you could switch over to the Spell Master, which is another class that can be unlocked later on. 

There’s more roguelite to ShapeHero Factory than meets the eye 

Defeating a wave of enemies or a boss during the battle phase allows you to progress further, while being defeated wipes your current run (Recipes and level upgrades included) and forces you to start from the beginning.  

Whenever you win a battle phase, you’ll be able to pick from one of two paths on your Incursion Route. Each route has its own rewards, such as upgrades to existing Heroes, new Research Trees, and resources that increase your Mana. Your choices of rewards are largely influenced by your current needs, so there’s always a sense of progression after each battle.  

Aside from the Incursion Route rewards, you’ll also be able to level up your Mana generation, Motif production time, and flask upgrades every time you level up (the experience required to level up comes from sending finished tools through your Portal). 

Losing isn’t all that bad, either. As with many roguelite games, ShapeHero Factory doesn’t completely start you from scratch, but rather rewards each failed run with a currency that can be used to purchase Arcane Knowledge – boons that make succeeding runs easier. Examples of Arcane Knowledge boons include a larger initial Mana pool to create more production resources and permanent upgrades to the Minion Master’s Units. 

ShapeHero Factory’s fun comes from repetition and randomization 

The fun in ShapeHero Factory comes from adapting to your run. You could have a solid game plan at the start, only to discover that it won’t work within your Scroll’s layout and the available recipes. Trying new recipes, untangling your mess of Conveyor Belts, and making your production line as neat and efficient as possible isn’t just encouraged, it’s required. The game can get pretty hard if you don’t maximize your resources, forcing you to make the most of what you have been given. While there are fixed elements in the game (there will always be a triangle and circle Motif Source in your Scroll, for example), ShapeHero Factory thrives on randomness and the joy of starting anew. 

ShapeHero Factory is available in Early Access for the PC (Steam).