shapez 2 confirmed for mid-August early access release

After seemingly going off the radar for a bit, developer tobspr Games has confirmed a mid-August early access release for shapez 2.

The top-down factory building game is all about optimisation, and founder and CEO of tobspr Games, Tobias Springer says: “The game is in great shape with so many improvements over the first that the original shapez now feels more like a prototype for shapez 2.” Springer also commented “We’ve set ourselves a very high quality standard, so to ensure we meet this, we have invested a lot of time in optimizing shapez 2’s user interface, onboarding and tutorial and more to make sure players have a smooth experience when playing.”

Check out the new gameplay trailer, below:

Shapez 2 is a top-down factory-building game where you extract and process geometric shapes. Each shape is its own set of building-blocks that your factories can take apart, stack, paint and put back together in unique ways. Build and automate to produce distinct shapes and solve the production challenge of each goal.

Automate the processing of abstract geometric shapes into more complex ones by cutting, rotating, stacking, painting and more. Deliver distinct shapes to unlock new technologies and expand your factory’s capabilities. Learn, improve, rebuild and solve logistical challenges to design the most efficient shape production lines.

Despite coming to early access, the developer has listed features that will be present in the mid-August release:

• Multi-layer factories
• Trains
• New research system
• Fluids
• Blueprint library & toolbar
• Lots of quality of life improvements
• Crystals
• Pins
• Multiple progressions
• Customizable map generation
• Mirrorable buildings
• Platforms
• Undo/redo

In our hands-on back in January, we said: “If you’re looking for a puzzler with a difference that’ll tax some different mental muscles, it’s worth adding Shapez 2 to your Wishlist – or at least giving the demo a go. It’s not going to appeal to everyone, but you’ll know if it’s for you pretty early on. What Shapez 2 does is unique, which can sometimes be a double-edged sword, but it’s also likeable with it, and that goes a long way.”

Shapez 2 is coming to PC via Steam early access in mid-August.