Puzzle game

shapez.io

This is a game that could be called a factory simulator. If you've never seen one before, you might be surprised to learn that they don't typically simulate the factory environment. Instead, they feature the kind of problem solving you need to build an efficient production line. It's a little like some of the more complex levels in the classic game Lemmings. In that game, each lemming has its own speciality, and you solve a problem by placing these lemmings in the right place, often setting off a chain reaction of events with the goal of saving the greatest number of lemmings. In shapez.io, the skilled lemmings are replaced by unlockable components that you drag onto a top-down overview of your factory floor.

You start by joining conveyor belts between the producing and consuming parts of the plant, and there's a helpful tutorial mode to onboard you into the game mechanics as quickly as possible. Tutorial mode is accompanied by onscreen overlays to show you the keyboard controls for each mode you're in, such as navigating the factory floor with wasd. The pace of the game is slow and relaxed, and you're often left to your own devices when it comes to efficiency: After solving a particular problem, you might choose to wait and make a cup of tea while the requirement is satisfied, or you could decide to make your production line more efficient, perhaps by parallelizing it or removing inefficient bottlenecks. These will speed up the end of level, but they're often not required. Within no time at all, you will effectively be programming your production lines to process all kinds of demands. I think you will find the process both educational and a lot of fun.

Project Website

https://shapez.io/

Shapez.io can be played online, through Steam, or with a standalone build for the Linux desktop.