Shapez 2, the massive factory builder and automation game by tobspr Games currently in Early Access, now has set a release window for its full release.
As announced by this Steam post, Shapez 2’s next game update will be its 1.0 release.
“We feel like shapez 2 is already in a very solid state,” ths post by tobspr Games’ Tobias Springer reads. “And some of you even argued that the initial early access release already reached 1.0 quality.”
There’s no hard release date yet, as “we have no idea if we’ll actually make it in time” but the developer is ready to shed the Early Access tag.
The same post also outlined a new game mode, and it’s more of a response to how Shapez 2’s progression is as compared to the predecessor (which Gamer Matters were among them as seen in our impressions of the Early Access build). In the sequel, it’s almost inevitable that the spaghetti mess of conveyor belts most players start with at the beginning of the game have to be removed, as there shapes that you produce in the early game is not needed, and due to the way this game utilise space—it’s compartmentalised into manageable chunks for more modular factories—space becomes a premium. As the developer puts it, Shapez 2 is more of a puzzle game than it is an infinite sprawl factory builder.
The new, unnamed mode attempts to address this with one simple trick teased through an unassuming screenshot that means nothing to onlookers but means everything to seasoned factory builders: Free space. No white tiles. No barriers. No foundations. Just build in infinite space.
Infinite ways to make an intangible, un-tangled-able sprawl of conveyor belts that can beat the messy highways of Kuala Lumpur.
There is a hint that this new mode, which will effectively make Shapez 2 play more like Shapez 1, could be the default game mode, replacing the current, modular-focused “classic” mode. Though hopefully the modular foundations are still available even in this new, free space mode.
The 1.0 release of Shapez 2 will also come with the release of modding tools.
Save games from the current “classic” mode will not be compatible with the 1.0 release, but remains accessible via a Steam beta branch. This beta branch will be used to preserve the saves from players that supported the Early Access, though this branch won’t have mod support or achievements.
Shapez 2 is currently available on PC (Steam) in Early Access.