The calmest way to lose your mind – My week with Shapez

Anyone who has been reading these Homescreen Heroes for a while will know how much of a sucker I am for addictive mobile games. And before you wonder, no, I don’t have one of those apps that tracks my app usage. In the past six months, I’ve been engrossed in the likes of Crossy Road, Two Dots, and Geometry Dash Lite, and if you can recommend any apps that beat these, then I’m all ears.

Call it escapism or frivolous fun, I’m all in. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for new game apps, and the more novel and innovative they are, the better. Recently, it’s been Shapez, which is a simple game in which you have to build factories for the automated production of geometric shapes.

Sound dull and boring? Far from it! Let me explain the premise. Level one sees you, the player, dropped onto an infinite map with a central hub. Your goal is to deliver specific geometric shapes to that hub. To do this, you must mine raw shapes (circles, squares, and stars), then use machines to cut them, rotate them, paint them, and stack them into complex multi-layered objects.

What starts as a single line of circles quickly evolves into a sprawling, logic-defying mash-up of conveyor belts and junctions. As the levels progress, the shapes become increasingly intricate – requiring you to perform mental gymnastics to come up with the required solutions. It’s like Tetris meets a high-speed plumbing simulation.

The satisfaction of endless tweaking

The beauty of the game lies in its minimalist aesthetic. There are no flashing lights or aggressive soundtracks to distract you. Instead, there is a calm focus that comes from watching your digital factory hum with efficiency. I found myself sitting for ages, meticulously tweaking my conveyor belt junctions until the flow was just right. It’s incredibly satisfying every time a complex shape finally slides into the hub.

But don’t let the clean lines and steady pace fool you into a sense of security. The game is designed to make you feel like a genius just long enough to make you overconfident. It lures you into a rhythm where you think you’ve finally optimized your layout for maximum output. You’ll have your belts perfectly aligned, your cutters synchronized, and your central hub buzzing with activity. Then, the game introduces a new variable that forces you to rethink your whole setup.

Just when I thought I’d mastered it

In the initial levels, all you have to do is process shapes, which, when mastered, becomes child's play compared to what comes after. At level seven, you are required to mine colored shapes. This difficulty change comes at just the right time, providing the necessary increase in challenge to keep you wanting more.

But color features don’t end there. At level nine, you have to start mixing primary colors to create secondary ones. This takes significant forward-thinking and more brainpower than I often have access to. Beyond that, which only the most fearless will ever reach, is level 15, where you need to create white by mixing all three primary colors.

A cheap upgrade to premium

Shapez is fun, addictive, and seriously brain-testing. I love it! The app is 100% free up to level seven, but by that point, it’s dangerously difficult to put down. Because each level requires players to break down complex problems into tiny, digestible bites, once you’ve finished step one, you’re then committed to finishing each step. This logic exploits the Zeigarnik Effect, in which your brain hates leaving that half-finished production line unclosed.

If you find yourself enjoying the game up to level seven, then you can unlock all levels for just $6.99 / £6.99. This also opens up access to new tools, objectives, and challenges, as well as a dark mode and four UI modes.

If you’re looking for a new game to enjoy and challenge your problem-solving skills, then why not try Shapez? Download Shapez on iOS and Android.

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