Draw magic shapes to create heroes in this combination of tower defense and factory-builder

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A weird new roguelite on Steam blends the genres of tower defense autobattler and factory builder into a cute, if odd, synergy. In ShapeHero Factory you scrawl out little production lines on magical parchment to combine shapes to conjure heroes that then automatically defend a big crystal from hordes of little inkblot demons. The structure is a familiar roguelite setup where you travel from battle to battle on a node tree picking rewards like new research options and hero recipes for your factory.

That means you've got a limited time to build a working production line that you'll then immediately put on the line against enemy hordes—and while you can tweak the line during battles, that means you're not supporting the heroes directly with your own ability to attack.

Different heroes have unique behaviors—basic Units just walk at the closest enemy, while warriors hold up a shield to bash incoming foes and guard the core. Others have more temporary effects: Mages appear and call a storm of lightning, and archers show up and fire a big piercing arrow. Having produced more of these units pre-battle has them show up more frequently, and upgrades can improve their attacks or let more of them onto the field at once. Low-level warriors, for example, will provide an incomplete shield wall, while high-level warriors produced in large amounts will quickly form an uninterrupted ring after the wave's start.

Spending some time with the demo was pretty neat, and showed that the game definitely has potential. There's a lot of attention to detail, for example, in the parchment backgrounds, hero classes, and font choices that evoke the Final Fantasy Tactics era of RPGs. I also loved how you customize your production and choices: You unlock new hero types to build, sure, but you also customize your own research tree by choosing segments to add. I picked faster production, for example, and combined that with a "Champion" hero type that only shows up once you can pump 50 normal units through its building.

Developer Asobism intends to keep ShapeHero Factory in early access for about four months, during which they hope to add new research trees, new heroes, new relics, and more surprise events. They'll also add controller support and support for more varied resolutions.

You can find ShapeHero Factory on Steam for $19, though it has a free demo you can try right now.

Jon Bolding is a games writer and critic with an extensive background in strategy games. When he's not on his PC, he can be found playing every tabletop game under the sun.