This series features interviews with the developers of intriguing new indie games. In this installment, we bring you a mini-interview with the developer of *Lazy Witch’s Factory*, a roguelike factory builder developed by Melt Clock, which launched in Early Access for PC on August 21.
This Japanese-made roguelike factory builder involves putting cute familiars to work, automating your factory, and aiming to pay off your debt within a time limit. The protagonist, Momoko, is tricked by a demon while dreaming of passive income and ends up saddled with an astronomical debt.The game features highly replayable gameplay that inflates production capacity through a combination of “factory design skills” and “strategic selection of random upgrades.”
*Lazy Witch’s Factory* is currently available in Early Access for 1,870 yen (1,683 yen with a 10% discount until October 9).
――First, please introduce yourself. What’s your favorite game?
I’m Matsumaru from Matsumaru Co., Ltd. (Melt Clock). I founded the company specifically to develop *Lazy Witch’s Factory*, and we’re now in our second fiscal year. Even though I call it a company, I’m still the only employee, so I’m swamped every day with both development and management. Right now, I’m about to lose my mind over the financial statements.
My favorite game? …There are countless titles that come to mind, but if I had to pick just one, it would be *Heart of Crown*.It’s a game based on the overseas board game “Dominion,” but with cute girls added to the mix. Its UI is more refined than the original “Dominion,” and it clearly highlights the moments that make the game exciting. I feel it inherits the fun and depth of the original while offering an even catchier and more thrilling design. Above all, it’s just so cute.
It’s the fate of games as a form of entertainment that once you’ve squeezed every last drop of enjoyment out of the experience, it’s time to say goodbye. But with *Heart of Crown*, even after playing all night long countless times, I still find it fresh and engaging—even now, whenever I get tired from development, I’ll pop into a ranked match.
――Could you tell us about the game’s key features? Also, how did you come up with the idea?
It’s a game that combines “Factory Builder”—where you use conveyor belts to transport items and build an automated production factory—with “Roguelite,” which adds random buffs.You clear the game by delivering the items you’ve produced within the 30-minute time limit and earning the target amount; the next game starts from scratch. It doesn’t require complex production processes, and it includes a thorough tutorial, so it’s easy to play even for factory game beginners.
The game’s standout feature is that the production machinery—which in other games might look greasy or have a sci-fi vibe—is all represented by cute female characters. I’ve always loved factory-builder games, but since the protagonists in most of them are middle-aged men or machines, they never really made my heart race. That’s why I thought, “If I made them cute, the game would be even more fun”—and that’s how this project began.
――Were there any games that influenced the development of this title?
Matsumaru: We were heavily influenced by a game called *Against the Storm*. I’ve always thought that connecting conveyors to transport items is just a means to an end—it’s not particularly interesting in and of itself. However, the act of deciding what to connect where and what to create gives the player an enormous amount of creative freedom, allowing for all sorts of possibilities.
When we decided to build our game around that concept, I felt that *Against the Storm*’s premise—“Use any approach you like to create a settlement where citizens can survive on this desolate land”—fit perfectly.So, this game is all about “using whatever approach you want to build factories on this empty lot that boost production capacity and generate profits.”
――Could you share one episode that left the deepest impression on you during the development of this game?
It was at the July 2024 BitSummit, when all we had was the Matsumaru proposal and a teaser video, that Phoenixx was the only company to support us, saying, “This is an absolutely fantastic concept. Please bring it back to us when you’ve made more progress.”
I believe that game development includes communicating with players, so I wanted to find a publishing partner early on, but at the time, with nothing functional yet, most companies wouldn’t even take us seriously.
In contrast, at my previous job in the social gaming industry, the decision to move forward was based on a strong concept—whether or not there was a working prototype wasn’t a major factor. So I was bewildered by the gap between that approach and the indie game industry’s “working prototype first” philosophy, and it really took a toll on my mental health at the time.
However, in the end, I was able to sign a publishing contract with Phoenixx, who recognized the potential of this title back then. So even though it was tough and I didn’t have a working prototype, I’m glad I reached out to various companies.
――What kind of user feedback did you receive after release? Please share any that left a particularly strong impression on you.
Matsumaru: I was particularly struck by the surprisingly large number of comments saying, “It’s tough to clear the highest difficulty level in Special Missions.”This is a puzzle-like mode played under conditions different from the standard factory development mode, where abnormal constraints are imposed—such as all mining points exploding every five minutes, or all transport halting once 50 facility units are placed.
Since the game was designed so that players could simply clear the mission once at the lowest difficulty level and then just play the missions they were good at or enjoyed, we hadn’t fine-tuned the balance for this mode as thoroughly.
However, far more users than we expected attempted to clear every mission up to the highest difficulty level. As a result, I feel a mix of respect, gratitude, and deep regret toward all the users who ended up having to tackle a game of absurdly high difficulty.
From now on, I intend to keep this lesson—that “players will explore every nook and cranny of the content provided”—deeply in mind as I continue development.
――Taking user feedback into account, could you tell us about your plans for future updates?
Matsumaru: I feel that the challenges faced by beginners, intermediate players, and advanced players are completely different, so I plan to release measures tailored specifically to each group.
Beginners start by asking, “What even is a factory game?” so I believe we need to strengthen the guidance that clearly shows, at a glance, how to progress through the game.
Once players progress to the point where they can win at higher difficulty levels, they become intermediate players. However, since this is a game with many character options and actions, there are often cases where players don’t share a common understanding of what they consider to be the “basic rules.” For these intermediate players, we’re considering preparing advanced tutorials that will make it easier to learn the game.
Furthermore, for advanced players who have mastered the game, we’ll continue to provide new content in stages as a token of our gratitude, while maintaining proper game balance to ensure we live up to their passion.
I see it as my job to help as many players as possible reach the advanced level and ensure they feel this game is both fun and worth playing repeatedly. I’ll continue to do my best with future updates.
――Is it okay to distribute or monetize this game?
Matsumaru: We fully permit it. We’re more than happy to see an increase in fan-made content. We’ve published official guidelines, which include transparent images you can use for streaming and other purposes, so please check them out and feel free to use them.
――Finally, please share a message for our readers.
Matsumaru: I’m proud to say that *Lazy Witch’s Factory* has turned out to be a game that combines a cute aesthetic with serious gameplay—one where the more you play, the more your skill translates into a higher win rate.It should be the perfect game for readers of Game*Spark, a web media outlet for hardcore gamers. Please give it a try.
Right now, it’s on sale for 10% off as part of the Autumn Sale. (Through October 9)
――Thank you very much.
◆ About “Spotlight on Indie Mini-Q&A”
This series features email interviews with indie developers shortly after their games are released. To ensure regular updates, we’ve standardized the questions, with the goal of sharing the perspectives of as many developers as possible. Please also enjoy our archive of over 1,000 other interview articles.
