Slipways

*"Turn desolate planets into a vast trade empire. Hatch plans. Research game-breaking technologies. Still be done in time for lunch."*
- slipways.net, on Slipways

> Slipways is a simplified 4X space strategy game developed by Beetlewing Studios that combines space grand strategy with trading puzzles!
> Slipways was released on ***June 3rd, 2021*** for $16.99 USD, plus regional prices in non-US countries.The game is currently limited to PC and Mac.
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*"The game is Unity-based, so other platforms are possible post-release, but we can't promise anything at this point."*

## History

Slipways is the brainchild of Jakub Wasilewski, a solo game developer.

The game originally started on the PICO-8 fantasy console, living within the confines of the 128x128-pixel screen. You can find this game on Wasilewski's itch.io page.

"The game was born out of a love-hate relationship with games in the space 4X genre. While their depth is admirable, it's usually paired with a lot of micromanagement, a big time investment and a high barrier to entry. Slipways aims to stay simple and easy to grasp, while maintaining the feeling of growth and the depth of the larger titles."

Now, it's a full-fledged PC game, larger in scope, but still true to the core ideas of simplicity and straightforward but deep gameplay. It's still developed full-time by a single person, with some help from other contributors.

## Gameplay

At it's core, Slipways follows very straightforward economic supply-and-demand management gameplay, in the vein of similar 4X games. Due to the peaceful focus of the game, the player is left to manage and plan their various trading connections with only the threat of losing credits or happiness due to improper planning over the course of a run.

A normal run of the game usually places the player into their own pocket of space, starting off with scanning the surrounding blips for planets. They must then colonize these planets according to the potential supplies and demands that can be produced and met, respectively. For the most part, the player needs to ensure they have stable starting loops upon which they can expand and maximize their score before their turns run out.

When starting out for the first time, the player is left with only the option of playing a Standard Run, which is classic gameplay with a time limit of 25 years (around 300 months/turns minimum). However, other Gamemodes can be unlocked after at least one Standard Run is completed, with a score ranking of at most 4 stars to unlock all of the modes in just that one run.

The other modes include Endless, where there are no time limits; Ranked, where players can compete for the highest score on a specifically seeded run; and lastly, the Campaign in which the story of the Forebears is explored in detail over the course of many unique missions.

## Reception

As of *June 21, 2021*, the game received an Overwhelmingly Positive review rating on Steam, with many users particularly praising the consistent updating schedule and the simplicity / accessibility of the gameplay. Most critics, while minimal, commonly argue the game lacks strategy while perceiving the overuse of puzzle and RNG elements.

Slipways has also a rating of 4.5 / 5 stars on GOG.com, also enjoying similarly positive reviews as it's Steam counterpart.

## Sources

1. ↑ FAQ, Slipways Official Discord Server
2. ↑ https://slipways.net/presskit