| Slipways | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Beetlewing |
| Publisher(s) | Beetlewing |
| Designer(s) | Jakub Wasilewski |
| Programmer(s) | Jakub Wasilewski |
| Artist(s) | Johan Törnlund |
| Composer(s) | Chris Donnelly |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, macOS |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Puzzle, strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Slipways is a video game developed by Beetlewing. It combines gameplay from puzzle games and grand strategy wargames, though it streamlines out war and other features that involve micromanagement.
Slipways incorporates gameplay inspired by turn-based grand strategy wargames, though it lacks a mechanic for war. Players focus on resource management and graph optimization to grow their space empire. The galaxy is procedurally generated, and different alien races assist in each playable sector. Each alien race has their own priorities, such as performing research or establishing new colonies, and will reward players for accomplishing tasks related to their priorities. [1] [2]
As new worlds are discovered and colonized, they must be efficiently integrated into the empire's trade routes. Each planet can be colonized in different ways to give it different desired imports and exports. Labor not exported cause unemployment, and resources not imported cause resource shortages. Researching new technologies allow new colonization options, structures, and planet projects, and other methods to create and satisfy desires. [1] [2]
If the empire's populace become too unhappy or the player runs out of money, the game ends. In a standard game, players try for a high score by the final turn, or on weekly ranked runs can compete globally for high scores. Alternatively, a sandbox mode allows endless building, and a campaign mode offers more challenging puzzles. [1] [2]
Slipways was created by Jakub Wasilewski. He originally implemented a prototype of the game on the PICO-8, a virtual machine in the style of a game console, using a pay what you want model. Wasilewski wanted to streamline out the parts of strategy games that he found to be busy-work or excessive micromanagement. Instead of managing individual planets, Wasilewski focused on the logistics of an empire. War slowed these games down too much, so he completely removed it. He was also interested in an empire-building game that did not depict war as unavoidable. When Wasilewski polled the PICO-8 players, he found they did not consider war to be a priority feature, so he stuck to the original design when developing the commercial game. [3] [4] The game was released June 4, 2021. [5]
Reviewing a pre-release version of the game, Andy Kelly of PC Gamer wrote, "It's a wonderfully simple, streamlined strategy game, but still makes you feel like you're building something grand." [1] Nic Reuben of Rock Paper Shotgun described Slipways as "a phenomenally smart piece of design" that pits players against their own poor impulses instead of AI-controlled players. [2] Rock Paper Shotgun subsequently listed it among the best space games for the PC, [6] best PC strategy games, [7] and the best games released in 2021. [8] Writing for Wireframe Magazine, Ian Dransfield called it "a focused, delightful puzzle game masquerading as space empire-based grand strategy." [9]
Master of Orion is a turn-based, 4X science fiction strategy game in which the player leads one of ten races to dominate the galaxy through a combination of diplomacy and conquest while developing technology, exploring and colonizing star systems.
Chris Taylor is a Canadian video game designer best known for Total Annihilation and the Dungeon Siege and Supreme Commander series and co-founding the now-defunct studio Gas Powered Games. In 2002, GameSpy named him the "30th most influential person in gaming." In 2019, he revealed he has been working on Kanoogi, a cloud-based gaming platform, and developing his next game, Intergalactic Space Empire.
4X is a subgenre of strategy-based computer and board games, and includes both turn-based and real-time strategy titles. The gameplay generally involves building an empire. Emphasis is placed upon economic and technological development, as well as a range of military and non-military routes to supremacy.
Matrix Games is a publisher of PC games, specifically strategy games and wargames. It is based in Ohio, US, and Surrey, UK.
Strategy is a major video game genre that emphasizes thinking and planning over direct instant action in order to achieve victory. Although many types of video games can contain strategic elements, as a genre, strategy games are most commonly defined as those with a primary focus on high-level strategy, logistics and resource management. They are also usually divided into two main sub-categories: turn-based and real-time, but there are also many strategy cross/sub-genres that feature additional elements such as tactics, diplomacy, economics and exploration.
Distant Worlds is a real-time grand strategy wargame developed by Code Force and published by Matrix Games.
Europa Universalis IV is a 2013 grand strategy video game in the Europa Universalis series, developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive as a sequel to Europa Universalis III (2007). The game was released on 13 August 2013. It is a strategy game where players can control a nation from the Late Middle Ages through the early modern period (1444–1821), conducting trade, administration, diplomacy, colonization, and warfare.
Hearts of Iron IV, also known as HOI4, is a grand strategy computer wargame developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. It was released worldwide on 6 June 2016. It is the sequel to 2009's Hearts of Iron III and the fourth main installment in the Hearts of Iron series. Like previous games in the series, Hearts of Iron IV is a grand strategy wargame that focuses on World War II. The player may take control of any nation in the world in either 1936 or 1939 and lead them to victory or defeat against other countries.
Stellaris is a 4X grand strategy video game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. In Stellaris, players take control of an interstellar civilization on the galactic stage and are tasked with exploring, colonizing, and managing their region of the galaxy, encountering other civilizations that they can then engage in diplomacy, trade, or warfare with. A large part of the game involves dealing with both scripted and emergent events, through which new empires alter the balance of power, powerful crises threaten the galaxy, or event chains tell the story of forgotten empires. It was released worldwide for Windows, macOS, and Linux on May 9, 2016 and for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One as Stellaris: Console Edition on February 26, 2019.
Unity of Command II is a turn-based wargame developed by 2x2 Games, and co-produced by Croteam. The game was released on November 12, 2019. It is the sequel to Unity of Command.
Longbow Games is a Canadian video game developer based in Toronto. It was founded in 1998 by Seumas McNally.
Thea: The Awakening is a 2015 strategy video game developed and released by MuHa Games. It is based on Slavic folklore and includes minigames based on several different genres. It was followed by Thea 2: The Shattering.
Shadow Empire is a strategy video game developed by French studio VR Designs and published by Slitherine Software. It combines gameplay from computer wargames and 4X games in a setting of post-apocalyptic conquest.
Distant Worlds 2 is a 4X video game developed by Code Force and published by Slitherine Software. It was released for Windows on March 10, 2022 and is the sequel to the 2010 video game Distant Worlds.
Terra Invicta is a science fiction grand strategy video game developed by Pavonis Interactive and published by Hooded Horse for Windows that was released into early access in September 2022.
Field of Glory is a series of turn-based strategy games published by British company Slitherine Software for personal computers. The series is based on a 2008 miniature wargame.
Panzer Corps 2 is a computer wargame developed by Flashback Games and published by Slitherine Software for Windows on March 19, 2020. It is a sequel to Panzer Corps.