To Play or Not to Play… Slipways?

From the first time I laid eyes on Slipways, I knew it was a masterpiece. Actually, that’s really unusual for me. Many games have let me down over the years, so I try to be cautious. Because the premise of Slipways was so straightforward, though, I let my defenses down and enjoyed it. Elegant in its lack of complexity.

Slipways markets itself as a tiny version of a grand strategy game, where campaigns can be completed in an hour rather than a month. Your mission is to establish colonies on planets that, in turn, will create resources you need. Slipways let you to transfer materials across planets, ensuring the well-being of all your colonies. It’s essentially a puzzle game, although one that never ends, and the exploration experience rivals that of any AAA 4X product in terms of the thrill it offers me.

In order to connect all of your planets as efficiently as possible, you’ll need to look further and further ahead as the complex network of supply and needs is created over in-game months and years. I’ve spent countless hours of each playing just staring at my expanding interplanetary empire, trying to picture the routes between worlds I haven’t colonized yet to make sure they’ll all connect properly. It’s not irritating in any way. Upon completion, you feel the same rush of dopamine as when you solve a puzzle.

However, there are moments when I find myself staring blankly at the web of planets, slipways, and dependable ships that I’ve created in place of my visualizations. Slipways has an exceptionally high wuselfaktor for being such a calm and quiet game. Focusing in on the past hour’s work will reveal just how much you’ve done.