You know how some games are GEMS and some game are UNDERRATED? Well, this is one is BOTH!

Slipways is a turn-based economy game in space. Send out probes to discover new planets. Tell those plants what to produce. Direct production between different planets. Research new technologies to help your corner of the galaxy thrive. Meet the goals of the council members to grant bonuses and unlock additional trade options. Easy to learn, hard to master, yada yada yada. This is basically what you're doing, optimizing an economy. If this kind of thing is not in your wheelhouse, then this isn't for you. In that case, I bid you well, good sir or madam, and wish you a prosperous future in your strange House of Wheels.

Planets are basically converters, they take in some resource and spit out some others. As planets import and export needs are met, planets scale up production and enable them to reach higher levels of success, which in turn feeds into the council goals. Failing to meet even basic needs lowers moral which is an end score multiplier. Planets are often position inconveniently, leading you to ask, "should I invest in mass lensing to bounce off this asteroid, or use one of my three previous slipways, or just mollify the denizens with some culture?" Or maybe blow that effin planet up! There are not a lot of moving parts here, but there's a lot to think about. There are only five basic resources: food, people, robots, ore, and tech, and as you play you start to recognize certain characteristics and upgrade paths. People tend to need food, Robots need tech. Tech needs ore. Some planets just provide a better exchange rate than others. It's not unusually to start a game, send out a few probes, and then just ... study it for a while ... before making another move.

Also there's a campaign with unique mechanics and daily ranked runs. The standard game lasts 25 years and you try to get your best score. When your plans all come together and you see a field of prosperous planets glimmering among the stars it is very satisfying. Other times you'll be scratching your head how to make the best of the challenge. Works great on my Steam Deck which explains why I didn't get to sleep until 3AM last night. Recommended. I love this game. I might marry it.

You know how some games are GEMS and some game are UNDERRATED? Well, this is one is BOTH! Slipways is a turn-based economy game in space. Send out probes to discover new planets. Tell those plants what to produce. Direct production between different planets. Research new technologies to help your corner of the galaxy thrive. Meet the goals of the council members to grant bonuses and unlock additional trade options. Easy to learn, hard to master, yada yada yada. This is basically what you're doing, optimizing an economy. If this kind of thing is not in your wheelhouse, then this isn't for you. In that case, I bid you well, good sir or madam, and wish you a prosperous future in your strange House of Wheels. Planets are basically converters, they take in some resource and spit out some others. As planets import and export needs are met, planets scale up production and enable them to reach higher levels of success, which in turn feeds into the council goals. Failing to meet even basic needs lowers moral which is an end score multiplier. Planets are often position inconveniently, leading you to ask, "should I invest in mass lensing to bounce off this asteroid, or use one of my three previous slipways, or just mollify the denizens with some culture?" Or maybe blow that effin planet up! There are not a lot of moving parts here, but there's a lot to think about. There are only five basic resources: food, people, robots, ore, and tech, and as you play you start to recognize certain characteristics and upgrade paths. People tend to need food, Robots need tech. Tech needs ore. Some planets just provide a better exchange rate than others. It's not unusually to start a game, send out a few probes, and then just ... study it for a while ... before making another move. Also there's a campaign with unique mechanics and daily ranked runs. The standard game lasts 25 years and you try to get your best score. When your plans all come together and you see a field of prosperous planets glimmering among the stars it is very satisfying. Other times you'll be scratching your head how to make the best of the challenge. Works great on my Steam Deck which explains why I didn't get to sleep until 3AM last night. Recommended. I love this game. I might marry it.