[b]slide!![/b] is a game with things you'd expect from a sliding game like this, and some things you wouldn't, so it's definitely one of the more unique offerings in the genre, yet sadly still relatively unknown.
your goal on each level is to make the colored blocks reach their respective destinations. this is achieved by sliding said blocks in one of the four directions. they won't stop until they hit a wall or another block, but one of the things you wouldn't expect in a game like this is if two blocks hit each other head-on, they bounce back and go their separate ways, so you have to slide them so that one hits the other from the side.
this means, of course, that timing is a thing here. many levels can only be completed by coordinating the movement of the blocks, which in turn means [b]you'll be often moving more than one of them at the same time[/b]. if I were reading this review, this is where I'd stop as I'm not a fan of such mechanics, but I'd be a fool because if your only goal is to complete each level, you won't have too many problems.
there are 100 main levels, 10 tutorial, 25-25 easy, medium and hard, and 15 bonus, plus if you manage to 3-star all of them, a bunch of secret levels get unlocked as well. 1 star is awarded for completion, 1 for not exceeding the turn limit, and 1 for not exceeding the time limit.
as I said, simply completing the levels shouldn't be an issue, if I could do it, everybody can. turn limits are a bit trickier, but they should be doable with some effort, though be aware that [b]undo counts as a move![/b] it's very handy to have while experimenting, but once you're doing a level for real, might as well restart instead of using one because you'll run out of the turn limit, though I did manage to complete a few levels with 1 move left to spare.
the time limit is a whole different ball game though. or block game in this case. limits are really strict, even some tutorial levels need a few tries if you want to get all the stars and you really need to be on top of your multitasking game to succeed later.
there's a 'turbo mode' that makes things a bit faster, including block movement, but it doesn't change the time limit, so you'd think it's cheating and makes the whole game trivial. well, think again. though I'm sure there are people who can get the timing right even in this mode, but I gave up on time trials during the tutorial, don't need the extra stress, but appreciated things moving a bit faster.
I usually don't like it when there's only the very next level available to play, but since completing one without the extra challenges is easy enough even towards the end, it wasn't a huge issue, you can always go back to earlier levels, but of course to get 3 stars, you have to pull off beating both the time and turn limit in one go.
from a technical standpoint, it's mostly good, resolution options and windowed mode via the unity launcher, separate volume settings, and even music speeds up while in turbo mode, which I found really cool, as it didn't turn into anything annoying. in fact, in the 2+ hours it took me to go through the levels (mostly 1 star, admittedly, 2 or 3 would take considerably longer), I didn't have to turn off the music at all, which is rare in puzzle games. it's not exactly memorable, but definitely suits the game and it's not distracting or disturbing at all.
I mentioned undo above, always nice to have, there's also level reset, but at the time of writing there's no hotkey for either, nor for the pause menu, but they might get added sometime later. and currently the timer starts as soon as the 'go!' prompt disappears, potentially losing you valuable seconds, but they might change it to only trigger when you make your first move. and there are a few levels where the goal is a bit harder to spot because of the fixed angle and some walls in the way, but it's not a huge issue.
despite myself I ended up enjoying the game, which became a lot less stressful for me once I ignored the timer, and a bit later the move limit as well for the most part, so no secret levels for me, but [b]the game has a level editor and workshop support[/b] now, so there should be some extra content there, or you can always start making your own levels.
the price is more than reasonable as well, even outside a sale, and years after release the developers are still around, adding to the game and interacting with players on the forum, so if you like casual sliding games and/or want to overcome a really tough, time-based challenge, definitely pick it up.
