Designer: Nicolas Bourgoin &Jean-François Rochas

Artist: Stéphane Escapa

Publisher: Blue Orange Games

Year Published: 2019

No. of Players: 1-4

Ages: 7+

Playing Time: 15-45 Minutes

Main Mechanic / Theme: Dexterity, Cooperative

Find more info on BoardGameGeek.com

Overview:

Slide Quest offers a ton of fun and variety to the obstacles presented within 20 colorful levels that's sure to challenge gamers of all ages! 

 Photo Credit: @fibobs (BGG)

Gameplay and Mechanics:

Slide Quest is, at its core, an excellent toy with a campaign-style, dexterity game built around its components. This game can be played solo or with 2-3 other friends, controling 1 or more of the 4 levers resting on each of the box's edges. These levers are used to manipulate the tilt of the main gameboard, causing the blue knight to slide along printed paths, around obstacles (e.g. fences, archways, boulders, etc.), and into your foes (e.g., guards and villains). Many of the levels require you to follow narrow paths, pass between obstacles and holes in the board, push meeples across the board and drop them into holes that match their printed numbers or symbols, etc. There are also levels involving sticks of dynamite (i.e. small red, wooden pillars) that cause you to lose a heart if they get knocked over by any means. Anytime you fall into a hole, you lose a heart and respawn at the start of the level.

Setting up this game is pretty straightforward. First, assemble the 4 levers and tray inside the bottom of the box. Then, place one of the 20 level boards inside the tray; these level boards are color-coded and numbered based on their difficulty level. Next, arrange the necessary obstacles so that no peg hole or component icon remains empty. Place the blue knight on the lower of the two numbers printed on the level board chosen. Finally, set your health meter according to the board's level of difficulty and you're ready to play! This game can be played as a single level or part of a larger campaign where you progress through levels 1 to 20. Among the components included is a health meter that you can use to "save" your progress for future plays. 

 Photo Credit: @ImagineAllTheMeeple (BGG)

Theme, Artwork and Illustration, Graphic Design and Layout

The artwork for this game is light and fun, definitely fits the feel of the game perfectly. Each of the 20 levels includes vibrant illustrations that do a great job setting the scene for your adventure. The graphic design is minimal and essentially used to help communicate what components are needed for each level. 

What Worked:

I feel that this game really shines as a 2-player game. Playing at 4-players becomes a completely different challenge concerning communication and coordination. With two players, you each have control over to adjacent sides of the board so manuevering the knight across the board feels much easier and less frustrating. I really enjoyed the various challenges associated with levels in the game and could care less about following the sequential progression through the levels. Slide Quest is a great filler game that you can play with both children and adults!

What Can Be Improved:

The only think I would have liked to have seen in Slide Quest is a few blank level sheets that allow you to create your own paths, obstacles, etc. I've been tempted to try and make one of these and may do just that in the future!

Final Thoughts:

Slide Quest is a near perfect reimagining of those old-fashion marble mazes, featuring 20 levels that offer decent replay value. With its playful theme and colorful artwork, this game has an excellent table presence and is a welcome addition to our collection.