Vertical slice

Short note

Note needs to be developed and expanded.

A vertical slice is a preview of a game’s major layers and features, without being an exhaustive demonstration of its content and mechanics.

The vertical slice may combine aspects of the early-, mid-, and late-game, to suggest integration and progression across the whole playing experience.

An opening tutorial level can be a kind of vertical slice, familiarising us with the systems of a game and pointing to their future signficance, while compelling us to the next step.

A tutorial for a complex software application may also be understood as a vertical slice: a limited but multi-layered showcase. It teaches the user a finite set of core functionalities, while anticipating integrations and complexities beyond the tutorial itself.