Boing, boing, boing. Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there. I was helping Beatrix catch and farm cute blobby slime beings. Yes, of course, I’m talking about Slime Rancher part deux! Time for more slimy adventures in a whole new island setting. Let’s hop in and become the best Slime Rancher out there.
Slimes!
I love it when a weird idea becomes an instant hit on the internet. Slime Rancher was one of the best-selling games on Steam when it was released and Slime Rancher 2 is doing the same thing over and over again (not looking at the triple-A titles that are dominating the ranks right now). Slimes have always been a weird bunch, ranging from Dragon Quest slimes to the Isekai ‘I reincarnated as a slime’ Slimes to the typical (MMO)RPG slimes you kill in the first area of the game. Luckily Slime Ranchers took a different approach. Time to cultivate and harvest slimes!
Slimeeeee Rancher
Oke, recap; In Slime Rancher (1) you followed Beatrix LeBeau, a plucky young rancher who sets out for a life a thousand light years away from Earth on the ‘Far, Far Range, where she tries her hand at making living wrangling slimes. With a can-do attitude, plenty of grit, and her trusty vacpack, Beatrix attempts to claim, amass a fortune, and avoid the continual peril that looms from rolling, jiggling avalanche of slimes around every corner!
Rainbow Island
Just like in the first game, Slime Rancher is played in an open world and from a first-person perspective. You’re invited to join Beatrix on an adventure on Rainbow Island this time. Upon arriving at the brand new Rainbow Island, you find yourself at the atrium. It seems to have fallen apart a little and is a bit overgrown. Going around the island, there appears to be nothing different than the ranch. New slimes populate the islands that you will traverse. Soon You can discover drones that resemble robotic beetles with an electronic slime face. Partially broken, they can only give you logs left by an unknown explorer.
Soon you receive a call from Viktor saying how he has received a coded message from an A.I. so advanced it appears alien. After decoding some notes left by the A.I., Viktor says that the A.I. is on par with his intelligence. Mochi also calls, saying how there are quite a few drones around. She also says they are similar to the drones she knows but slightly different. Mochi says there is a probability of Aliens being on Rainbow Island and leaving these drones around. Ogden soon calls as well, Asking if any new food is on the island. A few calls later, he reveals that he suspects Rainbow Island is mostly artificial again, hinting at Aliens. Large ruins may be found around the islands proving that there was an ancient civilization at one point, just like the ranch. A newer character we have yet to meet is probably the “Alien” everyone is talking about. He happens to leave notes within drones found around the islands, talking about how he enjoys Rainbow Island but is sad to see it go.
Slimes, Slimes, Slimes
Different types of slimes can be combined by feeding a slime a plort from another species, making them noticeably larger and able to produce multiple plorts. However, if a slime combines more than three traits by eating two different plorts, it becomes an aggressive malevolent black slime called “Tarr,” which devours all other slimes around it. The player can pump fresh water from ponds and springs to splash and disintegrate the tarrs.
There are different kinds of slimes in the game, from small bits like simple ears and tails to the ability to teleport or grab a chicken via a vine that emerges from the ground. Docile and less harmful slimes include Pink, Phosphor, Tabby, Quantum, Honey, Puddle, Hunter, Tangle, Dervish, and Saber. Directly and indirectly dangerous slimes are Rock, Fire, Boom, Mosaic, Crystal, and Rad. And finally, the rarer or particular types of slimes: Lucky, Glitch, Quicksilver, Twinkle, And Gold.
Gameplay
But Nick, what is the main gameplay element? Well, easy; The game’s central economic aspect revolves around feeding slimes the appropriate food items so that they produce “plorts,” which can then be sold in exchange for Newbucks, the currency required to purchase upgrades to the rancher’s equipment or farm buildings. The player moves the character around various environments and can collect slimes, food items, and plorts by sucking them up with their vacuum tool (called a “VacPack,” a portmanteau of vacuum and backpack). They can only store a limited number of items and item types at a time and must go back to their ranch to unload their items before being able to collect more. The player must buy and upgrade various enclosures to house their collected slimes. And it looks so pretty. I love the graphical style and the whole vibe; very charming, more slimes, yes please.
Conclusion
So, to conclude. No, Slime Rancher 2 is not a very innovative game. It has many quality-of-life elements and a list of new elements, slimes, and items to keep the players interested. But the formula didn’t change. So, is that a bad thing? No, because it works. It feels like a relaxing farming simulator with a vacuum. And I love it. My daughter loves it. And I want to become a Slime Cowboy now. So, if you liked part one, you’ll also enjoy part two. More slime, more plorts, if you know what I mean.
