A Whole Lot Of Ex-Plort-Ation
HIGH Adorable slimes and fantastical environments.
LOW The frustrating progression system.
WTF The ethics of my “ranch”.
All the way back in 2016 I picked up a Humble Bundle containing the original Slime Rancher and tried it on a whim. Stardew Valley had only just been released and the indie farming mania had yet to fully take effect. So, while it had some problems, Slime Rancher felt fresh and I was quite taken by it thanks to the whimsical charm of the Far Far Range, filled with all its gelatinous inhabitants. Many hours were spent enjoying the feeling of discovery as I explored new areas, built up my ranch and let it devolve into Dickensian work standards as overcrowded cells of slimes generated income for my capitalist vices.
Over eight years later, Slime Rancher 2 finally got its full release and I was eager to get back and start rounding up some colorful creatures. After finally making my way through the main content, let’s just say I have some thoughts…
To set the scene, the player reprises the role of Beatrix LeBeau, an intrepid slime rancher who has made her way to a new land with a conservatory most could only dream of, ripe for turning into a brand new Slime Ranch. Alongside is her trusty ‘Vacpack’ — a gun capable of sucking in and firing out nearby food, slimes and the occasional decorative pot.
The system is quite simple — catch a slime, feed it food and out plops a ‘plort’ which can be sold for sweet, sweet cash. Different slimes have different food preferences and conditions needed to keep them, so if the player wants to “catch ‘em all” they’ll need to expand their ranch with a number of different environments. Amateur geneticists can also crossbreed slimes by feeding them each other’s plorts (I would advise not dwelling too deep on this) creating a larger and feistier, but also more profitable Largo Slime.
For the first act of the campaign I was enjoying myself as the trappings feel immediately similar to the original Slime Rancher. I was a little disappointed to find the majority of slimes were reused from the first game, but SR2 manages to maintain the same whimsy and comical interactions as slimes bounce around looking for food and bumping into each other. The initial areas are relatively colorful and diverse, and the player will have some immediate goals to fill out the ranch and get a few key upgrades.
On that note, Slime Science is back from the original and has a much larger role to play. Alongside stockpiling plorts, the player will need special science materials that randomly spawn around the map. Initially this added an element of excitement as I stumbled across rare resources and hurriedly carried them back to base. (Slime Rancher 2 assumes the player loves running, by the way — it forces them to do it a lot!)
One of the main areas Slime Rancher 2 has evolved is in the use of this Science to unlock both utilities and decorations. Warp devices move people and resources, utilities to help recover health or stamina, and aesthetic pieces liven up the ranch and bring it to life.
Overall, there’s a lot to like here. Slime Rancher 2 is split into two distinct acts, and the first is certainly a continuation of the original formula. Act 2, or “The Grey Labyrinth”, is where the story truly starts — and frankly, I consider this section to be actively harmful to the overall experience. Judging by player reviews I might be in the minority, so allow me to defend myself.
As I made my way further out from my main base, the sheen started to wear off as trekking through the same landscapes time after time became frustrating. There are a couple of portals and shortcuts that help skip some of the journey, but the ability to create teleporters is locked until almost the very end of the game. An issue, since Slime Rancher 2‘s primary focus becomes less about ranching and more about exploring as the adventure progresses.
Worse, there are not one, not two, but three RNG resource grinds in order to get to endgame, which just means running around in circles to find the needed items — and maybe I’m just going crazy, but I’d swear the RNG odds decrease for areas that have already been explored until time passes to reset them. This often resulted in me having to go back to base and do a long runback to grind more resources because I hadn’t found all the rare spawns I needed.
With limited stamina that takes slightly too long to recover, these grindy late game utility unlocks, and lack of focus on the actual ranching, Slime Rancher 2‘s second half was not a great time. Achieving these goals were often met with relief that I didn’t have to grind further or deal with frustrating mechanics any longer, rather than being excited about finally getting a cool, new toy. It’s just not enjoyable, and feels like such a weird design choice in an otherwise cozy title.
It’s not all bad in the back half, though. The later stages do feature the most impressive environments the series has to offer, and numerous times I stopped in awe to admire the scene before me. The dynamic soundtrack is also consistently good throughout. Some of the new slimes have interesting designs and quirks that immediately made me want to add them to the collection. The story… well, the story doesn’t actively detract from things and does justify some interesting world events and settings.
Ultimately, Slime Rancher 2 is a strange beast. On paper it has everything the original does, and more. More slimes, more unlocks and more imaginative environments. Sadly, the frustrations overshadowed many of those positives for me, as many of the new additions actively work against the tone of the experience. Quicker access to fast travel or unlimited stamina would go a long way to easing these complaints, and make me feel less like my time was being wasted.
I’ve been rather negative on its latter sections, but for those who enjoyed the original Slime Rancher, it manages to hit many of the same pleasant notes — but maybe have a guide handy to minimize the travel and grinding.
— Adam Sharman
Rating: 6 out of 10
Buy Slime Rancher 2 – PC – PS – XB
Disclosures: This game is developed by Monomi Park and is self published. It is currently available on PC, PS and XB. This copy of the game was obtained via publisher and reviewed on the PC. Approximately 15 hours of play were devoted to the single-player mode, and the game was completed. There is currently no multiplayer option.
Parents: The game has an ESRB rating of E10+ due to Fantasy Violence. Evil slimes known as Tarr that will consume friendly slimes are able to be toggled off on game start, however the player can still be damaged and bitten. All “fighting” is done by launching enemies away or shooting them with water.
Colorblind Modes: There is no colorblind mode.
Deaf & Hard of Hearing Gamers: This game does not offer subtitles, but there is no audible dialogue — all story is conveyed via text. (See example above.) Slimes do make noises but they do not affect gameplay with the exception of the lucky slime which does have a jingle to indicate its presence. Without a matching visual cue, it is not fully accessible.
Remappable Controls: Yes, this game offers fully remappable controls on both keyboard and controller.
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