Slime Rancher quickly became an obsession worthy time sink. Aim of the game, collect slime poop, or rather “plorps”, and sell them for various amounts of cash. While there are many ways to go about collecting the valuable “plorps”, the best way is through the power of exploration. Delve into the vast land of Far, Far Range in search of the mysterious slimes and their excrements; with each new slime breed you collect you must expand your modest farm.
From growing robust Heart Beets for your vegetable loving Rock slimes, to breeding your own Stony Hen’s for those rowdy Tabby slimes, you will be kept busy for days to come. While there does not seem to be a point to the game other than making those newbucks, there is still much you can do. On your farm there are three unlockable areas that add a lot of playability to the game. You have the Grotto which is perfect for those finicky Phosphor slimes, and the Overgrowth where you can switch your style to free farming. Then, there is the Lab which opens the ability to do Slime Science. This area alone added a lot of content to the small game, adding the ability to buy blueprints and craft a variety of gadgets. Using nothing but your vac-pac at the start of the game, you feel a true sense of accomplishment when building up your stats and resources.
The game adds a new layer of playability in the form of Largos. From purposefully creating them to suit your needs on the farm, or accidentally creating them in the wild, which can be dangerous in the best of times, Largos are a key component to this charming game. These slimes appear larger than the normal ones, and are composed of the features of two regular slimes. While Pink slimes may seem all but useless in the game, they do present one good attribute, they eat everything; vegetables, fruits, and the cute and plucky Hen Hens. While this does tend to get in the way at times, when combining a Pink slime with another slime, it creates a Pink Largo of some variety. These Pink Largos will now eat anything, just like the Pink slimes. Learning these tips and tricks becomes essential to mastering this game. At times the game may feel slow, like there is nothing prompting you to move faster, this clears up fast once you meet the dreaded Tar Slimes. These menaces plague the land around your farm, sometimes breaching your defenses and forming right on your doorstep. Keeping your slimes apart becomes as much of the game as farming for those precious “plorps”.
Part of the appeal and beauty of the game is the freedom you possess as the player. One of the only complaints I had about the game was the corrupted game file I ran into. While a slight disappointment, it was easy to get over. The joy of starting a new farm, using all the knowledge you have accrued and putting that towards your play style, starting over is not that bad. The games can be played in quick bursts, or dragged out for as long as you like.
There is even a game mode that takes place over five days, a perfect choice for those who are eager to use all they know in a short period of time. Overall, the setback I faced was only a slight blemish to an overall excellent game.
4.5/5 Stars
