‘Slime Rancher 2’: A delicious visual treat
Beatrix LeBeau returns for another slime-shooting adventure in “Slime Rancher 2,” the long-awaited sequel to the highly acclaimed “Slime Rancher” developed by Monomi Park. This time, Beatrix finds herself on the mysterious Rainbow Island, a brand new land inhabited by plenty of delightful, wriggling slimes to collect. The goal is to help Beatrix discover new breeds of slimes, upgrade her conservatory and discover the hidden secrets of the island.
Although “Slime Rancher 2” released on the Xbox Game Pass, Epic Games Store and Steam Store on Sept. 22, the game is still considered early access, meaning it is still under development and new features will be added in future updates. With a price tag of $29.99, you may be wondering if it’s worth it to snag this sequel in its current state.
“Slime Rancher 2” closely follows its predecessor — you play as Beatrix, a young woman who decides to become a rancher in the “Far, Far Range.” Beatrix’s rancher days haven’t ended after the first “Slime Rancher.” On Rainbow Island, her work moves from a little western farm to a giant, Victorian-style abandoned conservatory. The conservatory can be expanded onto the surrounding cliff and even move underground, building plenty of corrals, gardens and coops to house and feed your slimes.
Speaking of slimes — they’re everywhere! “Slime Rancher 2” brings back some familiar goopy faces, like the classic Pink Slime and the Phosphor Slime, a creature that flies and glows like a lightning bug. There are also some fresh new slimes to collect like the Cotton Slime, an adorable little blob with bunny ears, and the Flutter Slime, a delightfully orange slime with butterfly wings. All of the slimes have been revamped with gorgeous new models and textures that make them feel even oozier and bouncier than before.
You catch and raise slimes to collect their “plorts,” little gems that slimes produce after eating (I’ll leave that process to your imagination…). You can sell plorts for Newbucks, the game’s fictional currency, which allow for the purchase of new corrals, coops and gardens to get more slimes and start the process all over again.
Collecting slimes is just one part of the fun. Rainbow Island is still somewhat small, but considering its early development, there’s lots to explore. The island is scattered with ancient ruins and strange little drones that hint at the complex history of its former inhabitants.
Regarding visuals, Rainbow Island certainly lives up to its name. The art style is absolutely stunning, with incredibly whimsical environments and candy-colored resources. Taking in the sights is an experience of its own, and certainly an exciting adventure for any “Slime Rancher” fans that want to see their favorite little critters wobble around in HD.
The only downside to these beautiful graphics is the strain they take on your device. If you’re rocking a rinky-dink laptop setup, you’ll have to miss out on those dazzling ocean waves by either suffering endless frame lag or turning your resolution all the way down to even get the game running. Considering how much content “Slime Rancher 2” lacks in comparison to its predecessor, the visuals are its major selling point. So, without them, there’s little novelty in the standard slime-catching formula from the first game.
“Slime Rancher 2” also features updated portraits and animations for the human characters — that’s right, there aren’t just slimes in this game! Beatrix dons a cute new outfit while her charming group of friends comes to life in adorable 2D animated character portraits.
For fans of the original “Slime Rancher,” the cast remains the same and their stories continue to expand. For the unfamiliar, don’t worry. The story and character relationships are largely explained through dialogue and environmental cues. The narrative is subtle but engaging as you navigate communicating with far-away friends and establishing life on your own on the island.
The soundtrack completes the immersive, fanciful Rainbow Island experience. A lilting piano guides you from the main menu to the conservatory where the music picks up for a high-energy day of sucking slimes. The soundtrack is both elegant and eager, perfect as background music for both the game and real life.
While the mechanics are fairly standard for a first-person exploration game, it all feels smooth, and the implementation of an energy bar forces you to make thoughtful decisions about using up all of your juice at once. However, there aren’t any new mechanics to distinguish “Slime Rancher 2” from the first game. Beatrix still runs and jumps like before, and the “Vacpack,” a vacuum gun that Beatrix uses to suck up and shoot slimes, fruit and resources, doesn’t feature any remarkable additions.
One concern with the game being early access is that there’s currently no formal release date for updates or major story arcs. To soothe fears, the “Slime Rancher” team does make frequent updates to their website and has an active relationship with their fanbase via Discord server and social media.
Overall, “Slime Rancher 2” is still a bit flimsy in terms of content, but all is forgiven considering its early access status. Passionate “Slime Rancher” fans will no doubt love the intricate and saturated new visuals of Rainbow Island and enjoy seeking out new slimes and lore. New players to the “Slime Rancher” franchise may fare better picking up the original — after all, the first “Slime Rancher” is content complete and $10 cheaper.
“Slime Rancher 2” is already an incredible experience in early access and promises so much more. If you want to support the “Slime Rancher” developers while learning more about their fascinating and wiggly world, “Slime Rancher 2” is a great addition to your digital library.