Slime Rancher 2 Review (coolkitty1654 on linux)
THIS IS THE EARLY ACCESS RELEASE??
TL;DR: Game is already really good with minimal bugs, great new world and exploration and Slime Science system, but couple of problems and currently feels more like a Slime Rancher 1.5 or Slime Rancher DLC. Still highly recommended.
It already feels so polished, with a lot to do. There are those early access bugs though, so I'll go over them quickly.
- Sounds stop playing after being in the game for a while.
- Your vacpack stops sucking things in after being in the game for a while.
Apart from that, my experience with this game has been amazing. I played a lot of Slime Rancher 1 across multiple platforms, so I was thrilled for this release. The new areas are amazing, (although they have many reused assets.) with brand new nooks and crannies to explore, with each area being distinct with its colourful and playful nature. The soundtrack is once again phenomenal, although deciding to be more chill than Slime Rancher 1.
The new Slime Science system is AMAZING. Once you upgrade your vacpack with the extractor, YOU are the apiary. YOU are the drill. YOU are the pump. I think you get the point. You find resources around the island and can vac them up instead of placing drills down in each area and waiting for their cycle to finish. It's a very polished system for being one of the biggest new features and I cannot wait to see it get expanded on.
Slime Rancher 2 does a great job with exploration too. The map is already massive, and as stated previously, each area is distinct and recognisable. Slime Keys are a thing of the past, in favour of you bursting gordos to find twisty things to activate portals, or the gordo sitting directly on top of the portal, and I think they've done it wonderfully. I'm very excited for what Monomi Park has to offer with the areas they're planning to add.
Starmail has been replaced with a little wireless communication box in front of The Conservatory, pretty neat. Nothing has been heard from Casey so far though :(
I do have some gripes with this game, however they cannot reflect the final game as this entire review was written from playing v0.1.1 and I will most likely edit this review when each new update releases, or around the full release.
- Tarrs are a massive problem naturally. Too many slimes spawn in one area and you'll be spending more time trying to rid them than exploring (especially because the water tank isn't something you'll get instantly.)
- Apart from all the new areas, there are only 5 new slimes. There aren't many new resources as well.
- With the new areas, some things are just too bright.
- The core game is very, very similar to Slime Rancher 1, which is to be expected, but it feels too similar in it's current state.
For now, Slime Rancher 2 feels more like a Slime Rancher 1.5, or Slime Rancher 1 DLC. I'm optimistic about the future of Slime Rancher 2 though, considering how far Slime Rancher 1 came within its time. But for now, be brave, be bold, and stay wiggly. Have fun on Rainbow Island!
P.S tabby slime, you are still my beloved