Slime Rancher 2 is a first-person open-world farming simulator developed by Monomi Park. This game is the sequel to the smash hit Slime Rancher from 2017. With promises of a bright and colorful new island to explore. Several new slimes to find and nurture. As well as a variety of new upgrades and travel mechanics. Slime Rancher 2 brings a whole new wiggly adventure to fans and newcomers alike for a new ride in the game’s early access!
A Mystery, An Island, A Ranch
In Slime Rancher 2 you will play once again as Beatrix LeBeau as she boards a mysterious boat that leads her to Rainbow Island, where she has to unravel a mystery surrounding this massive and vibrant island. However, since this game has just launched, there is not a full-fledged story component to this mystery yet. As you wander around and explore Rainbow Island, you will come across robotic bugs that have documents left behind by the previous inhabitant.
You can go to a console and chat with some characters from the previous game. But there will never be any tasks to complete and any dialogue exchanges will only add to the ambiguity that the documents from those robotic bugs leave behind. I do find this to be very lacking as the island is filled with a ton of clues for its mystery. However, I do not mind the focus of exploring the island, finding slimes, bloating Gordos, and engaging in its very addicting farming gameplay. Which I have spent multiple days delving into.
Similarly Addictive Gameplay in Slime Rancher 2
While the story component of Slime Rancher 2 is a little lacking. Playing the game is a very chill and enjoyably addictive experience. As you explore Rainbow Island, you will come across tons of slimes. You can suck them using the VacPack to then transport them to your ranch. At the ranch, you can feed slimes and collect “Plorts” that come out of the slimes. These can then be sold in a marketplace for money.
You can then use this money to upgrade plots of land where you store slimes. Create gardens to grow food. As well as purchase upgrades found in hidden spheres spread around the game’s massive locale. Slime Rancher 2 rewards exploring every nook and cranny of Rainbow Island with upgrades, and decorations you can build, and can sometimes provide you with blueprints to make teleporters that allow you to get back to the ranch easily.
It is a very simple gameplay loop. Find slimes, capture slimes, feed slimes, and sell their Plorts for money to make it easier to make more money. With the excess money being used to make exploring the game easier. Whether that is giving you more health, stamina to run longer, or more meaningful upgrades like a jetpack and more slots to store stuff in your VacPack. I never find myself getting bored and always feel compelled to explore these upgrades.
The Vibrant Island
In comparison to the original Slime Rancher, Slime Rancher 2 really stepped up its game in terms of location with Rainbow Island. This new area is split into three separate and unique locations. The starter area is lush fields of grass that eventually begin to have patterns of every color in the rainbow.
The second centers around a beach theme with tall trees and structures of different colors split down the middle. While the third is centered around a volcano and caverns. The variety of these locations encouraged me to look around and just take in some of the more detailed sections. It is not all flat terrain and winding paths. There is a focus on verticality with each location. Which becomes easier to navigate with the jetpack. There are also hidden paths and Gordos which are giant slimes that block the way to more hidden paths.
As well as so much more to explore and breathtaking sights with the game’s simple yet soft and colorful art style. With even more variety in the slimes. Like the cotton slime that looks like a bunny. The angler slime looks like an anglerfish and the crystal slime that looks like a normal rock slime but has individual crystals that shine all over its body. They are all equally as adorable as the regular slimes that are brought forward from the original.
Technical Performance/Difficulty/Music
I played Slime Rancher 2 on the Xbox Series X and it has been a pretty solid experience. No framerate drops, freezes, crashes, or glitches so far. The game also loads up very quickly. I did notice some issues with draw distance. Like with a flutter slime, the wings and antennae won’t appear on them if I step away from them far enough. As well as the VacPack never feels like it is animated at a smooth framerate. When you sprint you can notice it is a little choppy. The stream of water from one body to another also looks weird as well.
Slime Rancher 2 encourages you to play the game as you feel comfortable doing so. Meaning in the options you can remove the option for Tarr slimes to appear. As well as tune the damage you take to either half or take more if you feel the game is too easy. The music in this game is also very mellow to promote a feeling of zen. However if you turn up the music in the settings, the sound effects and other general audio becomes dampened.
Closing Thoughts on Slime Rancher 2 Early Acess
Overall, Slime Rancher 2 is a very chill, gorgeous, and addicting game. With a lot to explore and things to do. Its predecessor was in early access for a year, but it is unknown if that will be a similar case with this game. It does lack meaningful story content and there are some issues that need to be addressed. But I am more than confident they will execute everything perfectly now that they can take feedback from their community. If you are looking for a game with a lot of cyclical farming simulation to sink your teeth into, definitely pick up this game.
Slime Rancher 2 is available right now for $29.99 on Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. It is also available on Xbox Game Pass for Console, Cloud, and PC with a download size of under two gigabytes.
Special thanks to Monomi Park for the Key. Expect more coverage for Slime Rancher 2 throughout its early access.
