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Slime-san Review


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598491a841105_Slime-sanlogo.jpg.7cce507531cc6660e981f7fb7482b95c.jpgSlime-san is your typical story about an average ball of slime, minding his own business, who is suddenly eaten by a giant worm. Just his luck. Now he's on a quest to escape the worm's expansive gut without being digested. Don't let the game's goofy sense of humor trick you though–Slime-san is one intensely challenging retro platformer. Developer Fabraz with publisher Headup Games has spared no detail in crafting hundreds of trials that require sharp reflexes and precise thumbwork. This one isn't for the casual gamer, but anyone that enjoys a healthy challenge will find a wealth of content to enjoy here.
 
Slime-san is a pretty classic platformer, so there's not much room to weave storytelling into platforming levels, or even between them. But that doesn't mean the game is devoid of personality. In the main menu you can visit Slumptown, a trading hub within the worm populated by all manner of odd creatures also swallowed by the worm. Aside from buying cosmetic features or visiting the arcade–where you can unlock multiplayer mini-games–it's worth it to explore Slumptown just for its color cast of characters. The dialogue is usually rife with humor and pop culture references–keen-eyed players should be able to spot more than a few references to other games too. It may not be a plot-heavy game but Fabraz has crafted a charming little world (within a giant worm's body) all the same.
 
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At first glance its easy to compare Slime-san to something like Super Meat Boy. Both are hardcore platformers meant to test your ability to land perfect jumps and dashes–Slime-san even leaves a slime trail similar to Meat Boy. But there's more than enough room within the genre for similar games, and Slime-san proves that there is plenty of potential for even more imaginative and challenging platformer ideas. And this game runs the gamut in terms of classic platformer features: moving platforms, conveyor belts, disappearing blocks, gravity flip…the list goes on. As you might expect there are plenty of other hazards along the way, always identified with convenient bright red coloring, and precise timing is crucial when leaping out of harm's way. Slime-san pieces together plenty of familiar elements into new challenges that are both thrilling to complete and nerve-wracking to play.
 
Slime-san makes a few important distinctions for itself as well, of course. For one thing each level (outside of bosses and special scrolling levels) is actually composed of four rooms, which are usually linked thematically but each has its own challenge. That means the game's 100 levels actually packs in quite a bit more content than it seems at first. And these levels are meant to be played fast. Slime-san keeps the pressure on the player with a short timer in each stage. Once the timer runs out, the stage starts to fill with acid–there is no time for dawdling in this game. On the bright side, this encourages you to find your platforming groove–with no time to waste you have to maintain your momentum, and this can help sometimes when you might be paralyzed with indecision. The acid isn't just there to punish players, it encourages the fast, precise gameplay that defines Slime-san and makes it so engaging.
 
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The controls are mostly kept to a minimum but Slime-san has a few unique features here as well. Of course you can jump and walk–or whatever the equivalent of walking is for a ball of slime–but Slime-san can also dash, slide off walls (which can be used to wall climb) and slow time. That last one seems like a curve ball but it ends up feeling like a perfectly natural part of the game. It's not some sort of get-out-of-trouble-free card but it does help when you need to get your timing down right, plus the developers have tacked on a couple other uses that provide plenty of gameplay possibilities. Slime-san can move through green walls with a press of the same slow-time button, and it can be used to make certain blocks appear or disappear. Again, across nearly 400 rooms you'll find all manner of platformer challenges, all of which are engaging and few of which are ever frustrating. You'll die–a lot–but the short levels help keep the game from being discouraging. Slime-san is challenging, but also satisfying–the perfect recipe for an addictive "one more level" type of game.
 
If for some reason you're concerned that 400 rooms of extra-difficult platforming is not enough content, don't worry, Slime-san has you covered. For one thing every room has a collectible apple in it, and these apples are not always easy to grab. As in many games trying to snag all of the optional collectibles becomes a whole new challenge to enjoy (or cry over). Once you have a few apples in your bushel you can spend them in Slumptown on cosmetic features or on new characters with different abilities–one might be able to double jump, one might dash further, etc. One small change and suddenly you're looking at every level in a new light. If that's not enough every level also has a time limit trophy: finish the level under the limit and collect your trophy. Apples can be tricky to collect but these trophies require nigh perfect skills to earn, especially since dying/retrying doesn't reset the timer. Trophy collecting is truly for hardcore fans. But if that's still not enough for you there are extra modes to add further obstacles. There are speed run and boss rush modes as well as New Game+ which remixes every level in the game to make them harder and effectively doubling the size of the game. No one can scoff at nearly 800 levels of platformer challenges. Rest assured, you're getting your money's worth with Slime-san.
 
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The graphics and audio in Slime-san are a testament to how much one can do with so little. There are only five colors in the game's color palette and the developers have still managed to put together a distinct visual style that includes charming character designs and a decent variety of level environments. Occasionally it can be hard to distinguish whether or not something is a ledge or just part of the scenery but that's a rare occurrence. The minimalist design and pixelated art truly create a striking look that is equally functional: green is friendly, red is hazardous, white outlines are ledges, and blue is background. The soundtrack is well worth a mention here too. Again, even working within the limits of chiptune audio the composers have done a fantastic job of creating a variety of catchy tunes brimming with energy–exactly what you want in a platformer like this.
 
Slime-san's unassuming art style and fun, goofy premise belie the wealth of intense platforming that the game offers. There are some insane challenges to be found here that will leave your hands white-knuckled on the controller and elated with each level conquered. In all aspects the developers have done an excellent job of piecing together minimalist elements to create a game greater than the sum of its parts. It's hard not to be charmed by a game like this. Any gamer that enjoys a good challenge should be sure to give Slime-san a try–this is what hardcore twitch platforming is all about.
 
Rating: 8 out of 10 Apples
 
Review copy provided by the publisher
 

Slime-san is available now on the Switch eShop for $11.99.

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No problem!

 

Also I forgot to mention in the review itself but the Switch version is also getting the DLC Blackbird's Kraken as a free download at some point in the future, so players will have even more content to look forward to. The DLC adds 25 more levels (plus 25 NG+ remixed levels) along with several other added features.

 

 

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