Slime-san: Superslime Edition Reviews

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I came to Slime-san hoping for a solid Meat Boy clone to sink my teeth into, and while it's similar enough and well put together enough to scratch the same itch, there are enough differences that give it more of an identity of its own as well. Let's start with the similarities: this game is a precision platformer with tight, responsive movement that feels great and has nuance and depth to it. You're quick to respawn and have to go through a long series of relatively short levels, optionally collecting trinkets along the way, before facing off against a boss at the end of each world. Level design is strong overall, offering a decent baseline challenge as well as ample opportunities to get faster times depending on your mastery of the movement. There are also unlockable characters with slightly different rules and physics. The first difference you'll notice is in your moveset. On top of the usual jump (and wall jump) there's a 4 directional dash, as well as a "morph" ability that serves three simultaneous purposes: it slows down time, it allows you to pass through any tiles, enemies or projectiles that are coloured green, and it also toggles certain tile types on or off. The rules are not *that* much more advanced than Meat Boy but on some of the levels you really have to juggle quite a bit between inputs, however it's really satisfying to try to master. The second and perhaps most crucial difference is the game's commitment and approach to variety. Simply put, it relentlessly throws new enemies, tiles and level mechanics at you, to an almost overwhelming degree. I did not count but it would not surprise me if there are more levels that introduce some new idea or variation, than ones that don't. It almost makes me wonder if the developers were afraid players might get bored and drop the game if new ideas weren't constantly introduced, though I can't imagine that being the case because Slime-san game absolutely nails the fundamentals. Still, this is probably the biggest "your mileage may vary" point: if you appreciate or crave such variety you will love the game, whereas if you prefer games with more restraint and focus, perhaps [url=steamcommunity.com/id/_y/recommended/321560/]ones where the design elevates and exhausts one or few core gimmicks[/url], you might be less enthused. Level structure is also a bit unusual. The vast majority of levels in this game are actually quadruplets, four unrelated individual screens with no scrolling or connection (besides thematic), each with its own collectible. It's certainly one way to keep things bite sized and emphasise variety, although it does have minor unfortunate consequences. The biggest one for me is that your performance is timed across all four screens that comprise one level, and there is no way to specifically only grind and practice, say, the third one, you have to do them all every time. Speaking of structure, this game features a hub level where you can talk to NPCs and spend your hard-earned collectibles on cosmetics, playable arcade mini-games and different characters. I have come to loathe the word "content" in recent years but there certainly is a lot to do in Slime-san. Every level has a "trophy time", and once you beat the game you unlock NG+ difficulty, which is functionally kind of like the Dark World in Super Meat Boy - harder variations of every level. And if that wasn't enough, there are also three free level packs as well as a level editor and sharing system. What about negatives? I think I only have nitpicks really. Very occasionally there can be minor visibility issues (I recommend turning off the side art when fighting the 4th boss) as well as minor audio issues mostly related to one type of morph tile. You have almost no leeway in the order you must complete levels in; if you ever wish to skip ahead and come back later it costs you collectibles and the game even warns you that this will prevent you from 100%ing it. A lot of the in-game text and NPC dialogue is very referential and self-aware in that quirky internet way, to a degree that gets a bit tiresome after a while. The fact that you must press Jump instead of Up to talk to NPCs or enter shops is also a bit awkward considering you also need to jump to get around the hub level itself and look for secrets. And needless to say with how many different ideas this game has (and the free expansions add even more) it's kind of inevitable you will like some and dislike others. But none of these nitpicks detract from the fact that Slime-san is an absolutely rock solid platformer with a ton of effort put into it that's bursting at the seams with both ideas and fun to be had. Very easy to recommend if you're into the genre as I am.