Slime Rancher 2 review: "A colorful and rich starting point"

I've spent far too much time trying to find nectar for my Flutter Slimes in Slime Rancher 2. The golden-hued creatures are butterfly-esque cuties, but surprisingly fussy eaters. You can sling fruit, veg, or a mouthful of Hen Hens at other Slims without issue, but the Flutter Slimes will only eat Moondew Nectar – a fresh, and rather elusive resource. But that's just part of the job when you're a Slime Rancher, exploring a new part of the Far Far Range. 

Launching into Early Access on September 22, 2022, for PC and Xbox Series X, Slime Rancher 2 is the highly-anticipated sequel to Monomi Park's slime-covered breakout sim. We're once again following the journey of Beatrix LeBeau, but this time she's headed to a new location known as Rainbow Island – naturally, there's a mystery to solve. There's a fun (albeit incomplete) story here, unfolding gradually through log notes and phone calls with other characters; even in its Early Access state, Slime Rancher 2 presents an additional incentive to keep you poking into every corner of its colorful world.

Sunshine and Rainbows

And what a world it is. Rainbow Island is a visual treat. Your home in Slime Rancher 2 is a large conservatory, complete with a glass dome that allows you to witness the full spectrum of colors featured in the day/night cycle – including the brilliantly silly Slime-themed moon. Monomi Park retains the stylized visual design that helped define the original Slime Rancher, but there's a crispness and brilliance to its sequel that helps set it apart.

What worries me at this stage of Slime Rancher 2's Early Access period is that the gameplay cycle is essentially the same as what came before. There's the same loop of collecting Slimes, feeding them their desired foodstuff, and collecting the plorts – aka poops – to sell on and make some cash. Those funds can then be used to unlock a bigger home base, upgrades, more Slime corrals, and more. You can also grow vegetables and fruits to feed to your Slimes, along with chickens and now Sea Hens too. Slime Rancher 2 has a little more depth, thanks to the new Slimes and resources, but if you're familiar with the original game, you'll know exactly what you're getting here. There's an argument to be made that Monomi Park needn't fix something that isn't broken, but for a full sequel I was expecting a touch more variety.

But, where Slime Rancher 2 does develop original ideas is in its world-building. It's not just the visuals that are richer, the world itself is much denser too. The starting area, located around the conservatory, is just the beginning – there are secrets to discover, Slimes to collect, and various pathways to explore. Your conservatory base can also be expanded to three additional zones, allowing you more space and options for farming, housing Slimes, and other key gameplay elements. 

Around the world too, you'll discover a collection of the huge Largo Slimes that can be fed to the point of explosion, which can open up access to new areas or other shortcuts. At this stage, there are two other areas to discover, known as Ember Valley and Starlight Strand. Both are sizable new chunks of world to explore, and home to unique Slimes and resources that you'll need to craft upgrades and other progression essentials in Slime Rancher 2. 

Holy Plorts

The conservatory and the two additional areas are home to some of the game's brand-new Slimes, which is where the gameplay does start to show signs of evolution. At the time of writing, there are five new Slimes in the game – Angler, Flutter, Batty, Cotton, and Ringtail. They're not only visually interesting against the original cast of energetic creatures, but also add some welcome new dynamics to play. Flutter Slimes, as I've mentioned, only eat Moondew Nectar, for example, whereas the tanuki-inspired Ringtail Slimes turn into adorable little statues at night, which you'll have to manage if you want to nab some of their lucrative plorts. 

Both plorts and the resources you'll find across the world in Slime Rancher 2, such as Deep Brine, Radiant Ore, or Jellystone are crucial to progression. In a little lair under your Conservatory you'll find the Fabricator, where you can make upgrades to your vac – aka your weapon of sorts that you use to suck and blow Slimes, resources, and other elements – but also your health and stamina. It's here that you can also get additional gadgets to help improve your movement capabilities, including a jet pack and dash boots. They're pretty crucial updates if you want to see everything that Slime Rancher 2 has to offer, and give you a nice focus to your exploration jaunts as you work towards collecting specific plorts or items. 

Slimey Access

Monomi Park has promised this is just the beginning for Slime Rancher 2, as you'd expect from its Early Access release. In a Slime Rancher 2 FAQ, the team explains that multiple free updates will arrive before the game leaves Early Access, and will include things like new areas, Slimes, resources, and gadgets, but also – intriguingly – "expanding the potential of Slime Rancher's established gameplay by adding new features not yet seen in Slime Rancher".

That bodes well for Slime Rancher 2's future, especially as it builds on this colorful, rich, and dense starting point. Bring on the Slimes!

Slime Rancher 2 was reviewed on PC, with a code provided by the publisher.