A cutesy, relaxing, and extremely enjoyable game, is what Monomi Park’s Slime Rancher 2 is all about. As a huge fan of the original game from 2016, I was super excited to finally give this one a try and see if it still carries the same charm that made me fall in love with the first iteration. In short, it does exactly that, although it’s still in early access and most likely has more to offer. 

Moving from the original to the sequel, there are very noticeable differences yet improvements to most aspects of the game. The new game still follows the same main character, Beatrix LeBeau, but this time she gets to explore brand-new areas and interact with slimes that are mostly different but still as cute as ever. Exploring new areas feels great and not too difficult, and the movement in the game has definitely improved, feeling less limiting and clunky than the original. The game creates such a simplistic yet entertaining experience that continues to let me have fun without having to try too hard.

The gameplay itself stays pretty similar to the original, exploring the world, interacting with slimes, and then bringing them back to your ranch so you can farm them for money. One of the best parts of the original was being able to crossbreed any slime available, and that’s still pertinent here. Monomi Park did not stray too far from their first formula and so far has been able to deliver another immersive experience that can hook anyone into trying it out and find some joy from it.

Now it does lack in the content department, which is expected as it’s only in the early access version, but it feels a bit disappointing. Monomi hasn’t released a concrete schedule on when they’ll add new content because they want to wait until it’s fully ready and without any avoidable errors. In the current state of the game, I ran out of new stuff to do somewhat quickly, but that depends on the pace you play the game. As I hit this stalemate, I’ve just gone back to what works, experimenting with the slimes and seeing all the possible combinations that they hold. I hope Monomi can deliver even more enjoyment with whatever they have in store, and hopefully, it comes sooner than later.