A delightfully charming game, I was captivated by the game's art style, and was extremely happy when I started playing it, although it was quite simple in nature so I found it tough to continue playing it in the long run. The game mostly consists of a loop of catching slimes, feeding them to earn money, and using the money to buy upgrades while also unlocking new areas around the ranch. There's also the option to travel across the map, kill tarrs, and use your lab to craft everything. It eventually becomes too trivial because of the lack of diversity in the things to do, and for me at least the charm of the game fades away after 8 hours. It is still recommendable though because it is charming and there was a sense of happiness from how cute it was. For the people wanting more serious games, this is not the one, as there is no long term engagement to it. It is a good game if the goal is just to relax though.

I've played this long enough to know it's not going to connect, it's addictive but shallow. Mechanically it does have some things going for it. At times, it works well as a fast-paced "FPS" with frantic resource-gathering instead of shooting. The gameplay loop gets tiresome fast though, as sprinting is limited by a stamina meter that really has no good reason to exist, turning the otherwise satisfying movement into a dull waiting game half of the time (even after stamina upgrades).

Additionally, the inventory can only fit four items; choosing which resources to leave behind is not an interesting or satisfying choice, and only really results in frustratingly repetitive backtracking. I love metroidvanias so backtracking is not such a problem for me, but it does necessitate a world that is interesting or at least atmospheric to move through. The world here is aesthetically dull (the music is pleasant enough but does no heavy lifting), and narratively it's far worse. This is some ninth grade-level lore. Every joke falls flat, and the attempts at emotional resonance are totally unearned. Why should I care about any of this... at least it's all optional, but I would've liked the chance to get immersed.

Admittedly this was never trying to be a virtual pet game (at least I have to assume), but the cute slimes were the main draw for me and I was disappointed by their lack of depth or distinct personalities. They started to feel like an abstract resource almost immediately.

Slime Rancher is truly a master of none, what is this game even doing? It's an action-adventure with a shallow, unrewarding world to explore. It's a farm life sim that feels lifeless and transactional. It half-succeeds as an addicting turn-your-brain-off quasi-FPS, but I think life may actually be too short. No disrespect if you like this game, apparently it does appeal to a lot of people and I would love to learn more. But I left feeling empty.

Слаймики