Witchin' it Up

I'm a firm believer that waiting is almost always worth it...even if it's really hard.  I thoroughly enjoyed Hades and it's truly one of my favorites and the only roguelike/lite that I've ever stuck with.  When Hades II was announced it was extremely tempting to hop into early access.  Personally, I'm not a big fan of playing during early access.  Sure, there is some value in being part of the development process and seeing how all the pieces fall into place, but I would much rather just wait for the finished product rather than the stop and start process of playing during EA.  I'm finally playing Hades II and it has definitely been worth the wait.

The first thing that I'll report is that I'm not great at it.  I still haven't managed to take down either of the big baddies (fun fact--there are two this time around!) but I definitely feel like I'm making progress.  Hades is such a classic that they've kept most of the base gameplay--you're still navigating through an everchanging set of rooms to reach your ultimate goal of facing off with a boss at the end of each zone.  Between bouts of fighting, Melinoe returns to her Crossroads base where she can invest resources to unlock special items/events that can appear during certain parts of each run.  And, of course, there are plenty of new companions to chat up and befriend--the legendary witch Hecate, the brave adventurer Odysseus, the friendly shade Dora, the openly hostile Nemesis...and others who appear.

Fighting in Hades II mostly the same as in the first game with a few notable changes.  Melinoe has the same basic attack and special attack but also can use special, powerful magick attacks that consume magick (a new resource that refills at the beginning of each encounter).  Magick attacks can be a bit tricky because they take a few precious seconds to launch and constant movement is almost required.  Successfully incorporating magick attacks definitely throws a new element into the gameplay.  Another semi-controversial change that I've barely even noticed is the fact that Melinoe cannot dash as constantly as Zagreus.  Fights are still very movement/dash heavy so it's vital to add in Melinoe's unique ability to drop a magickal circle that can stop/slow enemies.

My, my lord Dionysus...nice bulge you got there.
(*he's noticeably missing from the gods that grant boons)

The cast of gods and goddesses you meet in Hades II features many of the favorites from the first game--Zeus, Poseidon, Aphrodite (a much less clothed version), Hermes, and many, but not all of the originals.  There are also a few new faces like Hephaestus, Hestia, and Hera (the H crew!).  Hestia (goddess of the hearth) offers up boons that include a scorch debuff that serves as damage over time and is my new favorite.  Not to say that Hephaestus and Hera don't also have some great new boons--Hephaestus offers abilities that have a slightly longer cooldown, but can do an impressive amount of damage.  Hera's boons involve a new debuff called "hitch" that will split damage among all the enemies that are afflicted by it.

As you befriend the classic and new gods and goddesses they grant you a new set of keepsakes to test out.  One of my new favorites is the glass onion--a handy trinket that will grant up to a certain amount of health throughout a zone (it starts off at like 25 and then increases as you level it up).  It's handy for keeping your health topped up throughout a run, but is pretty useless once you've burned through it.

One of my favorite new boss fights features Scylla and the Sirens.

One of the new (*which might not be new, but that I didn't unlock in the first game) aspects of gameplay that I'm enjoying is the ability to befriend animal familiars who will accompany Melinoe on runs.  Each familiar has a specific combat ability and can also make gathering certain resources simpler.  So far I've unlocked three and they each offer up something different--Frinos, Melinoe's favorite amphibian friend, slows projectiles and can hypnotize spirits for their psyche; Toula, a stray cat, can periodically attack foes, can catch fish, and offers up an additional death defiance, and Hecuba, Hecate's canine familiar, periodically stuns foes and can dig up buried resources.  There are even more to find and unlock!

Even though I'm basically an abject failure at Hades II and haven't managed to accomplish the main goal, everyone knows that the best part is the journey.  Befriending your allies and all the gods and goddesses is like gradually unraveling a story.  The thing that Hades does well is making you want to keep playing even as you don't always have success.  I'm looking forward to my continued journey and DEATH TO CHRONOS (...someday!)!

Mo' Slimes, Mo' Problems

I recently finished the main storyline in Slime Rancher 2 and now it's time to share my thoughts about the newest slime-venture.  Should there be more slime wrangling in your future or should you just leave the slimes to their own devices?  Read on for the answer!

Pink-cotton slimes are the perfect cute combo.

What is it?

The Slime Rancher games are a pleasant mix of management, exploration, and some light action.  You play as Bea, an adventurer outfitted with a vac-pack that can suck up slimes (and various other materials) who is looking to join the ranks of successful slime ranchers.  Part of the game revolves around running your slime ranch--capturing the various slimes that populate the world of Rainbow Island, corralling them, feeding them, and then harvesting their valuable plorts.  The other side is more exploration oriented--exploring the various areas that comprise the world and unlocking new areas.  There are numerous hidden treasure pods sprinkled throughout the world and finding all of them (without looking them up) is a real challenge.  Overall, it's a casual, kid-friendly type of game that is nice for relaxing.

How much playtime can you expect?

This number can vary greatly depending on your own playstyle.  If you are just hoping to wrap up the main story it could probably be done in 10-20 hours.  My own total was around 45 hours and included some time spent tracking down and flagging resources (which I will explain in my review), searching for treasure pods, and completing the main storyline.  I did not find all the treasure pods or unlock many of the pods sprinkled throughout the Grey Labyrinth area (those require some grinding for shadow plorts).  You could definitely spend much more time--I would easily venture 100 hours if you're thoroughly exploring, unlocking pods, and are spending time decorating your ranch.

Pros:

+ A colorful, vibrant new world.  Part of the delight of Slime Rancher is the cute, bouncy vibe and Slime Rancher 2 manages to improve on the original formula.  Rainbow Island is made up of colorful areas filled with adorable slimes and exploring them is fun.

+ The new ranch is massive!  The starting conservatory area has plenty of room for multiple corrals and resources (growing crops and raising chickens).  There are also five additional areas that can be purchased and unlocked.  This large amount of space gives you plenty of options for how you want to manage your ranch and tons of room for decorating.

My sloomber-twin largos.

+ An assortment of cute new slimes to capture.  Almost immediately you are greeted by the cotton slime--an adorable species that resembles a bunny.  My personal favorites include the sloomber slime--a fluffy pinkish/purple slime that spontaneously falls asleep--and the butterfly-like flutter slimes.  There are also many classic slimes around like the tabby slime and crystal slime.

+ An absolute avalanche of decorative items.  If your playstyle includes turning your ranch into a beautiful, slime-filled haven there are tons of options.  Some can be purchased from the handy Pronto-Mart machine on your ranch; others are gifted to you from your friends who periodically call you on your phone kiosk; and there are even more that are unlocked in the various treasure pods.  Many of the items are themed to specific areas of Rainbow Island so you can specialize or just pop down a random assortment.  There are also numerous fun slime toys and gadgets.

+ Upgrade system that improves Bea's equipment.  There are numerous upgrade that will increase Bea's health, energy, vac-pack storage, and other capabilities.

+ Drones.  I never managed to cobble together all the required items to build one, but these popular items from the first game can be used to automate many of your ranch functions.  The downside is that they are fairly resource intensive and require some hard to find materials.

+ Many warp items to facilitate easier travel around the various areas of Rainbow Island.  There are multiple varieties of portals which allow you to set up your own system for travelling exactly where you want to go (and back to the ranch).

+ An enjoyable story with a heartfelt ending.  I won't spoil it, but it's as good as in the first game.

+ Tons of hidden treasure pods.  If searching every nook and cranny is your thing...you'll be an absolute pig in mud.  There are probably 100 or more pods sprinkled throughout the world--some are easy to find and others are definitely well hidden.  The joy of finding treasure pods is truly enjoyable.

+ A new flagging system for marking resource deposits.  Bea can create a set of flags to mark different types of resources and those markers will appear on the game map.  This is a handy feature if you're trying to gather materials for upgrades or for building certain items.  The downside--creating these flags requires resources (luckily they're easily accessible resources).

+ The music perfectly matches the vibe of the game and manages not to get annoying.

Cons:

- Map markers can be difficult to find and means that your map will remain covered until you find them.  I'm sure that it's meant to facilitate more exploration, but part of me wishes that they were located in easily accessible areas so you could get a better idea of the area for exploration.  I did eventually find the markers but some of them are pretty tucked away.

- Grey Labyrinth treasure pods are very grindy.  Each pod requires probably 30-50 shadow plorts which means you have to track down elusive shadow slimes and try to shoot them as many times as you can.  While it's not necessary to unlock all these pods, many upgrade components are found in the pods.  If you're hoping to find and unlock all the pods you're in for quite a bit of grinding out shadow plorts.  Personally, it's not something I enjoy, but others might not mind it too much.

Recommendation:

If you're looking for something relaxing but fun, Slime Rancher 2 offers up the perfect combination of cuteness, exploration, and some light management.  It's a very rated G kind of game, so it's perfect for kids.  There are tons of options to match your playstyle whether that is more completionist, aesthetically-oriented, or just playing through the main story.  

The Slime-venture Continues

I've been fully engrossed in Slime Rancher 2 and have managed to get to the point where my ranch is pumping out plorts (but not decorated or autonomous--I've found several drone modules but haven't cobbled one together yet).  My exploration progress has been a bit stunted--I've managed to track down a few more hidden treasure pods and find the mysterious Grey Labyrinth.  However, I still haven't unlocked all the slimes or science materials.  It's my goal to do more exploring and unlock these materials because it's holding up some of my upgrades.

Some Shadow Slimes lurking about.

The progress I've made has been a bit slow and I've noticed that I've reached the slightly grindy part of the game.  Once you reach the Grey Labyrinth you find a new type of slime--the shadow slime.  It cannot be caught (or farmed) and will flee if you get too close and will eventually disappear into the slimey ether.  Eventually you'll also stumble across a new type of container that has a day/night motif.  You'll also find a few holographic communication devices that reveal the identity of the mysterious "AI" who has left the drones sprinkled around the islands.  Engaging with these communicators is worthwhile because you'll learn that those day/night themed devices are unlocked by depositing the plorts of shadow slimes.  Rather than capturing these slimes you need to shoot them to get them to drop plorts.  Here's where the grindy part comes in--shadow slimes appear at random and disappear as you chase them around (usually frantically trying to shoot them as many times as you can).  Opening the day/night devices requires 30-50 plorts each.  Basically you should always keep a supply of fruits/veggies for shooting shadow slimes (luckily there are quite a few sprinkled around...for similarly grindy reasons).

Unfortunately the grindiness doesn't stop there...as you progress through the Grey Labyrinth it is revealed that the area is prone to prisma-disruptions--a sparkly haze that can randomly appear and will cause food sources to become unstable.  This unstable food will cause the slimes in the area to produce unstable plorts.  At first their use seemed a bit boggling--they disappear from your inventory rather quickly.  Speaking to the communicator reveals that these unstable plorts can be shot (or carried....) through special "stabilization" portals and turned into an entirely new kind of plort--the prisma plort.  The major drawback is that you don't know where these prisma disruptions will occur, so it's a bit dependent on being at the right place at the right time.  Alas though--you're granted a blueprint for a special device that can be placed around the Grey Labyrinth and indicates on your map when a disruption is occurring.  Now for the extra grindy part--building one of these detectors requires 30 prisma plorts.  I guess I better get to grinding out shadow and prisma plorts.

I'll admit that with all this grindiness that I've found myself feeling some bouts of boredness.  It's not necessary to unlock all the devices that use shadow plorts, but many of them contain upgrade modules.  I'm going to try to space out my grinding with some exploring--I still haven't found all the new areas of the Grey Labyrinth and am missing some slimes and materials.  Overall, I'm mostly enjoying my time with Slime Rancher 2.

I hope everyone has a nice weekend filled with cozy gaming!

Down on the ol' Slime Ranch

September was a busy month for new releases and I've managed to reduce my wishlist by a few titles.  Within a couple of days Slime Rancher 2 and Hades II  both exited early release and I had some tough decisions to make about where to spend my time.  Now that the school year has started and I'm firmly ensconced in the chaos of work, I'm mostly looking for something relaxing when I come home.  That's why I decided to start off my exploration of these new titles with Slime Rancher 2.

If you're unfamiliar with Slime Rancher, it's a fun take on the more "farming" oriented games mixed in with some exploration.  Rather than planting crops and managing a farm you instead wrangle various cute slimes and then "ranch" them for their valuable plorts.  What are plorts?  Well.....let's just say they're a waste product produced when slimes consume the foods that they enjoy.  Then you can sell those plorts to earn cash that can be used to expand your ranch, upgrade your gear/ranch, and buy a plethora of blueprints to create the perfect combination of decorative items to make your ranch a regular work of art.

It may sound a bit silly, but there's quite a bit of complicated management to get your ranch producing at peak capacity.  Firstly, you have to consider the foods that your slimes consume.  Some slimes have very specific diets and will only eat one type of food.  Crossbreeding those slimes with slimes who are less picky can make the life of a slime rancher much easier.  Slimes also have favorite foods that will cause their production to greatly increase, so it's generally a good idea to have a steady supply of those items.  Once your ranch is up and running it's a matter of keeping your slimes fed and their plorts harvested.

The map so far.  I've barely made a dent!

You don't necessarily want to be spending all your time on the ranch and exploring is vital to discovering new slimes and discovering the many hidden orbs that contain components to upgrade your gear, blueprints for decorative items, and science items (a component in building items and upgrades).  There's also a story wrapped up in all of it--a series of mysterious drones hint at the original occupant of the conservatory (your starting ranch area) and part of the fun is piecing together the story.  Luckily, there's tons to explore in Slime Rancher 2 and the map seems much larger than in the first game.

I've spent about 15 hours with Slime Rancher 2 so far and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.  Your home base, the Conservatory, is a large, glass encased structure that offers up numerous customizable plots to facilitate raising slimes.  It also includes everything else a slime rancher needs: a cute home for the rancher, a link to the plort market, and an underground facility for scientific research (AKA storing and utilizing the many items needed for producing blueprints and upgrades).

Your home base--the Conservatory.

The gameplay in Slime Rancher 2 has remained very similar to that of the first game--Bea is still equipped with her handy vac-pac that can be used to suck up resources and slimes and can be upgraded to defensively spray water on those nasty tarrs (hostile slimes that are the result of a slime eating three different kinds of plorts).  She can fly through the air with her jetpack and explore the many nooks and crannies of the various areas.  Upgrading items is a bit more complicated this time around as you have to find specific components in the many orbs scattered around the islands to be able to complete it.  There are some additional exploration-based aspects that I'm enjoying--statues of slimes that require specific plorts to unlock that can provide a handy shortcut between different areas or unlock areas with orbs.

Overall, I'm having a great time with Slime Rancher 2.  There are new slimes to find and wrangle and a huge area to explore.  I will write up a full review soon, but until then, there are more slimes to find!