Slime Rancher 2 review – So Close Yet So Far

Slime Rancher is one of my favorite cozy games of all time. The first time I played it, I was in awe at the exploration and the depth of the systems. This time, we are adventuring on the Rainbow Island, and it is simply gorgeous. But that beauty comes at a price. 

More of the Same 

If you’ve played Slime Rancher, you can expect more of the same here. Everything feels very similar, with some improvements. Ranching hasn’t been substantially improved, and if you’re expecting new mechanics here, you’ll be a bit disappointed. While there are new gadgets, most of which I won’t spoil here, the base game loop is the same as the first game. 

That is not to say that there isn’t new gameplay. As I said before, there are new gadgets and a fight that is pretty fun. There are also new gadget variants that change the way gadgets look, which I found pretty interesting, though I don’t decorate until I have finished everything I wanted to do in the game. There's plenty of new slimes, too, and there have been substantial improvements to the slime AI. For example, Water Slimes don’t skid across the water when you put them in their pool. 

Growing food, ranching chickens, and keeping Slimes all work the same as they did in the first game. The market, the area where you sell your plorts, feels more balanced. What’s different is the way you get materials from the world around you, and not necessarily the Slimes. The resources around the world are on a timer. Some of them seem to respawn in two days, and others in more time than that. There are a few resources that are rarer than others, which was fine when I first started that game, but it quickly became annoying. 

A big issue I have is how much of your ranch feels the same. You leave the ranch and hit the Pink Slimes, Tabby Slimes, and Bunny Slimes (which are new), so you don’t run into Rock Slimes as fast. I wish that Rock Slimes were included in the starting area because the first few that you run into make for a very boring ranch. Phosphor Slimes will appear during your first night, and that spices things up quite a bit. While I understand that Pink Slimes are important, especially for new players, I almost wish that they were skipped entirely. The whole starting area should’ve had new slimes. It would’ve also been nice to have an expansion to the gameplay for Water and Fire Slimes. Yolk Slimes are perfect and can do no wrong, so they get a pass. Plus, their mechanic is cool. I like having a slime interact with the chicken coop.

The Ranch could’ve used an overhaul. You can’t change the way the plots that you build your coops and such on are laid out, which would be fine if the area itself wasn’t so big. It feels like there is a lot of wasted space that could’ve been used to make the plots have an interesting shape or something. It feels to me like the openness of the Ranch was done to allow people to decorate it more, which would be fine if automation were introduced faster. I was able to get everything unlocked in the Ranch within 6 hours of playtime, which took a huge weight off my shoulders and allowed me to focus on the automation and exploring. 

Playing on the Steam Deck is extremely fun. For the best experience, I had to lower the settings to low and medium, but aside from that, I haven’t had any substantial issues. There are moments further in the game that I won’t spoil here, in which the framerate dips significantly. Slime Rancher 2 runs at 30 fps, which was comfortable enough for me. I’m sure you could push it beyond that.

Exploration and Discovery

Slime Rancher 2 has you exploring Rainbow Island, and it is huge. You’ll sprint, hop, and use your jetpack to explore the island. Aside from the beautiful scenery and the slimes, you’ll have little else to look at. The first game was like this, too, but I was hoping to see more environmental world-building in this game. As you get further and finally trigger the main story, they hit you with this world-building all at once. The story is quite engaging and honestly hooked me from the moment it started; however, it feels like it starts at a weird point in the game. 

I won’t spoil any story moments for you in this review, but just know that from the moment you get your first call, the story has started. Unless Victor was the one calling me, I skimmed the text for the most part. With that said, every word that came from Victor had me wanting to learn more. It became the sole reason I was adventuring at all. As the story progressed, I had more “light bulb” moments where I was slowly able to piece together what exactly was happening on Rainbow Island. The story is well-written and fun to go through. I just wish there were triggers for it sooner.

The new Slimes are great, though, and while I already spoke about their AI above, I have to gush about their personalities. Bat Slimes will hover while they sleep; the Bunny Slimes (no, that is not their official name) love hopping in their enclosure. Ringtail Slimes are devious and will continue eating, so keep an eye on their facial expressions; otherwise, you’re losing out on plorts…the list goes on. Everything about Slime Behavior feels leaps and bounds better than the first game. 

One big issue is resource gathering. I put in well over 35 hours and came across 3-4 “strange diamonds,” a material that is needed for important crafting recipes and upgrades. Resources are on a weird clock. Some of them respawn every two in-game days, some in four in-game days, and I have a few resources that have never respawned in the same area again. I can only assume that this is because the game is rotating where materials spawn, but that is only an assumption. The strange thing is that the game gives you resource flags to place, so I figured that the resources would respawn eventually. I don’t mind the grind in games like this; it can be enjoyable even, but all of the progression is locked behind this system, and it makes the game feel like it's crawling. 

Most of the progression is done by popping Gordo Slimes (huge slimes made out of tons of tiny slimes). It is hard for me to express how boring this is because the gameplay loop becomes: find the Gordo, go and find some food for the Gordo, pop the Gordo. The biggest annoyance about this gameplay loop goes to the new Butterfly Slime. Its favorite food is nectar, which can’t be farmed. That means you have to find it while you explore, which is fine, but I made the mistake of over-farming it to feed my small Butterfly Slimes. I did that when I first got to the area, and some of the nectar spots still haven’t resupplied. 

Progression feels nonexistent until you get into the labyrinth. Because it takes the story so long to get going, you are relying on the drones to give you information, which is fine. Victor gives you hints at a bigger story told through his perspective, which is cool. However, as I explored Rainbow Island, I found myself craving purpose. If it wasn’t for Victor and the possibility of new slimes, I wouldn’t have bothered. There is also a distinct lack of things to do on Rainbow Island. 

Puzzles are few and far between, and there is nothing to really “do” aside from pop Gordos. I never felt this during my time with the first game, likely because the map felt tighter and designed with more purpose. So many areas on Rainbow Island don’t lead to anything, which is a huge bummer. Most of Rainbow Island feels like you need to have the jetpack to explore, a tool that the developers should’ve had you start with this time. Remember, you’re playing as a seasoned adventurer, so I don’t understand the choice to knock her back to square one. There also seems to be an overabundance of Tarr. Tarr are created when a slime eats three different types of plorts, and in some parts of Rainbow Island, it feels like the Tarr outweigh the slimes. 

Final Thoughts

The new Slimes are simply to die for. Yolk Slimes are among my favorites from both games because they let chickens lay special eggs, which give Yolk Plorts and baby chickens. The Slimes are also cleverly placed around the map; some have specific spawn conditions, while others can be found in specific environments. Their improved AI makes ranching them feel so much better. Chickens also feel improved, though you still have to be careful not to end up with a chicken army. 

The colors are done perfectly, especially in certain areas. You’ll notice the colors right away when the sun goes down. Lava stands out beautifully at night and is an extreme improvement from the first game. The lighting for water and the way that the water itself creates light are extremely relaxing. To add to that relaxation, Slime Rancher 2 has a sublime soundtrack that I could listen to to fall asleep. The weather system is one of my favorites in any cozy game. Watching the rain from your ranch is incredibly serene. I also love when it starts raining plorts because it turns the game into a chaos simulator for a few minutes. It’s a fun, welcome addition that adds a lot of flavor and character to the game.

Automation has notably improved as well. I have two drones going, and they work much better than they did in the first game. Not only do they work better, but they look better too, and are easier to get the hang of using. They require some steep crafting materials, but be sure to have at least one; they make it possible to leave for longer periods of time. 

However, Slime Rancher 2 feels too similar to the first game. While decorating is smoother and the new Slimes are to die for, there hasn’t been anything that makes this game stand out from the first. Don’t get me wrong, Slime Rancher 2 is more Slime Rancher. The gameplay is fun, and it is satisfying to make money, and the game running better makes it easier to farm more Slimes. I enjoy this game because it is more Slime Rancher, but it does not feel like a proper sequel just yet.