Just in case it's not obvious from the title, this is a game about ranching slimes. You play as a slimegirl (which is this game's equivalent of a cowboy, and not as porny as it sounds, though you probably shouldn't google it at work), who is uncermoniously dropped onto a far off planet, with nothing more than a nifty little bungalow and a vacuum sucker/blower that looks like it was stolen from Luigi's Mansion.
You have to collect slimes, which come in various forms, from basic pink and spongy, to cats, rocks, glowy, evil and others. (Also a little golden devil, who thus far has proved rather difficult to catch.) After you collect them, they get stashed into pens, and then fed various things to get them to make sparkly poop. That sparkly poop is apparently horribly valuable, as you trade it on some sort of intergalactic stock exchange for money, which enables you to upgrade your vacuum, pens, shoes and other sundries. You can also fulfil specific collection requirements for significantly enhanced reward. (I assume someone is making a coat. Or a trifle.)
It's a bit of a combination of Harvest Moon, a Tamagotchi and Pokemon (without the battling (so far)). There's also an impressive bit of horror if you find yourself trapped outside at night when the "Tarr" attack. These are the slime versions of zombies, as they can infect other slimes and very quickly form a giant army that wants nothing more than to brutally slaughter you.
Luckily they're water-soluble.
And your vacuum can act as a FLUDD.
It's not generally a high danger experience though. This is a perfect game for relaxing, as it's not too mentally challenging and it's set in a cheerful, colourful world that is a joy to stroll through. And for those of you with an exploratory bent, there's an impressive number of secrets to find. Don't be afraid to fall off things.
My only real concern with the game is that it might get repetitive quickly. The further I explore, the more I find, but I'm not seeing many changes to the basic mechanic. It will likely end up one I occasionally dip into for a no-brainer game session, rather than something I dive deep into and destroy, to the exclusion of everything else. Saying that, combining slimes into weird hybrid monsters is surprisingly compelling.
Not one for the high octane gamers. But a good one for a relaxed evening.
Recommended.
Tagged: Game Farming First person