Slime Rancher 2 is the second phenomenal open-world game in the Slime Rancher series produced by Monomi Park. It was released on September 22, 2022 in early access on Steam for $29.99 USD, and was immediately met with overwhelmingly positive feedback and reviews. The game is still being developed, and more updates are expected to add to this wonderful sequel.

Slime Rancher follows the story of Beatrix LeBeau, a rancher that sets out on her adventure on a planet a million lightyears away from Earth filled with cute creatures that are brightly colored and pleasantly round called slimes, varying chicken types, and unique fruits and vegetables. Slime Rancher 2 continues Beatrix´s journey as she explores the new Rainbow Island. With no definite objective present,  the player is allowed to roam the map and pace themselves however they may find most enjoyable.

The player is equipped with a vac-tank, a vacuum-like tool that the player may use to vacuum up and store slimes, foods, and resources gathered from the island. Upgrades to increase health and stamina are available, and the player may also use resources to craft jetpacks or boots that allow them to run fast without consuming stamina at such a high rate just as it was in the first game.

Enough changes are made to warrant its separation from the original game. It is very unique whilst still maintaining the charm and whimsy that made the first game so entertaining. The modeling style and map is the same as the first game but in a way that elevates the game to modern standards. Graphics and physics have improved dramatically and it looks absolutely stunning. 

A few things are fairly off-putting though, as some animations and lighting issues are present. The animation for shooting a blob of water out of the player´s vac-tank is very odd looking. All other water physics are gorgeous but the blob looks like something out of a poorly made early 2000s CGI scene. Some lighting is also very, very harsh. The changes from dark to light are very jarring and sometimes if a player stands under certain structures, the lighting will glitch out terribly.

Apart from these small things that need fixing, the game is a very good expansion on the Slime Rancher Universe. Five new slimes have been added so far. Batty slimes, ringtail slimes, flutter slimes, cotton slimes, and angler slimes are all brand-new slime types. They roam alongside a few older slimes like the classic pink slimes, tabby slimes, honey slimes, rock slimes, and more. These newer slimes allow for new largo combinations like flutter-phosphor slimes and hunter-angler slimes. Largo slimes are the bigger version of slimes that are mixed-type.

Along with these new slimes, we got one new vegetable, one new fruit, one new ambiguous food item, and a new variant of hen-hens. These items can be named respectively as the water lettuce, pomegranites, moondew nectar, and sea hens. All of these new things behave just as any other hen, vegetable, or fruit does with the exception of moondew nectar. Moondew nectar is the favorite food of the new flutter slimes, and may only be found on moondew flowers at night in the Starlight Strand section of the map. They cannot be grown in a garden or kept on the ranch outside of a silo. This brings some difficulty, but it is very easy to simply allow your flutter slimes to mix with another slime to allow a food source that can be kept on the ranch.

There are a few quality of life changes that have been made to the game. Players no longer need to spend plorts to make drills, apiaries, or pumps and instead are allowed to extract the resources from the land around them after unlocking that feature back on the ranch. For the first time ever, you are also allowed to unlock more vac slots to store different items. In the first slime rancher game, you are only given four slots and one slot for water. In Slime Rancher 2, you are given the ability to unlock up to six slots and a slot for water.As can be deduced by nearly any player of this new game, Slime Rancher 2 is a definite must-buy and an absolutely wonderful addition to any cozy collection of games. Every aspect that made the first game so pleasant is still present, whilst managing to keep up with competing games in terms of graphics and game mechanics.