Slime Rancher 2 has entered early access on Steam and Xbox, and has received overwhelmingly positive reviews so far. This is largely due to how the developers at Monomi Park have mastered translating the experience of what it’s like to be a Slime Rancher into the game, though this comes at the cost of repeating what they achieved with the previous title.

The second game in the Slime Rancher series is extremely similar to the original with the only notable changes being a new land and some new Slimes. She continues to play as Beatrix LeBeau as she explores the new land of Rainbow Island after a mysterious ship arrives with a note and takes you across the sea of ​​slime. This is an easy way to reset the character to factory settings so she can start without all the items she previously had.

Same old slimy mechanics

The original Slime Rancher had a little bit of everything you could want from a farm simulator game. You could build your own pens, chicken coops and farms to be able to capture and take care of the different types of Slimes. All of this combined with a huge world to explore meant you had something constantly on your mind, whether it was traversing the next piece of land, protecting your Slimes from danger, or simply making sure the Slimes got their next meal.

Slime Rancher 2 takes everything you loved about the original, raises the cute factor to 11, and makes you start all over again. Everything you’d expect from the original is returned, except for things like bombs and apiaries. This is surprising at first, but quickly becomes stale when you realize that the game is nearly identical to its predecessor, just set in a new environment with a handful of new Slimes.

Welcome to the colorful land of Rainbow Island

The new land of Rainbow Island is pretty big for an Early Access game. You have many areas to explore, and even when you think you’ve seen it all, there is more to discover. The map is like a giant maze that never ends, keeping you constantly searching for new areas and new items. In addition to this, the land is full of secret doors, statues and Gordo Slimes for you to avoid and everyone to protect secrets and treasures. All of this is combined into a fantastic map design that feels fresh but at the same time is reminiscent of earlier times.

As you explore the land, you’ll discover various types of Slimes, both new and old. While there are a total of 17 different types of Slimes in the Early Access experience, only five of these Slimes are new to the series. I have no doubt that more new Slimes will be on the way when the game leaves Early Access, but for now, the main enjoyment comes from exploring the new world. Each of the biomes that are home to these slimes feel alive and in constant motion. This is further emphasized by the random appearance of Tarr Slimes that destroy everything in their path.

Related: How to find Lucky Slimes in Slime Rancher 2

keep the slimes coming

Overall, Slime Rancher 2 is a great continuation of the series that will take you around 10 hours to fully experience. While it feels like a copy of the original, it does have its own quirks that help it stand out enough to feel fresh (especially if you haven’t played the original in a while). Most people can recognize things from the first game, but new players will feel the excitement of a new world full of cute creatures and many hidden secrets.

After you’ve seen everything the game has to offer, it’s easy to start tearing it apart and realize that there aren’t many new aspects to the game. As Slime Rancher 2 continues and the Monomi Park developers update it, it will no doubt add more sections to Rainbow Island and more Slimes for you to care for. When this happens, the game will start to feel more like its own entity rather than a copy of the past. In its current state, the game is excellent, but it may share too many of its predecessor’s qualities.