Freebie Feelers... Slime Rancher

Freebie Feelers is a series where we download the free monthly console-specific or newly released free-to-play games to test their worth.This series will contain some useful information as well as plenty of personal opinion. While these articles may not be reviews, we hope that you will be able to use them to help decide whether that free download is worth it.

What is it?

August’s Games with Gold is starting out strong with an indie title that joined the Preview Program last August: Slime Rancher. Even a year ago, this game was long-awaited by some that had already played it on Steam. This excitement has been well earned as this charming little experience has shown more and more promise as each new update has rolled out. Offering up simple, relaxing gameplay in a colorful and vibrant world, Slime Rancher has many adorable things to keep any rancher busy for hours.

But what do you do in Slime Rancher? Well, ranch slimes of course! By using the trusty vacpack, players can suck up nearly everything they find so they can shoot it out later. Whether this means moving slimes into an enclosure or storing food to feed those slimes, the vacpack is a rancher’s best friend. When not running around, sucking everything up, ranchers will be able to manage their ranch in various ways such as upgrading stations, selling plorts (slime byproduct), buying and exploring new ranch areas or any of the various other things available in the home area. You do all of this to earn Newbucks so you can become the most successful slime rancher there ever was!

What did you think?

I adore this game. From the upbeat music and art design to the easy-to-understand gameplay loop that becomes addictive without feeling grindy right away. With so many places to explore, so many upgrades to buy, so many slimes to ranch, there’s just so much to do! Since the game allows the player to change any plot into any kind of station (corral, farm, coop, etc.), every rancher can have a different set up to make as many Newbucks as possible. Beyond this, slimes can be made into Largos, which take the properties of two different slimes to make one big slime. These create further variance in player setups as some players will make use of these potentially dangerous money machines. There are so many different ways to play the game, and I love that even more than I love the game itself.

Is it worth downloading?

Short answer is YES! There is absolutely no reason not to grab Slime Rancher this month. Even if this sort of near endless farmer is not really your thing, this game may just surprise you with some of the many little details hidden right below the surface. I covered this title’s inception into the Preview Program last year and have been enjoying it on-and-off the entire time. Every time new content would come out, I came rushing back, excited to see just how it would change my ranching style. Make sure you download this gem before the end of August or miss out on one of the best games to grace Xbox’s Preview Program.