It’s always nice to mix things up at PAX West 2017. While I normally focus on platformers, RPGs, puzzle games and even visual novels, multiplayer games also interest me. So when I heard about a game where every move is a one hit KO and every character is some type of slime monster, I was intrigued. That game is Super Slime Arena!
The first thing that caught my attention playing the game was the variety of controllers. You can use pretty much anything to play the game (they had SNES controllers, DK bongos and more), given the simple two button control scheme. Basically every slime can move, attack or jump. That’s it. It’s simple, perhaps even threadbare, but it doesn’t lack complexity. That nuance is found in the way that each attack has a different wind up, trajectory and speed it hits foes with.
For example, there was a spike attack that would appear above you and then shoot up slowly like a rocket; there was a snowball attack that started slow and then rushed on a flat plane at the foe; even a seemingly useless spike trap move that requires foes to touch it to work. To keep things truly interesting, whenever you die, you respawn as a different slime with a different ability. So you’ll need to be on your toes at all times and be flexible to win big. You might start as a tiny slime, then come back as a medium slime or even a hulking, truly massive one.
Visually, Super Slime Arena reminds me of a Kirby game, specifically the different copy abilities, just mixed with some Smash Bros. madness and Dragon Quest slime aesthetic. I also loved the backgrounds in the game, which were all colorful, detailed and reminiscent of classic SNES or Sega titles. To keep things fresh, there are 13 different stages and 5 different game modes. Combined with the 32+ slime varieties and frenetic functionality, the game has the potential to be a true hit. I’m glad I had the chance to play it at PAX West, and hope it manages to come to a variety of consoles near and dear to me. Though it has already been Greenlit on Steam, I do love consoles for crazy multiplayer mayhem!
