Introduction
Basic information
Developer: GU Games
Full name: Slime Evolutionary Path — Seal
Release date: 2022
Released on: Android
Cross play: no
Genre: roguelike, action, casual
Additional information: this game is the second part of the evolutionary slime series.
Initial thoughts
I have played the first game on Android as well, it was much more an idle game compared to the second game. At least, that is what the initial information I checked upon said. There was of course, only one way to find out. Next to that, it seems there would be more evolutions compared to the last game. I wondered what else would be new, since this is a new game in the franchise, it does need new mechanics. Time to take a deep dive into this slimy world!
Story and setting
Plot overview
The story is not clear if it follows up on the previous game, or if it is more of an alternate timeline. It does seem to have the same start as the previous game, you wake up in a new world as a slime without powers. It is your goal to become stronger and find a way to break free from this cruel world.
World building and immersion
There is not a lot of world building in this game, you are just thrown into the wide open world without much of a story, except for the fact you need to become stronger by traveling. However, it seems that if you fail, you will have to travel that length again. There is a low level of immersion.
Character development
Except for the initial character development in the cutscene, and for a few intro scenes, there is no other character development. Furthermore, I am unsure if there is even an ending in this game. I have travelled very far in this game with the max evolutions and I did not trigger a cutscene.
Emotional impact
For this, section I will be fast, there is certainly room to make this a game one with a lot of emotional impact. Adding new cutscenes, a real story but all in all, the way it is now, this is not a strong suite of this game.
Rating for story and setting
I have visited multiple aspects of the story and after some thought and objective thinking, I rated the story and setting with a 3.5.
This game has a strong start with a nice intro cutscene and set-up. After that, it goes downhill into the abyss with no continuation whatsoever.
Gameplay and mechanics
Core gameplay mechanics
Whereas the previous game focused a lot on idle mechanics to upgrade your slime, the second game focuses more on taking action. Just as in a roguelike game, you will need to travel, die and repeat. Traveling in this game takes form in a massive map that is sprawling with monsters, traps and other items. Bumping into trees will hurt you, monsters are insanely strong, but you can get strong too. Equipment from monsters can be used for special skills but will be lost on death.
If you lose equipment on death, then how do you upgrade? Well, you will get coins and gems, with these you can buy souls and equip them for massive buffs. While traveling, you can grab soul gems to level these up. And with your coins, you can level up your max evolutions, max levels and so much more. This means you might die but every time you will emerge stronger.
Difficulty and balance
The difficulty of this game is fairly balanced, it also depends on what evolutions you choose. There are four initial attack upgrades that you can choose from and upgrade as you travel more distance. But before you can evolve all the way, you need to upgrade by using the coins you earn by traveling. As you travel further on the map, the game gets more difficult.
Pacing of the game
The pacing of the game is not bad. There is no real story, but you can keep on playing while getting more and more upgrades. It all depends on how you want to play, but there is a reward for logging in every day. There is no energy, and you can keep going, it might get repetitive if you keep playing too long.
Innovation and uniqueness
There is not much innovation or unique gameplay mechanics. It is all very basic, but this basic recipe can still be a lot of fun. There are also plenty of games that include a slime. The souls upgrading mechanic is also a frequently used mechanic. Despite using mechanics who are used often enough, it is still a fun game.
Controls and user interface
The mobile controls are easy to use, moving is smooth and you can easily dodge the trees. It is also easy to use the buffs that are scattered around the map. While you are traveling over the map, you automatically attack the enemies with your chosen evolution. The skills from your equipment are easy to use. However, when out of battle, the user interface is quite complicated with many buttons. It takes some time to get used too. There could have been some serious improvements to the user interface out of battle.
Microtransactions
Microtransactions available: yes.
Prices: ranging from low to very high.
Battle passes: no.
Boost for experience or gold: not directly.
Is this game pay to win: no, but you can get insane buffs by paying real money.
Can you buy items to upgrade your stats or better weapons: Yes, with the gems you purchase you can get the best souls in the game and level them up quickly. Besides that, you can buy super skills and increase your stats immensely.
Ads: Yes.
Personal opinion: You can play this game without ever touching the microtransactions and still get very far in this game. However, by buying gems with real money, you will be much stronger.Â
Rating
After combing through many of the mechanics, the pacing and other factors of this game, I rated the gameplay and mechanics with a 6.5.
I was considering giving this game a higher rating but due to the microtransactions and not adding anything unique to the game, I lowered it.
Graphics and art style
Quality of graphics and art direction
The graphical setting follows a lot of the previous game. Which is a tad sad since there was a lot of room for improvement for that and this game. However, the world in which you explore did get a great makeover. Instead of having just an idle screen, you now have a world to explore, even if it just keeps looping into infinity.
Technical performances
I experienced no crashes, no frame drops, nothing. It all works Suavemente!
Environment and design uniqueness
I do like the environment that this game has. The world is fun to race across while obliterating enemies. But for uniqueness, I will have to drop the rating since it all feels very standard to me.
Rating
It took me some time to give the graphics and art style an objective rating. There are many things to consider, but ultimately, I rated this section with a 6.0.
This is all a bit too bland for me.
Sound and music
Music score and how it contributed to the game
The music is quite fun to listen too, For some reason it reminds of retro games like Final Fantasy. It feels up beat, as if we are all ready to start rocking up and killing monsters making their children orphans.
Sound effects quality
The sound effects are fun at first, beating up the monsters and shooting them to smithereens. Yeah, it is okay, but not great. I wish there was more, oomph in everything.
Voice Acting
Not applicable
Rating
After a lot of consideration, I rated the sound and music section with a 7.
While it is fun to listen too, and the sound effects are crispy as monsters are dying around you, it is not perfect.
Multiplayer components
Online gameplay experience
Not applicable.
Replayability
Game Length and content volume
This is where it gets quite of tricky. There are different modes to unlock in Slime Evolutionary Path Seal, so much in fact, that if you were to invest hundreds of hours, you would probably still not finish the game. But is it still fun after that amount of time? It is all up to the person who is playing. Thus, I will be rating the mechanic, which is solid for many hours of fun as your slime gets stronger.
Extra Content
There is no DLC, a side quest, or even a real main story. I think the best we can do is hope for a few patches, but there will be nothing major added anytime soon.
Replay value
Since this is a roguelike game, there is a lot of replay value. When you die in the game, you will be set back to level one. Despite that, the new buffs and souls will make you much stronger compared to when you just started out. Before you know it, your damage goes insane, there are also many modes to play in. This game does have a lot of replay value.
Rating
After thoughtful consideration, I decided to rate the replayability and game length of Slime Evolutionary Path Seal with a 9.
You could potentially play this game for hundreds of hours if you truly invest into it.
Suggestions and comparisons
Suggestions and feedback
There are a few things I would like to suggest to GU Games. For example, it would be a good idea to invest more into the story of this game. Add cutscenes, a true ending, perhaps even voice acting. If the developer had just added this, it could have been a wonderful Isekai story. Connect the two games by having the slime finally going back to the human world, only to lose his memory and finding himself in another monstrous world.Â
The second suggestion is to improve the user interface, make it a bit more clear and less cluttered.
Comparisons
There are quite some mobile games that I could compare this too. But to be honest, this game is quite unique in its theme. Yes, there can be more improvements, mostly to the story, but all in all, this can be a fun game.
Personal experiences and anecdotes
One of the things I liked about this game was the ability to buy souls. These huge beasts grant you insane power and I also liked the fact that the skills seemed to be very balanced. One of the most fun moments was when I was fighting a boss and managed to defeat him with just a little scrape of health left. Three seconds later, I roll into a tree and die.
Rating
Taking in all the personal experiences with Slime Evolutionary Path Seal, I give it a personal rating of 8.0.
I liked the second game much better compared to the first one.
Last words
Pros
- The shift from idle mechanics to active gameplay in Slime Evolutionary Path Seal offers a refreshing experience
- The game maintains a balanced difficulty curve, offering challenges that scale appropriately as players progress
- With its roguelike elements and multiple modes, the game offers extensive replayability
- The absence of crashes or performance issues enhances the overall gaming experience
- The upbeat music and sound effects contribute to the game's atmosphere
- While microtransactions are present, the game avoids a pay-to-win model
Cons
- The game lacks depth in its storytelling and world-building, resulting in a somewhat unengaging narrative experience
- Aside from initial character setup, there is minimal character development or progression throughout the game
- The graphics and art direction, while functional, lack uniqueness and fail to significantly improve upon the previous installment
- Despite its engaging mechanics, prolonged gameplay may become repetitive due to the lack of significant variation or narrative progression
All in all, I have to say this game was much better than what I had expected. It was fun, engaging, and it had a lot of gameplay elements. Yes, it is not perfect, yes there are microtransactions, despite that, still fun and awesome!
Final Rating
6.4
Please let me know what you think of Slime Evolutionary Path Seal in the comments!
I hope you enjoyed reading this review, I hope to see you in the next review!
If you liked reading this review, maybe you would like to share this review with your friends.
Alamar
My take after reading is it could be a good idea for a game but execution is lacking, not ambitious game. But hey this is only mobile game..
supersven
For a mobile game, it is quite good, but yes, it could have been executed better.
chaosttc
I really like games where we play as a monster/creature that can evolve, for example, spore or carrion.
But to me the narrative, story progression and world building are very important.
So although the game's theme is interesting to me, I might not try it.
supersven
I can understand that.
Twigas_Hobbes
While reading something came to my mind: in former days it was called cheating, nowadays it's called microtransactions 😀
But it's nice that it's not pay to win
supersven
You are right about the microtransactions.
twigalucie
Kinda feels like the standard mobile game experience. Nothing to exciting but at least not one of those horrible rip-offs. Might give it a try at some point, I like the fact that it's more active gameplay. I tested the first one shortly aswell, but I just don't have to much fun with idlers...
Btw, on the fifth pro point there is a "T" missing at the start 😉
supersven
Yeah, it is a lot more active compared to the first game.
hawkeye116477
Well, looks like that game isn't very much exciting. It's not that good as Monster Sanctuary. Unfortunately, there are also micropayments and ads, so it's not a very good game for me.
supersven
The ads are indeed a bummer.
FranckCastle
Not too much my type of game, but nice review. The slime blobs look cute, but the gameplay just isn't for me.
supersven
The slime is indeed fun, sadly no bigger story.
fano23
Looks like a nice roguelike game for mobile
Delicious Bacon
Hmm, too high rating from my point of view - the game is just mindless loop with no story or lore to back up why things are happening. I get it it's a roguelike so the story isn't a must, but it should at least have progression and unlockable skills/abilities/magic so we get different stuff going on on our screens. From your video, it's just white "bullets" flying all over the place.
But then again, I'm not a mobile phone player, so that might skew my point of view.
supersven
It is quite a basic game, yes, but out of the mobile games it is a better one.
Antikythera
Did the developers get bored of the series? This may sound a brutal take, but it's honestly how I see it. They do really need to invest in an overhaul of the graphics and add an online multiplayer coop function for it to survive I think.
supersven
Yeah, it really could have been better if the developers invested more.
Alamar
I guess Slime is a suitable animal as we know you can make a successful rancho with them 🙂
Not part of contest be i would have to recommend (ancient) game about animal it would be wolf simulator, here is link: https://www.myabandonware.com/game/wolf-2ao
supersven
Slime rancher!!!