As one of the hottest anime series’ in recent years, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime was always a shoe-in for a video game adaptation. Given the multitude of licenses already held by Bandai Namco, including Dragon Ball and One Piece, it’s unsurprising to see them taking on the Slime project.
They’ve handed over development duties of That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles to relative newcomers on the gaming scene, ZOC Co.,Ltd.
Will it be a debut title to remember, or is That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles just a bang average cash-grab off the back of the successful anime?
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles is an action-RPG with city building that’s based on the That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime anime. It picks up the story roughly halfway through the first season, when the goblins and direwolves are settling down as a peaceful community thanks to the all-powerful slime, Rimuru Tempest. Danger is constantly on the horizon however, with feisty ogres, vengeful hobgoblins, and a crafty majin, just some of the formidable foes preparing to disrupt the peace.
If you’re not familiar with the series, and perhaps even if you are, the storytelling falls short for the most part. Not only does it rush through the preamble surrounding Rimuru, the scenes used from the anime are simply still shots; sporadic throughout. Almost everything else narrative-wise involves character portraits and voiced dialogue, the latter of which is in Japanese only. The interactions using this method get boring real quick as it fails to capture the charm and humorous nature often seen in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.
While it follows a large chunk of the goings on from the anime, including the conflict with the Kijin, the threat of the orcs, and the battle against Falmuth, there are two completely new arcs. Without spoiling too much, I reckon these would be far more enjoyable in another medium, just not in this game. The characters featured in them are pretty cool and unique in terms of design, but are let down by repetitive situations and uninteresting dialogue.
As for the gameplay, the action takes place in 2D side-scrolling dungeons with branching segments that transport you to a pathway in the background or foreground. It allows you to take up to three characters into battle – controlling one at a time – alongside two additional ones for support purposes only. At certain junctures you’ll encounter enemies as well as find treasure chests, resulting in the acquisition of materials, gold, and XP.
It’s very mission-focused from the outset, with folks in the home base providing the tasks. These will often send you on the excursions outside of the village and into the dungeon-like areas with various objectives. You’ll either have to clear a specific area, accumulate materials for a request, or tackle a powerful boss. There’s nothing ground-breaking here, however I do appreciate the quests where you must take specific people alongside Rimuru, as this encourages you to try something new.
The roster of playable characters is a real highlight in Slime ISEKAI Chronicles, with Gobta, Ranga, Shion, Shuna, and plenty of others on hand quite early on. Every character has regular attacks, special moves, and a secret skill in their arsenal, so there’s actually a fair bit of novelty to trying them all out. They have elemental benefits too, which is useful for targeting the weakness of an opponent. Witnessing the fiery blazes, the lightning blasts, the creation of self-sufficient clones, and such cool manoeuvres is fun. But only for a short time.
You see, it’s very easy to action all the different moves and create combos, which enables a wider range of players to enjoy what’s on offer. That’s great, but the problem is that it turns into mindless combat and the enemies won’t pose much of a threat to the average gamer. Sure, the bosses require a little more intelligence to overcome, with special attacks of their own and they’re okay. Sadly, being thrown into the same bland environments multiple times, against ants, bats, and skeletons over and over again, soon becomes repetitive.
Even the skill trees don’t change an awful lot, with rather simplistic upgrades to the likes of defence, attack, skills, and health. Given the amount of materials that drop, it’s crying out for some kind of crafting or the option to equip items to boost attributes, but there’s nothing of the sort here. Eventually you can learn moves from those Rimuru regularly teams up with, but by then the boredom might have kicked in and it isn’t a game-changer.
There are other slight irritations, like the visual effects often making it tricky to even know what’s happening and the super sluggish transition between characters when switching on the fly. Another issue arises with the slightly larger enemies because their hit box is unclear and so even if you think you’re attacking its body, you’re usually not. And don’t get me started on the AI allies who watch on more often than not, instead of getting stuck in.
And then there’s the building side of proceedings, which lets you use the aforementioned materials in order to grow a relatively small village into a bustling kingdom. Basic huts are available initially, with marts, residences, and more, unlocking through general progression. What a shame then that it’s incredibly simplistic and barely adds anything to the experience as a whole. Aside from choosing to get a temporary boost from a particular building, they provide nothing else and the majority don’t look great either. You can’t enter the shop to buy anything, or wander around the armoury, so it feels like a missed opportunity.
On the visual front, That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles is not going to win any awards with its slightly odd chibi style character models and generic looking backgrounds. The standard throughout is consistent with something you’d expect from a handheld console game to be honest. While that alone shouldn’t put you off, it’s worth bearing in mind when considering the other flaws.
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles delivers a bit of mindless fun with its action and exciting special moves, but not much else. For all the characters featured and arcs covered, the narrative struggles to recreate the joy of the anime and ultimately lacks charm. The majority of the quests are repetitive, the dungeons get boring real quick, and the city-building aspect seems half-cooked. Actually, the whole experience feels like it’s missing a fair few obvious ideas that could enhance the enjoyment tenfold.
Maybe take a look at That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime ISEKAI Chronicles in your next life, or in a sale.
