I had to keep reminding myself this wasn’t a finished game every time I played Slime Rancher 2.

It is so polished, has such an enjoyable gameplay loop, there’s content for days and frankly, I barely found any bugs. Plus that music is so calming and soothing.

But yeah, because this is Early Access, for now we’ll just present some of the highlights, early impressions and save a more final analysis for when the game is in a more complete state. Even though the game itself feels pretty final already.

The immediate thing you’ll notice is that it’s a lot like Slime Rancher 1 which, honestly, isn’t a bad thing either. The original was masterfully designed, built up over a sustained period of time, with a core community base saying what worked well and what didn’t. It’s frankly smart to use that as a base for a followup, and expand upon that even further with that same feedback.

You still pick up slimes in your vacuum, you rear them, feed them, get currency for it and spend that accordingly on upgrades, lots and expanding out the wider area.

Basically, if you’ve ever wanted to build a slime farm, this is the game for you.

But the other immediate thing to note is the visuals. Slime Rancher 2 is breathtaking in 4K. The way the clouds move across the sky and how it changes from day and night. The light and dark aesthetic is so subtle, so beautifully done and it enriches the game wonderfully.

And outside of the OG crew, there’s also new slimes to find, each with their own quirks and personalities. Something to definitely bare in mind as to who you’re bringing back to your farm and who you decide to put in the same pen. They can get pretty boisterous.

Slime Rancher 2 is such a soothing, calming, relaxing experience, though. You don’t feel stressed out and concerned about how things progress but you also want to try and make the most of your days, collecting fruit and vegetables, looking at the cool upgrades to see how they can enhance the game and spending time exploring the Rainbow Islands.

What surprised me most of all is the size of the game already. It’s Early Access, sure, but there’s several substantial areas, as mentioned more slimes to find, you can expand the ranch, and even gather more resources in fun ways.

And frankly, I cannot think of many games better to play on a Steam Deck right now, it’s just wonderful!

It is a bit pricey for an Early Access game, no question, and that may be a bit offputting for some people. But there’s a full release game here already and one that’s sure to get even bigger and more substantial in the months and years ahead. The good news, at least, is that it is on Xbox Game Pass, so you can get a good feel for it there if the cost concerns you.

If you loved Slime Rancher, this is a no-brainer. It’s more of the same, but bigger, better, and more varied. That said, I am interested to see what Monomi Park add in the future to innovate and evolve this franchise even further. One criticism you can say is that it’s perhaps a bit too familiar.

One to keep an eye on, definitely, Slime Rancher 2 is delightful and fills me with genuine warmth. Sounds perfect for those cold winter nights if you ask me?