Introduction
Souls-likes are usually about doomed warriors, bleak worlds, and brutal challenges—but what if you swapped the grim knights for adorable, bouncy slimes? Slime Heroes, developed by Pancake Games, takes the tough-but-fair combat of the genre and slathers it in gooey, colorful charm, creating a ‘souls-lite’ experience that’s far more welcoming yet still full of surprises. Beneath its cute, family-friendly exterior lies a surprisingly deep adventure, complete with intricate ability customization, tricky puzzle dungeons, and a sprawling world to explore.
However, not all surprises are pleasant—some areas can be frustrating to navigate, combat isn’t the smoothest, and the light story does just enough to keep things moving. Even so, Slime Heroes proves that challenge and charm can go hand in hand.
Premise
While the world you inhabit may not be decaying, as is commonplace in Souls-likes, it is being consumed by a vile purple corruption, which has infected the world’s ancient guardians. You, a simple slime, are spared from this horrible fate, and it is up to you to fight back the corruption, free the guardians, and save the world!
The setup for Slime Heroes is laid out plainly at the start of the game and follows a straightforward structure. There are no twists to experience, no branching narratives, and little in the way of world-building beyond a few lore-giving landmarks. There aren’t even any memorable characters to speak of. The game uses its narrative as a means to an end—a vehicle for Slime Heroes’ stronger elements.
Some may find this disappointing, as uncovering a rich narrative is a big part of Souls games for many players. But I understand that Slime Heroes doesn’t intend for its story to be part of the challenge—that is reserved for the gameplay.
Gameplay
Slime Heroes begins with a classic element of any good Souls-like or RPG: a character creation screen! More accurately, a slime creation screen, where you design your slime from facial expressions to internal and external colors. It’s a cute beginning that sets the tone perfectly—charming, almost tongue-in-cheek, and full of personality.
After designing your slime, you run through a basic tutorial area to get familiar with the controls. The game features an isometric perspective and a simple but effective moveset of attack, dodge, and jump. Once you’ve witnessed the last of the ancient guardians succumb to the corruption, you are whisked away to safety—the last hope for your world. From there, the adventure unfolds across six diverse biomes, each guarded by a corrupted boss that must be defeated.
Each boss is based on an animal archetype, from a wild boar to a slithering snake, with their fights designed around these inspirations. No two battles feel the same, and as you whittle down their health bar, they become more aggressive, leading to some intense finishes. I died a few times from being too greedy with my hits and not watching my health, but none of these fights felt like an insurmountable challenge.
You start with a classic sword (or your slimy fists) and unlock new weapons after defeating bosses. Each weapon feels distinct in weight and attack combos, giving players the chance to experiment with different fighting styles. While I liked this structure, I never felt the need to switch from my trusty sword, which balanced speed and damage well. Perhaps offering more weapon choices earlier on would encourage players to experiment more. That being said, there is a chakram-style weapon you can throw—which is always a plus in my book!
Along with the epic boss battles, hordes of mutated monsters stand in your way, each one trapping a helpless creature within its corrupted form. The enemy variety is excellent—not just in movesets but in design. While they all share the game’s signature gooey aesthetic, each enemy type stands out thanks to distinct silhouettes and attack patterns. There’s a great reason for this: every enemy has a chance to drop their signature move, allowing the player to learn it as a spell! You can equip up to three of these spells, plus a fourth, powerful ability gained from fallen bosses. While this is already a cool mechanical twist, it’s just the tip of the iceberg for Slime Heroes’ most impressive feature.
Players can fuse two spells together to create entirely new ones, leading to some unique and often surprising combinations. For example, I combined a whirlwind spell with a meteor shower so that each impact produced a whirlwind was pulled enemies to them – excellent crowd control. You’re encouraged to experiment, mixing offensive and defensive abilities to craft a moveset that fits your strategy.
On top of that, elemental effects found throughout the world add another layer of depth. By infusing your spells with fire, ice, lightning, or other elemental properties, you can exploit empower your spells further. You should have seen the look on my face when I first saw my meteor shower produce fiery cyclones that pulled in and burned my foes! You can even interact with the environment in creative ways. Freezing water to create paths or setting obstacles ablaze adds a light puzzle-solving element to exploration, making magic feel like more than just a combat tool. The one issue with the combat system is that spells cannot be transitioned to from a combo, feeling like an input hasn’t been received. It doesn’t ruin combat, but it is noticeable.
This system is put to the test in the game’s battle and puzzle dungeons, which challenge you to master the monster spells you’ve collected. Some dungeons demand precision and creativity—using the right spell in the right way—while others focus on raw combat ability. Some of the puzzle dungeons are real headscratchers, and I’m not too proud to say that I still haven’t figured some of them out! Completing these dungeons rewards you with ancient tomes, which can be exchanged with a peculiar mushroom looking NPC for health upgrades, making them well worth the effort.
Slime Heroes also shines in its world design. The game is much larger than I initially expected, with each of its biomes full of hidden secrets. Secret pathways and hidden items encourage players to explore beyond the main path. One of my favourite discoveries was the collectible hats—cosmetic items that also grant passive bonuses. Whether it’s a speed boost or extra defence, these hats add another incentive to venture off the beaten path.
To help with progression, fast travel points are scattered across the world. Not only do these allow for quick travel between locations, but they also serve as upgrade stations. Here, you can use the shards you collect (and will drop on death) to improve your stats, making your slime stronger for the challenges ahead. The game also provides a map system that little marked trails to direct players on where to go in each biome, ensuring you never feel lost. While Slime Heroes isn’t overly punishing, it does include difficulty options, making it accessible to a wide range of players.
Slime Heroes only gets better with co-op, making it a fantastic choice for families or friends to play together. Having a second player not only makes combat more manageable, but also adds a layer of teamwork—especially since players can revive each other by landing a hit on their fallen partner. It keeps the action flowing and makes even the tougher fights feel more forgiving, ensuring that younger or less experienced players can still enjoy the adventure. It also has some very handy accessibility features built into the game, like a circle round your slime that shows which way you are facing, as well as options in the menu you can turn on, including a customisable player silhouette.
Visuals
You have never seen a more colourful and slimy Souls-like than Slime Heroes, but then again, that may not come as a surprise! Each of the game’s biomes are distinct but familiar regions, including jungle, snowy, desert, and volcanic! My only complaint is that some of the level modelling can lead to you getting stuck or slipping off what looked like a flat surface, leading to some unfortunate deaths.
The animations of the player slime and the enemies are brilliant, and fill the world with just as much character as its art direction! Watching my little slime change from a quick bounce to sprout little feet and sprint brought a smile to my face every time, but not as much as an enemy bursting on defeat! A lot of time and effort clearly went into Slime Heroes’ animations, and it pays off in a big way, adding to the game’s feel and energy.
Sound
The music for Slime Heroes is of the appropriate fair, matching the vibrant atmosphere of the game’s world and kicking it up a notch in the heat of battle. I won’t be humming the soundtrack round my house for weeks to come, but it fitted with the vibe very well. The sound effects in the game are great fun, matching the entertaining animations on screen. There’s a lot of squelching, splatting, blooping, and all manner of onomatopoeias!
Conclusion
What ultimately kept me engaged in Slime Heroes wasn’t the story, but the way its mechanics all worked together to create such a compelling gameplay loop. The combat/magic system, dungeons, and world design are seamlessly intertwined, constantly pushing you to experiment and improve. I was always excited to encounter a new enemy, knowing they would have a new ability for me to unlock and try out!
Slime Heroes proves that Souls-likes don’t have to be grim to be great. With its charming aesthetic and deep mechanics, it offers a fresh take on the genre—one that’s as fun for longtime fans as it is for newcomers looking for a challenge wrapped in a friendlier package.
Slime Heroes is available on PC(Steam), Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5 & 4.
Slime Heroes was reviewed on PC(Steam).
The GSC team would like to thank the developers for providing us with review codes for Slime Heroes.
Want a couple of tips before becoming your best, slimy self? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Slime Heroes!
Having trouble finding the elemental powerups in Slime Heroes? Use our guide to find all the Elemental Gems!
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