Handheld gaming is more than a compromise of power and portability. Whether it’s the ability to play anywhere, multitask or hold an entire console in your hands, it’s a special experience consoles have never replicated. In a world where high resolutions and teraflops reign supreme, we take a look at a portable relic every month and reflect on what makes it memorable. Be warned, spoilers may occasionally populate these articles.
Dragon Quest monsters have undergone artistic changes throughout the games as graphics have improved, but generally remain the same since their introduction. This is true of the iconic slime, a monster that has been serving as low level canon fodder since the original Dragon Quest. Since that time there have been many permutations, ranging from the basic blue monster that is many players' first battle to the experience point jackpot metal slime to the wide variety of slimes that can be created in the Dragon Quest Monsters laboratories. Slimes are a constant in Dragon Quest games but they generally aren’t the protagonist. Someone must have noticed this oversight and decided that Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime would finally be the blue blob’s time to slime.
It’s Slime for a Story
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime begins in Boingburg, the capital city of Sleminia. Four slimes are hanging out in front of castle: Hooly, Bo, Swotsy and protagonist Rocket. Hooly has gotten his hands, or whatever slimes use for hands, on valuable flute these slimes have no business possessing. Rocket blows the flute, which alerts the slime patriarch to investigate, so the flute is hidden in Rocket’s mouth to great comedic effect. The joke ends up being on the rest of the slimes as Boingburg is invaded by the platypus-like Plob who capture all of the residents of Boingburg. This is a bad turn of events for the slimes, but Rocket inadvertently lucked out.
Due to the flute being lodged in Rocket’s, um, whatever internal workings slimes have, the Plob mistake him for a rigid worm as he is rather flute shaped thanks to the lodged object. The Plob discards Rocket like a bag of moldy tangerines in Forewood Forest. Rocket extricates the flute from his innards and begins his quest of rescuing other slimes from the Plod. Rocket will have to use all of his slime abilities to stretch and boing himself around the area to rescue the 100 missing slimes.
One Simply Does Boing Into Slimenia
Controlling Rocket seems reminiscent of the 1991 SNES game Smartball. The game is viewed from an overhead perspective as Rocket bounces and boings in his quest to rescue the inhabitants of Boingburg. As demonstrated by his flute inhalation, Rocket is able to stretch himself out rather far, which is useful in building up tension for his Elasto Blast which propels Rocket forward at a fast feed. Rocket is able to use this in order to stack enemies, friends and items on top of his head, for lack of a better term. Slime anatomy isn’t ever really discussed in great detail. He can boing around with up to three items or creatures on top of him that he can send back to Boingburg.
Like other Dragon Quest games there’s a day and night cycle, where different monsters are only out at certain times of the day. This also plays into the reconstruction of Boingburg, and Rocket sends enemies and friends back to Boingburg, though only one type of monster may be a resident of Boingburg besides the natives slimes. As more slimes are returned to Boingburg they are eventually able to remove the spiked balls that were left behind in the Plobs' wrath as Boinburg is gradually returned to its former glory.
If someone were to ask a person who knew Dragon Quest, but nothing about Rocket Slim, what they would expect to find in the game, tank battles probably wouldn’t be mentioned. One of the reasons why the flute taken in the prologue was so valuable is because it can activate the famed Schleiman Tank, which the slimes can take to war in tank battles against the Plobs. Tanks battles are fought by Rocket using his Elasto Blast to feed ammo into the Schleiman Tank’s cannons. A more daring approach is to launch himself from the Schleiman Tank into the enemy tank, where Rocket can use his Elasto Blast to destroy their onboard computers to hinder their ability to fight or steal their ammunition. Tanks battles being used by slimes seems random even by Dragon Quest standards, but this is actually a fun portion of the game.
Review: Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince forgoes complexity in favor of creating an accessible and enjoyable gaming experience.
But is it a Goood Slime?
Mainline entries in Dragon Quest have evolved and experimented with changing the game systems, but generally follow the same template, more or less. Dragon Quest spinoffs is where the franchise goes in more unpredictable directions. Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is one of the more unpredictable approaches. Slimes in Dragon Quest games are generally seen as cannon fodder and not the hero, though in this game they can be used as cannon ammo. It’s a simple game that is targeted towards younger audiences, but the pun-laden dialog and the kingdom of slimes gives Rocket Slime a charm that’s difficult to resist. The action gameplay is simple yet enjoyable, and having slimes go to war in a tank battle is a concept so ridiculous it’s hard not to love it.
Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime is only available on Nintendo DS, and given Nintendo’s policy on preserving their legacy titles, finding a copy floating around the second-hand market is the only way to play it, barring DS emulation, which is something I don’t know anything about. It’s one of the more expensive DS, though finding it for two figures shouldn’t be difficult. It’s one of the shorter Dragon Quest games, but it’s enjoyable while it lasts. The gameplay might not be overly appealing to hardcore RPG fans, but hardcore Dragon Quest fans can have a goood slime with this.
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