Welcome to the wonderful world of SLIMES! As a semi-experienced gamer, one can safely assume that you, too, have encountered a SLIME a time or two, often with hilarious results! SLIMES tend toward the less impressive of monsters that impede your progress, and are often wonderful recipients of ‘target practice’ as you, the adventurer, slowly increase your levels and speed off toward bigger and better things. However, on some games, SLIMES can present different sets of challenges including dripping from ceilings and leaping from hidden spots on the floor. And, in one rare case, wild SLIMES have been tamed and used as companions! Well, however you have run afoul of a SLIME, this Field Guide seeks to assist you on your continued travels. Enjoy!
Part One: The History of SLIMES!
“The Slime is the mascot of the Dragon Quest role-playing video game franchise. Designed by Akira Toriyama of Dragon Ball fame, the basic slime resembles a water drop with two large eyes and a big smile. It made its first appearance in Dragon Warrior as the weakest enemy in the game, and usually the first the player encounters and it continues its history as a weak enemy in the series.”
In the January 2010 issue of Nintendo Power, the editors listed the Slime among its Favorite Punching Bags, a list including Goombas and Octoroks. They wrote that “The Slimes are just so cute and friendly-looking, it’s almost hard to slay them. But you know, a hero’s gotta do what a hero’s gotta do.” – Wikipedia
Part Two: The Many Types of SLIMES!
“There are many different types of slime found throughout the series, including slimes in different colors, bubble slimes which look like pools of slime, nautical slimes (wearing conch shells), metal slimes (with extremely high defense, give out very high amounts of experience when defeated, but tend to flee from battle and usually very hard to find), healslimes (who have tentacles and use magic, which can be summoned to help other monsters which the player is fighting), and king slimes (very large slimes wearing crowns, which come in regular, heal,bubble, spotted, and metal versions).” – Wikipedia
The following list showcases several games in which SLIMES make appearances, and talks about their frequency and types.
Castlevania
The SLIMES in the Castlevania series tend to either ooze freely from the floor, random pits, or leak repulsively from the roof and ceiling of whichever castle or building the hero is currently defending. They come in a variety of shapes, colors, and movements. If you have any desire to read more about these SLIMES, click the link for an entire Wiki entry on them!
Yu-Gi-Oh!
The SLIMES in the Yu-Gi-Oh! series first began in the original card game where many such representatives included metal types, clone types, and the standard SLIMES that eventually made their way to the video game versions. This particular genre of SLIMES tended to take the shapes and forms of bipedal creatures. For more info on Yu-Gi-Oh! SLIMES click the previous link.
The following video is of a much rarer appearance in a game called Touhou Mother. Though it isn't Yu-Gi-Oh!, it fits into our guide and is pretty funny.
A Boy and His Blob
In this rare case of a 'friendly SLIME', the titular Blob becomes the hero to the boy and it's with his assistance that the human protagonist progresses through the game. In fact, the Blob becomes such an asset and ally that without it, the boy would simply die. Fortunately, through the use of the Blob's favorite treat -jelly beans- it can transform its shape and size into useful items. It is unknown whether or not the Blob must maintain a specific mass when doing so. For more info, click A Boy and His Blob.
Legendary Axe II
The SLIMES in Legendary Axe II get their own habitat! That's right, in this game it is necessary to traverse the dreaded Crypt of Slime where the entire area is literally oozing with the little monsters. Dripping from the walls, crawling about, and basically turning a grand adventure into a battle fraught with terror, Legendary Axe II serves up the SLIMES in spades!
Demon’s Crest
There is a particular type of SLIME in Demon's Crest that is one of the most vile and wretched breeds ever seen. Its description is as follows (From the CAPCOM Wiki):
"Crawler is nothing but a giant, shuffling heap of sloppy carrion vulnerable only in its seldom-opened eyes. It attacks by releasing two kinds of smaller zombies from the holes down its back. One variety floats and emerges on its own while the legless, crawling type is pulled out and thrown at the player by Crawler itself. It will also pound the ground to rain dangerous debris down from the ceiling. When destroyed, crawler leaves behind a small heap of miscellaneous bones."
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
After the original Lufia game was released, apparently it was determined that it was lacking a veritable truckload of one specific type of enemy: SLIMES. Because during the game play of Lufia II, your landscape is literally festooned with SLIMES. But, these fall into the 'cute category' and almost make you wonder why such innocuous little boogers are so necessary to kill. And then you kill them and it all makes sense.
Maple Story
The SLIMES in Maple Story really seem to want to be your friend. If you'll notice, they have coy little smiles (oddly an anagram of 'slimes', by the way) and sweet faces... but that could be your downfall! Don't let their gleeful demeanor sway you from splattering them about like the snotty critters that they are! For more info on these nauseatingly sappy fellows, check out Maple Story Slimes.
The Legend of Zelda
Speaking of dungeon-inhabiting SLIMES, the Legend of Zelda series of games has featured a slew of globule-like monsters that stand in your way. Due to their habitats, these particular SLIMES are referred to -in their whole forms- as Zols. But, don't let their limited numbers fool you because, once hit with a weapon, Zols burst apart into two mini-Zols called Gels! And they're equally as irritating, if not just as deadly! Oh, and boomerangs don't work to stun Zols, either... they just serve to blast them into duo-Gels! Beware! And be prepared right HERE!
Final Fantasy Series
Though SLIMES appear in nearly every incarnation of the Final Fantasy line of games, the examples used here are from Final Fantasy II. Theses slimes are very typical of the 'green' variety and appear on the over-world map. Their frequency in the early part of your adventure is not only high, but also necessary as their weak constitutions and tendency to drop a modicum of gold is very helpful for raising levels and purchasing new weapons and armor. For a better look at FFII SLIMES, click this link.
Breath of Fire
Though Breath of Fire is inundated with many different SLIMES from the weak and pointless 'blue' versions, to the incredibly tough and magical 'metal slimes', it's the mysterious M.SLIME that garners the most attention. This particular breed is so sought after because of what it leaves behind at its defeat. At one particular point in the game, you will be able to fly to an island featuring two towers. Not only can you find, located at the base of the the tower, the most powerful weapon for your hero called the Tri-Rang (a one time thing), you can also mosey the grounds and possibly run into the very rare M.SLIME. Once defeated, you will receive a King's ransom! 9999 gold and 9999 experience points! It's all true, but good luck. Watch THIS video to assist you.
Dragon Quest
When one thinks SLIME, what one thinks is typically the slime found in the Dragon Quest series. Thou by no means the best of the slimes, they are the 'original', and therefor every slime to come after it tends to look very similar. They are what every other slime spawns from, regardless of the the game, map, dungeon, or type. Cute, seemingly cuddly, and sometimes your downfall, the Dragon Quest slimes started it all.
Dragon Warrior
Yes, we here at the SLIME Guide are full aware that Dragon Warrior is just the American version of the Japanese Dragon Quest line of games. But, there were both versions made for different systems in the US, so, I chose this as the best representative of the slimes for these games. Also, it just happened to be the very first quest game this author played, so based on nostalgia alone was enough for me to place these slimes at the top. As such, they are basically all the same as DQ slimes (sounds like an ice cream treat), so I don't need to go into too much detail, but you can watch this fun VIDEO.
