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> Results: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime
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The ESRB says...
Cartoon Violence: Rocket the slime stretches and flings himself into baddies, making them shout "Yeowtch!" Rocket also picks them up and throws them at other enemies. Do this enough times and they disappear and leave behind coins and other goodies. Comic Mischief: Many of the silly scenes involve slapstick humor and other Looney Tunes-style hi jinx. Use of Tobacco: This one is reaching. Barely noticeable, one of the characters smokes a pipe, although it could also look like he's blowing bubbles instead. One of the most popular and long-running role-playing video game series is Dragon Quest. In these games, one of the first enemies you encounter is the slime. Distinct and memorable, slimes are perpetually grinning teardrop-shaped piles of blue goo. These little guys have become increasingly popular over the years and now have their own happy little game for Nintendo DS. In Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime, you play as a young slime named Rocket who lives in Boingburg. When a group of rascally platypuses destroys the slimes' peaceful town and kidnaps all the inhabitants, it's up to Rocket to save the day. Early on, Rocket discovers a magic flute that summons a giant slime tank. With his new arsenal, Rocket ventures forth to rescue all his slime-napped buddies and stop those nasty platypuses once and for all. Being a slime with no limbs, Rocket's only means of attack is to stretch himself out and slingshot into enemies, sending them high in the air. Rocket then guides himself under airborne enemies and items to catch them on top of his head and carry them around. Rocket can carry three items at a time and throw them into other enemies or onto railcarts scattered throughout the world. These railcarts always go back to town toting rescued slimes, items, even enemies! It's important to send as much stuff back as anything could aid in your quest. Rescued slimes rebuild the town and open up new shops and things. Items sent back can be used as ammo for the giant Slime Tank, and if you send back enough enemies instead of destroying them, they befriend you and join your Slime Tank crew. When Rocket confronts a particularly tough foe, a tank battle ensues. These are the highlight of the game, making good use of the Nintendo DS' dual screens. On the bottom screen, you control Rocket in typical top-down fashion, picking up ammo and tossing it in the cannons. On the top screen you see the two tanks from an outside view that shows what each one is firing. Use strategy to toss items into the high cannon or low cannon to intercept the enemy fire and connect with shots of your own. Your crew of slimes and monsters help you load ammo or infiltrate the opposition's tank causing mischief on their side. Once you whittle the other tank's hit points to zero, hop on over there to destroy the heart of their tank's engine and win the battle. Graphics and sounds are cheerful, bright, and bouncy like the slimes themselves while play control is simple and easy to grasp mainly using only two buttons. Rocket Slime is a bit short and easy, but there is plenty of replay value with tank battles and item and monster collecting after you beat the game. You can even tank battle wirelessly with another player if they have a copy of the game. You use all the ammo you've collected in your game file, so if someone is further along in the game, they have a distinct advantage over a beginner. If there is any problem with Rocket Slime, it's that the game only has one save file so you can't share the adventure with friends and family unless you erase all your hard work. Still, Rocket Slime is one of the best and most cheerful DS adventures yet. Highly recommended.  
Kids will love the bright and happy sounds and visuals, and the breezy difficulty won't frustrate them too much. Reading skill is required for all the text in the game which is full of groan-inducing puns and jokes. Violence is minimal and cartoony. Rocket stretches and flings himself at baddies, making them shout "Yeowtch!" and launching them in the air. He also catches the bad guys and throws them at others. Do this enough times and they disappear leaving behind coins and other goodies. Usually the best thing to do is send the monsters back into town so you can be friends with them.
In the slime town there is a church where you save the game, and the slime nuns and priests talk about a slime goddess, so strict religious families may not like that. Families with multiple children may also have problems sharing since the game only has one save file. Even so, Rocket Slime is a great DS game that is sure to delight any kid or child at heart. This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime |
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