Platforms: Steam, Switch, 3DS (There is also a lesser mobile version with quite a few drawbacks, see page 3 of this thread)
So, here is the thing. This game is crazy good and hard as nails and really needs a thread. In case you remember my other recommendation threads of SpaceChem, FullBore etcetc., add this one to the pile of games you absolutely need to check out:
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/568910/Ambition_of_the_Slimes/
While stumbling through Era, however, I found an incredibly lovely post by another member with so much spirit and energy that basically already perfectly encapsulates why this game is as good as it is, so let me just quote him and turn over the spotlight to Epilexia while I add some closing comments at the end:
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One of the finest tactical turn-based RPGs released in the last decade. Don't let the 5 dollars price tag fool you. We are talking about a game that if you are a completionist person, can take more than 200 hours to complete. With a number of maps and missions which is on par with a main entry in the 'Fire Emblem' series.
'Ambition of the Slimes' is one of the greatest love letters to the Japanese tradition of Strategic RPGs. And the dreamed game of Masaya Takahashi, who envisioned for years this genre-defining take while he was hired at Marvelous Inc., working with ex-Neverland staff designing maps for 'Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven' in the 3DS.
He finally decided to follow the independent path to achieve his envision. In 'Ambition of the Slimes', he is credited as the designer and programmer. With only other member in the team, Koji Matsushita who worked as the art director, while they outsourced the soundtrack to an external studio.
'Ambition of the Slimes' is an absolute masterpiece in its level design, and one of the most joyful experiences I have after an entire life of playing tactical RPGs.
It has a brilliant twist, never seen before in the genre. You control a group of incompetent, weak, slow and ugly slimes. You have zero chances of killing even the weakest enemy unit in the map. But you can possess enemy units. So at the end, all in your strategy is about how you are able to survive in the first turns, evading the attacks of the enemy units, until you can achieve the strongest enemies, then possess then, and then use these units to eradicate the rest of enemies.
This idea works thanks to its perfect map design. Every single mission will test your limits and strategy skills. Did you remember the extra missions in 'Mario+Rabbids', in which a lot of the maps were designed as puzzles, and achieving the victory was about being able to conceive a smart strategy to broke almost un-winnable battles? In 'Ambition of the Slimes' every single map and mission has this perfect hand-crafted design, in which every turn is relevant.
And based in this simple but smart idea, the game adds tons of layers to the formula. You have a triangle of weapons like in 'Fire Emblem', but with elements instead of weapons. If you possess an unit with your same element, the stats of the controllable enemy will be increased. So a lot of times, you need to take into account how reach with each of your slime units the strongest enemy unit with your same element affinity. But most important, you need to possess the enemy in a turn in which he is not surrounded by units of the opposite element, because once you possess an enemy, you can't move the unit until the next turn.
You have crazy ideas like to be able to possess a merchant, and then use money to bribe strongest units. You can use units of an opposite sex to try to seduce them. There are a total of 41 enemy units, each one with his own defining gimmicks.
And the same can be said of your slime units. Every slime has a defining ability. Like use his main skill to increase the chances of an enemy unit of being possessed in the next turn. A slime that once he receives a hit, will divide in two slimes. So you will need to create a strategy to first receive a hit, and then be sure of having two enemy units to posses in the surrounded area. With a total of 33 different slimes.
If you are a hardcore player who enjoy 'Fire Emblem' in its higher difficulty settings, then you will love the extra challenges. Once you complete a map, for each map there a 5 extra hard bonus missions, each one with a different placement and set of new enemies, pushing your limits.
Only to complete the first campaign area, with three of these extra challenges, it took me 20 hours of time. And I still need to complete the last 2 challenges in this map. And you have +30 main missions in the game.
Not to talk of its story. With a fascinating lore about the motivations of these ugly slimes in their attempt to vanquish the greedy human race who is destroying the natural environment. With tons of humor, surrealism and quirkiness in its dialogues.
People, don't sleep in 'Ambition of the Slimes'. The greatest eshop title that nobody is talking about.
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There isn't a whole lot left to add and if you read this far, the text above will have likely already convinced you, but its borderline criminal for this game to only have 7 Steam reviews. To add my 10 cents: I absolutely love turn based strategy games, be that Fire Emblem, Go/Chess, Frozen Synapse, Europa Universalis etc., and this game is so incredibly well tuned and laser focussed on its unique mechanic in every aspect that it manages to shine on its own without even standing in the shadow of Fire Emblem style games.
The way the slime puzzle element works for each level and how the level up/unlock slime mechanic is integrated is so damn fun and rewarding, that every player liking a tactical challenge needs to check this one out.
Also, I probably need this thread to cry after the game kicked my ass again.
Oh and its 5$. Five.
So, here is the thing. This game is crazy good and hard as nails and really needs a thread. In case you remember my other recommendation threads of SpaceChem, FullBore etcetc., add this one to the pile of games you absolutely need to check out:
Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/568910/Ambition_of_the_Slimes/
While stumbling through Era, however, I found an incredibly lovely post by another member with so much spirit and energy that basically already perfectly encapsulates why this game is as good as it is, so let me just quote him and turn over the spotlight to Epilexia while I add some closing comments at the end:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of the finest tactical turn-based RPGs released in the last decade. Don't let the 5 dollars price tag fool you. We are talking about a game that if you are a completionist person, can take more than 200 hours to complete. With a number of maps and missions which is on par with a main entry in the 'Fire Emblem' series.
'Ambition of the Slimes' is one of the greatest love letters to the Japanese tradition of Strategic RPGs. And the dreamed game of Masaya Takahashi, who envisioned for years this genre-defining take while he was hired at Marvelous Inc., working with ex-Neverland staff designing maps for 'Lord of Magna: Maiden Heaven' in the 3DS.
He finally decided to follow the independent path to achieve his envision. In 'Ambition of the Slimes', he is credited as the designer and programmer. With only other member in the team, Koji Matsushita who worked as the art director, while they outsourced the soundtrack to an external studio.
'Ambition of the Slimes' is an absolute masterpiece in its level design, and one of the most joyful experiences I have after an entire life of playing tactical RPGs.
It has a brilliant twist, never seen before in the genre. You control a group of incompetent, weak, slow and ugly slimes. You have zero chances of killing even the weakest enemy unit in the map. But you can possess enemy units. So at the end, all in your strategy is about how you are able to survive in the first turns, evading the attacks of the enemy units, until you can achieve the strongest enemies, then possess then, and then use these units to eradicate the rest of enemies.
This idea works thanks to its perfect map design. Every single mission will test your limits and strategy skills. Did you remember the extra missions in 'Mario+Rabbids', in which a lot of the maps were designed as puzzles, and achieving the victory was about being able to conceive a smart strategy to broke almost un-winnable battles? In 'Ambition of the Slimes' every single map and mission has this perfect hand-crafted design, in which every turn is relevant.
And based in this simple but smart idea, the game adds tons of layers to the formula. You have a triangle of weapons like in 'Fire Emblem', but with elements instead of weapons. If you possess an unit with your same element, the stats of the controllable enemy will be increased. So a lot of times, you need to take into account how reach with each of your slime units the strongest enemy unit with your same element affinity. But most important, you need to possess the enemy in a turn in which he is not surrounded by units of the opposite element, because once you possess an enemy, you can't move the unit until the next turn.
You have crazy ideas like to be able to possess a merchant, and then use money to bribe strongest units. You can use units of an opposite sex to try to seduce them. There are a total of 41 enemy units, each one with his own defining gimmicks.
And the same can be said of your slime units. Every slime has a defining ability. Like use his main skill to increase the chances of an enemy unit of being possessed in the next turn. A slime that once he receives a hit, will divide in two slimes. So you will need to create a strategy to first receive a hit, and then be sure of having two enemy units to posses in the surrounded area. With a total of 33 different slimes.
If you are a hardcore player who enjoy 'Fire Emblem' in its higher difficulty settings, then you will love the extra challenges. Once you complete a map, for each map there a 5 extra hard bonus missions, each one with a different placement and set of new enemies, pushing your limits.
Only to complete the first campaign area, with three of these extra challenges, it took me 20 hours of time. And I still need to complete the last 2 challenges in this map. And you have +30 main missions in the game.
Not to talk of its story. With a fascinating lore about the motivations of these ugly slimes in their attempt to vanquish the greedy human race who is destroying the natural environment. With tons of humor, surrealism and quirkiness in its dialogues.
People, don't sleep in 'Ambition of the Slimes'. The greatest eshop title that nobody is talking about.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There isn't a whole lot left to add and if you read this far, the text above will have likely already convinced you, but its borderline criminal for this game to only have 7 Steam reviews. To add my 10 cents: I absolutely love turn based strategy games, be that Fire Emblem, Go/Chess, Frozen Synapse, Europa Universalis etc., and this game is so incredibly well tuned and laser focussed on its unique mechanic in every aspect that it manages to shine on its own without even standing in the shadow of Fire Emblem style games.
The way the slime puzzle element works for each level and how the level up/unlock slime mechanic is integrated is so damn fun and rewarding, that every player liking a tactical challenge needs to check this one out.
Also, I probably need this thread to cry after the game kicked my ass again.
Oh and its 5$. Five.
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