Hey you! Yeah, you! Do you ever wish you could just get away from it all? Maybe get some cute pets, explore new, exciting frontiers, AND make money while doing it? Consider joining the 72ee Company, and sign up to be a Slime Rancher in the Far, Far Range today!*

_{*terms and conditions apply. 72ee not liable for death or injury while exploring the range. Only the basic necessities are provided by the 72ee Company, personal growth and expansion will be taken out of your profits, along with any potential inventions and discoveries under the exploration clauses 37.} 

S is for Slime Rancher, a cute farming adventure game by Monomi Park, released in 2017. You play as Beatrix LeBeau, a fresh-off the rocket slime rancher wannabe, new to the Far, Far Range. This cartoonish paradise is inhabited primarily by the jelly-like creatures called Slimes, which come in a variety of colors and types! Different Slimes produce different kinds of Plorts when fed (…don’t look too closely into it…), which can then be sold on the Plort Market, and converted into cold, hard, cash. Which you can then turn around and funnel directly back into your ranch, so you can get and feed more slimes, for more plorts, for more ranches, for more different and exotic slimes, for more plorts-

I love this game, and it has a semi-permanent home on my list of games to come back to, whenever I’m at a loss for what to play. It’s cute, it’s comfortable, and its low stakes. With forgiving game difficulty options, and a sturdy gameplay loop, it’s adaptable to what sort of playthrough you want. First time playing? Try a casual runthrough, with minimal hazards and an abundance of things to explore, areas to find, and slimes to coo over. Do you want a challenge, a high score to aim for? Try the Plort Rush mode, where you can race to make as much money as possible in only an hour, juggling special requests for time bonuses, and rare gold slimes scattered throughout the map for eagle-eyed ranchers to find. 

Lovable characters, cute designs, with just a hint at a larger world lore for those who like to dig for it (if you’re still curious about what in the world ‘Plorts’ are used for, the game has a meaty in game explanation for every variety, with some… concerning implications) make for a game ready for a variety of players. Whether speedrunning, or taking your time to pet these happy blobs, this game is enjoyable all around.

Slime Rancher can be found here: http://www.slimerancher.com/
As of writing this, it’s available to play on PC, Steam, XBox, and PS4