Todd's Adventures in Slime World

The Good
With co-op and competitive gameplay among the handful of game modes, the simple storyline is branched beautifully into a game that has a replay draw that is outstanding. There are many little touches in the game that really make it shine, and I am constantly surprised by how little acclaim this gem garnered in its day. Aspects such as checkpoints that can be destroyed by the Mega Bomb, adding to the challenge. It can be a real turning point in your run if your checkpoint gets wiped out by a carelessly detonated bomb, forcing you to advance or lose progress. Using your weapon to clean (heal) your ally is a great mechanic, which can be upset if you get the Slime Gun. Suddenly, instead of healing your teammate, you're a team-killing liability. Being able to change deadly Slime Pools into healing Water Pools is another great bit that can give you a tactical advantage. The list goes on and on, really. For such a simple, mostly obscure game, Slime World really pulled out all the stops for its time and made for a beautifully entertaining game.

The Bad
Really, what I disliked most about this game was trying to find a copy of it. Now, in this age of emulation, it's a little easier to get a copy if you don't mind chancing a virus to play it on your computer. While the graphics were nothing to write home about, they were passable for the most part, and the animations were good enough for the mechanics. Some of the audio could be grating after a while, but really those problems are just nitpicking when stacked against the overall entertainment offered by the game itself.

The Bottom Line
If you want to sit down with a buddy and waste an afternoon with some mindless fun, then Todd can accommodate you and then some. With seven game modes, all but one of them multiplayer friendly, there are plenty of ways to play. Adventure with Todd in the Slime World, water gun in hand. Monsters abound, waiting to coat you in deadly slime that will eventually kill you should you get too soaked. Use your water gun to clean your buddy, or handy water pools, and keep moving through the maze of slime. Find helpful tools and power ups along the way, including Mega Bombs that clear rooms, Shields that make you immune to slime for a while, and Jet Packs to get around a little easier. Careful though, as the Jet Packs can cause pools to explode if flown into them. Find the checkpoints, find the secret areas, and find a way out. Along the way, you'll also find that you've spent way longer playing this game than you thought. I know I did. My buddy had a copy of this when he got his tonsils taken out, and we played it the whole time he was stuck on the couch recovering. It was like five days of Slime World, all day long, and it was awesome. The time just flew by, unnoticed. He was happy for the distraction, I was happy for the marathon of gaming, and we were both happy that he had picked up Slime World a few days before the tonsillectomy.