Thank you Headup Games for the review code.

I have nothing but respect for speedrunners.To be able to find frame perfect jumps and move with such perfection, it's exquisite for me. I usually don't watch let's plays for games, but you should try watching a speedrun of your favorite game. It makes you look at it from a whole new perspective. That's why I am certain that Slime-san will be a speed runners paradise.

Slime-san puts you in the role of a simple and cute slime monster. One day, while walking through the forest, a gigantic and monstrous worm chases him and his bird friend, swallowing them both whole. The worm's body has survivors, a working city and even an arcade. If you try to escape, however, its acid will chase you throughout its body. To get back to his family you'll have to run, jump, and slide through hundreds of stages.

The big thing for Slime-san is its gameplay. It’s a pure platforming game that introduces new elements in each stage. You have two timers: one tells you how fast you must beat the level to gain a trophy, and the other one tells you how long you have until the worm's acid comes after you. The stages can vary from scrolling stages to boss battles. The uvula boss battle was especially challenging: I didn't know they wore headphones. 

Visually this game is a lot of fun. While some people might think it's a cop out to appreciate it because of a pixel art style, I feel Slime-San pushes itself enough to set itself apart from other pixel style games. The biggest strength of this game is the pacing. While speed running games are not my thing I still felt very motivated to keep progressing. By introducing new mechanics naturally throughout the stages without annoying hand holding, I didn't feel any frustration each time I died. Once my skills improved, it felt great to move on to the next stage. Not a lot of games do the naturally teaching thing anymore. 

The negatives in this game will depend on who you are as a gamer. The soundtrack also tries to capture that bygone age of video game music, yet it feels repetitive and boring. Aside from the boss battle themes, I usually preferred to keep my own music on. The town is cute, but its novelty wears off really fast. Aside from the shop that provides different skins for Slime-san that make his mechanics different, the novelty of the town wore out fast. Any other shop is either for cosmetics or extra challenges. The only thing that kept me interested was the arcade that had different mini games. You have a mode where you can check on his kids while he's trapped in the room though it doesn't add much to the game. While the game's story is simple and clean, the town and the thing with the kids could have been boiled down to cut scenes and menu options. The game may be repetitive for some gamers. 

Despite the potential negatives, this is a game that can help you improve without holding your hand. File this one down as a give it a try kind of game.

Aside from the fact you're traveling in worm guts, you won't find much offensive material in this title.  Slime-san is a game that will test you and improve your skills. Reunite children and slime with Slime-san.