Review: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles Feels Like Tales

Okay, I’m going to start this That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles review off by saying I’m honestly shocked how little I heard about the game ahead of launch. Like I recall an initial announcement, a release date reveal, and maybe a few mentions on social media. But other than that, there didn’t seem to be much acknowledgement about this worldwide TenSura game release. Which is a shame, as I really enjoyed it and feel like it’s something of a stripped down Tales of experience in some ways.

That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicle is essentially a truncated take on the TenSura story in the form of a game. We start with Rimuru Tempest as a slime, who was originally a man from our world who died and reincarnated in a fantasy one. Because of the way the human version of the character lived, the slime version started with a number of skills like the absorbing Predator and a Great Sage “assistant.” Upon meeting a dragon named Veldora, the slime gains new abilities like sight and a mission: to create a safe space for people to live in peace.

From there, the game fast forwards to when Rimuru acquired a human form from Shizu and allied with the goblins they named. So we then play as the slime after this new form is acquired, allies with the ogres that become kijins, and they all continue to build up the village. By the time it ends, the crew hits the Kingdom of Falmuth battle arc, so it covers a decent chunk of the story in a CliffsNotes sort of way. Elements get skipped so we can experience more action-heavy moments. It’s fine, but those who really enjoy the series might be a bit disappointed to see so much skipping around.

The structure for That Time I Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicle is rather simplistic, with every element of the game essentially serving as a means to improve the combat segments and advance the TenSura storyline. So you’ll see some story-based segments, which are represented either with Tales of style conversations with character portraits, art, or character models in the world interacting. This will provide an excuse for you to head to a location in the world and fight. You head out with a party of five. Three of them are active members you control, and two are support members who can be summoned with a button press for a single support action. 

Said dungeon encounters are genuinely the best part of the game, and I had so much fun with them. In a way, they’re somewhat reminiscent of the Tales series as well. You control one of the three characters in a completely 2D dungeon. The idea is to chain together combos to deal as much damage as possible You have standard attacks, which can change direction or output depending on button presses and directions. There are specials you can equip, with additional ones available if you also press the directions at the same times as the inputs. Each character has what feels like an ultimate move that can be unleashed when a gauge is full. (In the case of Rimuru, this is Predator of course.) You can also dodge, and swapping between your three characters is highly recommended. It’s definitely a highlight, especially since using specials breaks enemy shields and better performances net greater rewards.

The dungeon-crawling is interesting as well. It’s somewhat similar to the 2D branching paths of a game like Valkyrie Profile, wherein you can head into the foreground and background to go down different routes for extra encounters and treasures. Most of the dungeons are rather brief, enough so you can go through a few battles, check out your latest party composition, and really enjoy the combat system. It isn’t super intense or detailed, but it’s enjoyable enough. It almost feels a little like a mobile game in terms of structure and mission-length, but not in a bad way.

Upon arriving back at the village in That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles, everything Rimuru and the party accomplished serves to improve them and advance the TenSura campaign so they are more prepared for future fights. Those materials you picked up from fights and treasure chests? Those go into building up the village. Each building you create boosts the stats of the party. Likewise, keeping characters around for fights earns them points you can apply to the skill tree to increase their stats and ability to use special skills. I do wish there was a bit more actual city management to the village development portion of the game. However, I did appreciate seeing the tangible effects every time I built things up. 

I appreciated the gameplay loop! Mainly because the combat system is so much fun. It really reminded me of playing one of the older Tales entries sometimes. However, I acknowledge that it does get a little repetitive. If you aren’t a fan of the series, it might not click. Also, it’s wise to go in knowing you’ll spend a lot of time reading through story segments, heading into the same locations to fight a set number of foes, and acquiring materials so you can do that all over again.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles is one of those anime games that I’d say is more than serviceable, but isn’t extraordinary. People who like TenSura a lot will definitely get more out of the game than someone who is completely unfamiliar with it. I’d even say for the right price, someone who enjoys the Tales of combat system might even want to consider it. That really is the draw of the title, and it’s fun to take advantage of characters’ unique traits. While it isn’t trendsetting or amazing, it’s perfectly fine.

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Isekai Chronicles is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X, and PC.