feel pretty guilty. I’ve spent hours slaughtering slimes in Dragon Quest’s RPG incarnations, only to find out now that the blue blobs with vacant grins are far more than easy XP; they’re also adorable and hilarious. Rocket Slime harnesses these creatures’ irresistible charm and pairs it with clever exploration and puzzle solving to form a fun adventure with a decidedly classic feel.

If you’ve played any of the top-down Zelda games, the core of Rocket Slime will be instantly familiar. You take control of a pure-hearted young slime who needs to rescue his captured friends by scouring every inch of the world. Basic progression through the game is pretty simple: You pick up enemies and items and throw them where they need to go. Throw bullets in cannons to blast obstacles. Throw your buddies onto rafts so they can get back to town. So why is this formula so much fun? Because tons of stuff you pick up doubles as ammunition for a giant magical tank that materializes out of thin air.

Even though you are ostensibly trying to save your fellow slimes, the real reason to explore the world is to gather a variety of ammunition for your massive Schleiman Tank. One-on-one tank battles comprise the game’s key encounters, with an engaging mix of strategy and reflexes. These frenzied sequences have you shooting down enemy projectiles and firing back with your own customized loadout of ammo that you collect on your journey.

Despite the fact that it’s great fun to blow apart enemy tanks (with names like Chrono Twigger and Platypanzer), this emphasis on collection is the main thing that holds Rocket Slime back. It’s fine in smaller quantities, but the sheer volume you need to amass in certain cases puts a temporary damper on the fun. Even so, that doesn’t stop me from wholeheartedly recommending Rocket Slime to fans of Dragon Quest, Zelda, and good games in general.