Part 1: What usually happens to peaceful starting villages?

Update 01: What usually happens to peaceful starting villages?



Alright, welcome one and all to Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime! It’s slime we got started, so let’s goo!

_{Alright, I’ll stop that. Even though it’s not a main game in the Dragon Quest series, this one’s going to be giving us enough puns as it is.}



Rocket Slime is old enough to only have one save slot available, but it’s a minor issue (especially for people who can make savestates). There are two other small issues this game has, but odds are good that readers of this LP won’t see much of them.

For the curious, the other two issues are:
1) The game uses flickering shadows to create a 50% transparency effect. However, the improved screen response time of the 3DS and emulators means that this effect doesn’t work correctly when not playing on an actual DS.
2) Transitioning between screens will sometimes briefly flash up images of completely unrelated areas for some unfathomable reason. This happens between the fade-out of the old screen and the fade-in of the new, which I have no reason to screenshot.

With that negativity out of the way, let’s show off the game’s good points!





Our hero of the story is the titular Rocket, but I’ll be taking suggestions if anyone wants him renamed. Puns are encouraged.



There, in the peaceful town of Boingburg, lived a slime called Rocket.



It’s not quite being woken up by our mother, but being called outside by our sister is still pretty high on the list of popular ways to start a videogame. Young Bo here is a She-Slime. I don’t think I need to explain that statement further.



And here’s our protagonist, a regular ol’ slime. Beloved mascot of the series, and the most ordinary resident of Boingburg.

(The lack of shadows in this .gif is a side effect of a workaround Leavemywife showed me for some technical issues I was having. Given the flickering I mentioned earlier, I consider this a bonus.)



Anyway, let’s go fight this Hooly fellow. I’m sure he’ll be a complete chump.



...Especially since he appears to be a Healslime. And we also have a Drake Slime hanging around from the looks of things.

Check it out, it’s pretty amazing. It’s called the Warrior Flute.



I say! Isn’t that one of His Royal Wobbliness’s treasures? Whatever are you doing with it?

Chill out! I’ll put it back later. He’ll never know it was gone. So, Rocket! How about we say today’s winner gets to play us all a tune?



Swotsy may have sweet aviator’s goggles, but he’s a total wet blanket.

It’ll be fine, I tell you! We’ll decide the winner with a game of Sweepstakes! The fastest one to clear up all the leaves gets a toot on the flute! I did it in sixty seconds. If you can beat that, you win!

...So these kids are so deprived of entertainment that they’re doing yardwork for fun?



If you stretch out and build up some power, you’ll be able to shoot around really fast! You should give it a try before you start. I know you can do it!



Alright, welcome to our main method of attack for regular gameplay! Rocket’s gooey body can be stretched in eight different directions, causing him to launch himself toward enemies and obstacles at high speeds and with devastating force! Distance, speed and force are all dependent on how far and how long Rocket is allowed to stretch.





Oh, and suffice it to say… Since Hooly can’t do an Elasto Blast like Rocket can, his record is incredibly easy to beat.









Hooly seems to be taking it a bit hard. Not that Swotsy cares.

Huh. No one likes to be a loser. But I guess it doesn’t really matter. Never say I don’t keep promises, Rocket! Here, the Warrior Flute’s yours.





Hmm, not bad. Surely playing the king’s treasured instrument will have no repercussions whatsoever.







Oh God, panic!

Yikes! We have to hide that flute! Um… Er… I’ve got it!



Okay, okay. You’re right. I won’t do it again, I promise.



Holy smokes, it’s the slime equivalent of Ragnar McRyan. Only without the thick Scottish accent.

WELL, NEVER MIND THAT NOW. HAVE YOU LITTLE ONES SEEN THE WARRIOR FLUTE?





HM. WELL, IT’S A VERY STRANGE-LOOKING BAT. I’VE NEVER SEEN ONE WITH EYES BEFORE.

It’s got eyes so it can see the ball! Even I can manage to hit with it.

GOOD FOR YOU, LITTLE BO! WHAT A BAT! WELL, LET ME KNOW IF YOU FIND THAT FLUTE.



What a splendid fib you came up with, Bo! I didn’t know you had it in you.

I’m not just a cute face! Come on, let’s go. We’ll get into trouble if we hang ‘round here.



Hmm… Our mobility seems somewhat limited.



Case in point. Guess we’ll have to wait until we can get rid of this silly flute.





It sounds like something’s going on in town. I wonder what’s happening.







Disaster befalling the hero’s home town in 5, 4, 3…



Oh, the place looks like it’s been wrecked pretty thoroughly already. Also, danger music!





We wanna know where you slimeballs keep that Warrior Flute o’ yours.

HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT! THAT FLUTE IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS.

Huh! You got some nerve there, pops. Looks like we got no choice. We’re gonna have ta slimenap the lot of ya. We’ll get one of ya to talk!

I’D LIKE TO SEE YOU TRY! YOU’LL HAVE TO GET BY ME FIRST!



And that’s why you don’t mess with someone who calls himself Big Daddy.





(Please shake your monitor vigorously for the desired effect.)



...Oh.



That’s not good.





I don’t suppose we happen to have anything that can deal with the city-sized tank bombarding us, do we?



Heh heh heh! Now then, schmo, you’d better come quietly.

OH! I HAVE NO CHOICE! I CANNOT LET BOINGBURG SUFFER ANY MORE DAMAGE…

...Well, darn. That didn’t go so well…





Apparently in this world, being lifted up by somebody leaves you completely helpless. They don’t even need to restrain you or anything.



Everybody’s getting slimenapped, sadly enough. And it’s not like the Warrior Flute is very well hidden…



What is it, boss?

Whaddya mean, what is it!? What have ya got there, huh?

_{I’m never letting Leavemywife make a custom portrait ever again.}

It’s a s-slime, boss. ...Ain’t it?

That ain’t no slime, you schmuck! I ain’t never seen a slime that long an’ thin!

Really? Then...what is it?

Er… That there’s a worm, I tell ya!

Urgh! A worm! Sorry, boss. I had it all wrong.





All of the town’s slimes were snatched up and taken away. And Rocket, who was lucky enough to escape the Plob’s clutches…



Geeze, that one Platypunk must have had one hell of a throwing arm.





At least Rocket landed okay.



...The same cannot be said for the Warrior Flute. Though it does make you wonder why the Plob wanted it so badly.



Methinks the game doth handhold too much.

About five splodgy steps later…



There is, isn’t there? I can smell you! Yes! I’d know that smell anywhere…

What does a slime smell like? Jelly? Bubblegum? Bubblegum-flavoured jelly?



If you can identify your friends by scent, I think there may be something wrong with you. Or they all wear too much cologne.

Would you mind letting me out of this box? An Elasto Blast should do the trick! Just give it a jolly good whack. That should break it open. Hurry now!



Now, let’s hurry on back to town. Oh, bother! What’s the matter with my wings? Being stuck in that wretched box for so long has made them go to sleep.



You want to be carried all the way back to town? Pffft, you wish.

Knock me into the air with an Elasto Blast. Be sure to catch me before I hit the ground! I know it probably seems rather rough, but it’s the only way.

I suppose it would be slightly difficult to pick something up without hands, wouldn’t it?



So yes, anything we want to pick up in this game, we must knock into the air and catch. I hope we don’t need to handle anything delicate. Or volatile.



Now, if you’ll just carry me back to the entrance, I’ll be on my way. When we get there, just launch me in the direction of town. Face the way you want to throw me and then press the B Button. Easy as pompom pie!

...I’m not sure if being asked to only carry you across one screen is more or less lazy than wanting us to take you all the way back. I guess it’s more ‘differently lazy’.



End of the line, bud.



I suppose I’m the lucky one. Think of all those other poor chaps still being held captive. You must save them! I’m sure you can do it, Rocket! I’ll take care of things back in town, so don’t you worry about that.



And then Swotsy just buggers off home, leaving Rocket to do all the work. Such is the fate of a silent protagonist.



Then press the L Button to switch to the letters screen.

Ah, yes. While the top screen is just a simple map during gameplay, it serves as the menu screen when the game is paused.



Yeah, nothing to see here. Let’s take a peek at the top screen then.



The first tab is just the map again, allowing it to be zoomed in and moved about if you want to look around a bit more. The letters screen is the most useful option available though, as each and every rescued slime will send Rocket a letter. It also shows where in Boingburg that slime can be found.



I say! Did you know you can press START to see the menu screen? It’s jolly useful. By the way, I’m enclosing a super little gift. I hope it comes in handy for saving the others.

Letters are sometimes helpful or funny, but Swotsy’s is just redundant.



However, all of them include an item for our collection, each of which has its own little line for receiving. But then, what do we want with a not-apple?





Hmm, curious. We’ll have to figure out how to use this later.



Let’s just head north for the time being.



Hmm? Just over there…



S-Sorry, boss. It’s just, I’m beat.

You’re what now, schmo!? You ain’t never gonna make a two-tailer wid dat attitood! Putcha back into it already!

S-Sure thing, boss! I’m on it, boss! Heeeave! Heeeave!









I hope you enjoyed the comedy stylings of Wiseguy and Babbo, the bumbling platypunk pair. They even left us another slime to save.



You’ll have to forgive me if I don’t include a shot of busting open every single chest with an Elasto Blast.

Ga ha ha! Looks like I’m not the only hard case around here! Okay, let’s roll!



Oh, we’re going to become incredibly familiar with the Trans-Slimenian. Don’t you worry.





Alright, time to put the railway to use.





Stony’s letter arrives mere moments after he’s sent back to town, while Rocket’s busy with the noble hero tradition of smashing pottery.



We’re counting on you to rescue everyone, squishy. Leave no stone unturned!

We get another Pompom out of this.



Our initial foray into Forewood Forest is nearly over. Just a bit more tutorialising to go.



The next screen has a Pompom just laying around, and another slime chest to bust open.



???: I appear to be rather high up, so I don’t think you can reach me by jumping. The only way up here is by coming around that big tree stump.



The camera helpfully pans over to show us said stump. Though how the captured slime knows such things is beyond me…

???: The carts can hold up to four things at a time. You should collect a few items and try it out for yourself. Oh! And if you could spare a moment to set me free, I’d be awfully grateful.





Since we’re collecting items, might as well take the chest as well as the gold inside! Rocket’s already a step ahead of most RPG heroes.





There’s another chest with twice the moolah just up a nearby rope. And when we head along through that puddle up there…



Get that thing shifted already! I told ya! You gotta putcha back into it!

I’m pretty beat, boss. These slimy dudes are kinda heavy.



We ain’t gonna let ‘em beat us. If they carry three, we carry a hundred!

A hundred’s too many, I tell ya! ...But I guess I’ll give it a go.





Hah! Now no slurper can follow us through!



Indeed, Babbo has well and truly stopped us following him any further. We’d better just free that other slime instead.



A nearby chest holds not money, but a healing herb. Currently useless due to the lack of enemies about, but otherwise handy. It’s consumed immediately on collection, so consider it our heart pickup.



After collecting some more random junk, let’s go ahead and get this last slime for the day.



Thankfully, it seems there are none of those misguided Platiosi around. Now’s the perfect time for us to return to town on the Trans-Slimenian.

Platiosi refers to the members of the Plob who wear those false tails to signify rank. Not all Plob members are Platiosi, though. I don’t think this is explicitly stated in this game, so I’m telling you now.



And you will have to fight them, my slime. Don’t be disheartened. Good will prevail. And if you put items on the carts, they’ll be carried back home to town. Collect up whatever you can! Every little bit helps.



But if the Plob beat you, night or day, you’ll lose half of your gold coins. So be sure not to push yourself too hard, won’t you?



Naturally, our first outing lacked the day/night cycle for tutorial and plot purposes. And once we finish each visit to an area, we get to see how many of the slimes there we saved, as well as how much stuff we brought back.



You were warned, readers.

Then, the next day…





Apparently slimes just sort of… melt while asleep. Does that mean it takes constant conscious effort to hold themselves together in their usual blobby shape?



Alright, enough of that. Let’s take a quick look around Boingburg before we finish up.



There don’t seem to be enough beds here for a family of four, but that’s par for the course.



Boingburg has definitely seen better days. But before we can go too far…



Dear Goddess, how can we ever forgive the Plob for such wickedness?

The whole town’s littered with iron balls. Those Platiosi have got hearts of stone!

I say. There’s something written on them. I wonder what it means.



Well that’s super, then! The three of us can clear away this 3St iron ball right now.



“You can do basic math! Ga ha ha!”

Every one of us must help to clear things up around here. It would be quite wrong just to rely on Rocket for everything.

At least somebody thinks so. Although that does mean that Rocket does not count toward the number of slimes needed to move each iron ball.

Hear, hear! So come on then, you lot. Let’s get this tiresome thing out of the way!









If I ever get my hands on them, I’ll come down on them like a ton of bricks!

...That’s an odd turn of phrase for a slime to use.



Dear Goddess, protect your helpless lambs in their darkest hour.

They took every last one of us. All 100 slimehabitants.

Hey, Rocket lives here too. There are actually 101 citizens of Boingburg, you know.

It’s so beastly. Can’t you rescue everyone else like you rescued us, Rocket?

I’m not stretchy like you, squishy. I’d crack in two if I tried an Elasto Blast. No, you’re the only one here who stands a chance against the Plob.

We’ll all be praying for you.



Dragon Quest continues to have one of those extremely rare RPG religions that isn’t actually evil. The Goddess never tries to destroy all humanity or anything. Although we won’t be seeing any humans in this world…



I’ll save it in an adventure log. Don’t forget to confess to me what you’ve been doing.



In fact, giving confession to the priests and nuns in Dragon Quest tends to be how the series lets you save. So it’s a good thing Mother Glooperior is one of the first slimes we found!



We’re actually allowed to move about and poke around ruined Boingburg now; it’s also your first chance to save, so make sure to do so.



Oh, and you see this tree that’s growing in the middle of the church? You know, as if the church were built around it?





Hooray for secrets!



There’s another seed of life waiting for us behind that 10St iron ball, so our health should get another boost pretty soon.



The palace and its grounds did not escape the attack unscathed either, it seems.







The Plob really ran roughshod over this place.



And they defaced the painting of His Royal Wobbliness! This simply will not stand!



So next time, we will return to Forewood Forest and teach those quacked-up Platiosi a lesson! See you then, folks!