The Dragon Quest series is as popular as it is for a variety of reasons. Its dedication to tradition, impeccable artwork by Akira Toriyama, and an amazing soundtrack by Koichi Sugiyama combined for an experience that was unlike anything else in the era. Though the overworld sprites were nothing spectacular, it’s the details of the enemies in battle that really allowed the personality of the game to shine through. Toriyama used all the tools at his disposal to create an incredibly unique army of baddies that today remain some of the most recognizable in the industry. And there is no Dragon Quest enemy more familiar than the Slime.
The first time I saw a Slime I thought it looked like a blueberry Hershey’s Kiss. The character’s design was inspired by Wizardry, one of the early Western RPGs that influenced a great deal of what we know as Dragon Quest. The intent of the creature was to ease players into the RPG system with an enemy it was near impossible to lose to.
The Slime isn’t as aggressive as enemies encountered in later parts of the game. In fact, it really doesn’t attack. It draws near. You really can’t hate a creature that doesn’t come at you full blast but instead sidles up next to you for a quick and prompt beating. Slimes are the dodo birds of the Dragon Quest universe; expect it’s impossible to make these things go extinct.
Since that very first encounter, the Slime has become an international icon. It’s the mascot of the franchise, instantly recognizable by millions around the world, and the star of an absolutely wonderful spin-off called Rocket Slime. Plus, there’s that anecdote on how people in Japan will draw the Dragon Quest Slime if you ask any of them to just draw slime…which now that I think about it seems kind of leading. Either way, I don’t think any other punching bag in video gaming has catapulted itself into the limelight better than the Dragon Quest Slime. It truly is the iconic first enemy.
Source: Destructoid Is there a more iconic first encounter than the Dragon Quest Slime?