Slimes from Dragon Quest will help you educate your kids!

Square Enix has been an esteemed game maker for decades, and they have created numerous influential franchises such as Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy. However, they have announced another exciting new game! They have released their first kid’s education app called Dragon Quest Baby & Kids-Play with Slimes- ドラクエベビー＆キッズ～スライムとあそぼう～! Dorakue bebī & kizzu -Suraimu to asobou-

This game is based on a picture book called Slime Pipipi スライムぴぴぴ and its target audience is children between one and five years old.

How does the app help kids study?

When you hear the word “mobile games,” you might worry about the cost. This app does make use of in-app purchases like other apps, but it includes the following six mini games for free!

The game on the left is called スライム階段のぼり! suraimu kaidan nobori! (Slime stair climbing). This is a tapping game where kids will try and help a slime climb up a flight of stairs.

The game in the middle is called スライムのたからさがし suraimu no takarasagashi (Slime treasure hunting). Players will choose treasure boxes for the slimes to open. The creators have said that one of the educational purposes of this app is to stimulate kids’ interest in things around them. I think that this treasure box game is one of the apps that demonstrate this design intent.

The game on the right is あ・い・う・え・おタップ! (a-i-u-e-o tap!). The purpose of this game is to help kids learn hiragana. If kids tap the hiragana on the screen, slimes will pronounce it for them! How fun!

Lets check the other three games:

The game on the left is スライムがあらわれた！ suraimu ga arawareta! (A slime draws near!). Yes, as the title indicates, if kids tap the screen, colorful slimes will appear.

The game in the middle is スライムじゃらし suraimu jarashi (Toys for slimes). If players tap the toys like the bell and rattle on the screen, they will make noise and make the slime happy! This mini-game title is a play on the Japanese word 猫じゃらし Neko jarashi. Neko jarashi means “cat toys.” Just like Neko jarashi makes cats happy, Slime jarashi will make slimes happy.

The game on the right is スライムシェイク suraimu sheiku (Slime shake). If kids select two slimes and put them together into the pot, the color of slimes will change like a chemical reaction!

All of the above are free to play. You can unlock more games by buying an additional pack for 610 JPY.

Two functions for safe play

There are helpful functions for children to enjoy the games responsibly in the app.

On the left is the “Parental gate”! This prevents users from unintentionally and unwillingly making purchases. The message in the screenshot says “Confirmation by parents: If you tap the slime which has a triangle-shaped mouth three times, you can proceed to purchase page.”

On the right is a timer for kids. Parents can set the maximum playtime in advance to protect kids from playing the game too much.

With this app, kids can play and study enjoyably with cute colorful slimes. Check it out!