Ambition of the Slimes Mini Guide

Update (1/13/2015): Feel free to read below for tips and the slime guide, but as of yesterday the developer has implemented English support. I think I'm ready to declare "mission accomplished" and cease updating, as the main goal of this guide was to allow non-Japanese-speakers to give the game a whirl. I hope it served its purpose!

Touch Arcade reported recently on an interesting-looking tactics game currently out for iOS. Strangely, it's available in the US app store, but is almost entirely in Japanese. Finally a chance to put these language skills to use? First a few words about the game, and then a quick and dirty guide for those who may want to give it a shot without entirely understanding everything.

Ambition of the Slimes(iOS/Google Play) (スライムの野望) is free to play, though it does offer some IAP in the form of items. Ads run in the upper corner of the screen, but there doesn't seem to be any way to pay to remove them. they can be disabled. See the section on that below.

The premise of the game is that you control a group of slimes that are rising up against the humans, who have conquered the world and brought it to the brink of ruin. Humans attack slimes without provocation. Now, it seems, is the time for payback.

Slimes are weak as poo. When they level up, they gain very modest increases to HP, attack, and defense, but at least insofar as I've played, those numbers are never significant. They can usually only withstand an attack or two before keeling over, and deal insignificant damage.

The slimes have discovered, however, that they can take over the bodies of humans. They do so by leaping down people's throats and commandeering the unfortunate meatbags.

There are many different kinds of slimes, each with a different ability. There are also 3 different elemental types, and every unit has one. Water beats Fire, Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water.

Deciding which units to enslave, how to properly move and position your units, and what slimes/abilities to use seem to be the cruces of playing Ambition.

For those who would like to give it a whirl without knowing Japanese, on to the useful graphics!

Contents

1. Getting Started
2. Slime Basics
3. World Map
4. Battle
5. More Tips and Tricks
6. Slimes and Abilities
7. Items/Ad-Free Version
8. Gems


1. Getting Started

Here we have a basic game menu. Functional.

2. Slime Basics

Here are the basic stats for each slime. I think everything is pretty self explanatory except for "Fatigue." According to my research, this goes up as you use a slime. It will increase quicker as they reach higher levels. 0-99 fatigue have no effect, but once it reaches 100, the slime is too tired to attack. Fatigue seems to decrease over (real) time, by itself.

You can check out all your units from the game menu and rearrange them for your viewing pleasure.

3. World Map

Starting with a tutorial, you'll advance throughout several maps and take the fight to the humans. Each area brings up a screen like the one above. The important-to-note items here are the battle difficult at the top, expressed in stars; the enemy units; what slimes may join you if you win; the difficulty setting (normal or challenge); and the number of slimes you can deploy. One additional note about the difficulty setting - there are different levels of challenge that you can unlock as you beat the stage on easier settings. Harder battles offer better chances of awesome slime allies.

4. Battle

When you start a map, here are the (mostly) relevant items you'll see.

Excuse me for the crazy differences in image resolution. As I said, "quick and dirty."

Units that you take over will gain red eyes and a sick glow.

Just to give you an idea, yes, they literally do jump down people's throats. As pictured above.

Another fact to note - there are two advantages to be considered when picking your battles and positioning. Higher ground means less damage taken and more dished out. Type advantage translates similarly. And yes, you can have both a height and type advantage at the same time. Tons of damage.

A few other things I've learned so far:

- If a slime or its host dies in battle, it will "revive" when the fight is over. It won't gain as much exp, though.

- Slime abilities can be pretty useful. The worm-looking guy can cast "speed" - a buff that increases the target's max movement by one tile. The starting blue slime can cast "slow" and the little red dude has a better chance of commandeering difficult-to-enslave humans.

- Some humans are harder to take over than others. There are armor-clad knights which effectively can't be taken over unless you debuff them first with goo or break their armor. Bosses also appear to be especially difficult to capture.

- If you commandeer a human with the same element type as the slime you're using, the human you gain will receive a stat boost.

- You normally (with a couple of exceptions noted further below) don't keep any humans that you take over. I guess the slimes must make them jump off a cliff or something once the battle's finished...

- I forgot to note that the little yellow flags on some tiles indicate regeneration points. If you stick a unit on one of these spaces, at the beginning of their next turn they'll regain some HP (and certain spells/abilities will be recharged too, it appears). These are pretty important!

- Note that humans you possess who are in their underwear or naked can charm ("seduce") enemies of the opposite gender.

5. More Tips and Tricks:

1. Later on in the game you will get a slime "ヘルメス" (Hermes?!), whose special ability is to keep the human you took over for 1 battle. This means that if you take over an archer's body as ヘルメス (and stayed alive until you won the battle), you will have an archer replacing your ヘルメス within your units at your disposal. The archer's level does not show there because it will change depending on the difficulty of the next battle you bring your archer into (scales with enemys' level).

2. Fatigue does in fact decrease over time. However it is painfully slow, so I'd recommend grabbing a 2nd one if you find a slime that is useful (ワープスライム Warp Slime is a great example, sometimes you need two of them in the same battle anyways) so you can distribute the fatigue count. (Paul: This is a great tip about collecting more than one of a certain type. In fact I've been trying to grind out a second Warp Slime for a while now. =p)


3. During battle, on the bottom left side of the screen you can tap and go through different pages of information. One of the page shows the stats of the unit, and the probability of you enslaving that unit. They give you very useful information in terms of deciding who to take over, and also who to avoid. (If it says のっとり：０００％ then don't even bother trying) (Paul: An addendum to this is that the little red slime you start with has a somewhat improved chance of capturing some units. This is not reflected in the info displayed here - you have to actually select the のっとり option to see the % chance for them).

(Submitted by 1z2x3c)

6. Slimes and Abilities

Here's a list of slimes and their specials. I'll be adding more as I collect them all. The translations, especially of their names, are approximate and may contain additional notes.

 Little Slimey
Ability: Slow - reduces an enemy's movement by one tile.





Carrot
Ability:  Take Over Up - has a somewhat better chance to commander moderately difficult to take over enemies.


Speed Slime
Ability: Speed - increases an ally's movement by one tile.




Warp Slime
Ability: Warp - can move anywhere on the map.




Melty
Ability: Melt - dissolves an enemy's equipment. The enemy then becomes easy to enslave. (Note: Melt lasts for 3 turns, and then the enemies return to their normal state, enslaved or not. Humans you take over who are still in their underwear can charm enemies of the opposite gender.


Attack Slime
Ability: Attack Up - enslaved enemy receives increased attack power. (Note: These guys also get more attack power than other slimes as they level. I still wouldn't recommend using them to fight, but in a pinch they can do a little damage).


Teleport Slime
Ability: Teleport - can teleport an ally to any tile on the map.




Reach Slime
Ability: Range Up - if used to enslave a ranged unit, extends attack range by one tile.




Guard Slime
Ability: Defense Up - enslaved enemy receives increased attack power. (Note: These slimes get a bit more defense than other slimes. Still can't take a ton of damage, but if you need to spread out some punishment you might be safer letting this guy take a hit rather than most of your other slimes).




Anti-Magic Slime
Ability: Magic Defense Up - enslaved enemy receives increased magic defense.





Winged Slime
Ability: Flying - this guy may not actually have wings, but he can fly. (Note: These slimes can travel over water and ignore the height of terrain).



Magic Slime
Ability: Magic Up - enslaved enemy receives increased magic attack.





Pervy Slime
Ability: Pervy - if enslaved enemy is a female, they gain a large combat bonus. If said female is in her underwear or naked, she gets an even larger combat bonus.



Super Melty
Ability: Super Melt - dissolves all of an enemy's equipment, rendering them naked. The enemy then becomes easier to enslave. (Note: Super Melt lasts for 3 turns, and then the enemies return to their normal state, enslaved or not. Humans you take over who are still in naked can charm enemies of the opposite gender).


Hermes
Ability: Carry Over - can carry over an enslaved unit to the next battle. The carried over unit can only be used once.

Metal Slime
Ability: Metal - has high defense. Additionally, enemies prioritize attacking these slimes.





Guts Slime
Ability: Resurrection - if enslaved enemy is slain, this slime revives. Works only once per battle.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)




Phoenix
Ability: Resurrection - if enslaved enemy is slain, this slime revives. Works an unlimited number of times.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)




Sticky
Ability: Sticky - binds an enemy and grants a 100% chance to take over almost any foe.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)





Wizard Slime
Ability: 0 Magic Consumption - enslaved enemy can use magic spells an unlimited number of times.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)




Goddess' Hand*
Ability: Split - if damaged by an enemy, this slime will split into two. Works only once.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)





Super Hermes
Ability: Carry Over x3 - can carry over an enslaved unit to the next three battles.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)

Rider
Ability: Take over UP -  can take over enemies that are pretty difficult to enslave.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)

Super Goddess' Hand**
Ability: Split x2 - if damaged by an enemy, this slime will split into two. The resulting slimes can split once more.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)





Neo Teleporter
Ability: Teleport - can teleport an ally to any tile on the map, three times.
(Thanks to 1z2x3c for the cap!)

Sun Slime
Ability: Sun - Has the special sun attribute, which trumps the others (I'm not sure if this carriers over to enslaved units, unlike with other slimes).
(Thanks to floppee for sending this one in!)

 Invisible
(Thanks to RainZ for sending this one in!)

Irregular
(Thanks to RainZ for sending this one in!)














7. Items/Ad-Free Version

Those pesky ads in the upper right corner of the battle screen can be turned off after one purchases an item. Here's how to do so:

1. First tap "Shop" from the Main Menu.

2. Buy an item. The top one is energy recovery medicine - it resets a slime's fatigue to 0. They come in sets of 5 ($0.99), 15 ($1.99), and 30 ($2.99). The bottom item lets you increase the amount of deployed slimes by 1. Use this item on the slime select screen before the battle begins. These come in sets of 3 ($0.99).

As of 2.0, there are three items for sale - fatigue recovery medicine, deployment +1, and slime boxes.

When you've selected an item, the App Store should prompt you to enter your password to confirm the purchase.

3. Go back to the Main Menu and select "Options." You'll then see the screen below. Select the first choice with the gear icon, which is "Settings."

4. Here you can disable the background music and sound effects, or turn off the ad banners. You can also switch to "Fast Mode," which makes turns go by quicker. Recommended. The last option lets you disable the ads, and the "OFF" selection is grayed out until you purchase an item.



















Once you've done that, your game should be ad-free!

8. Gems

Version 2.0 added a new feature - gems. I haven't play around to test these out, but the translations for each gem are below. Sounds straightforward enough.

If anyone has any requests for more info - additional slime abilities or elsewise, feel free to let me know and I can expand this guide. Also submit any tips, tricks, or corrections you'd like to share in the comments below.

Change/Update log:

Update: Changed "Plant" to "Grass" (the kanji is 草, so "grass" is perhaps more literal).

Update: I shared the link to this mini guide with Altair Works, the game developers for Ambition, and they added it to their App Store and Google Play app descriptions! So "welcome" to anyone stopping by from those pages.

Update: Added Slimes and Abilities section. If you'd like to contribute, feel free to leave a comment and/or email me the slime screenshot at blueshoe[at]jadij.com.

Update (10/29/2014): Tweeted a little bit with developer @Altairworks, and they told me that purchasing any item allows one to disable the ads. I'm adding a short section to address that.

Update: (11/17/2014): Reader 1z2x3c sent me screencaps of the last of the slimes and I've added them, so they should all be listed here now.

Update (1/12/2015): Updated the screenshots for the Main Menu, Shop, and Settings pages. Added "Gems" section. Added a note about "Fast Mode" in Settings.

Update (1/13/2015): It looks like the developer is working on has released English support, so stay tuned for that! 

@BlueKutsu ありがとうございます！そしてVer2.50にてゲームテキストの英語対応をしました。かなりBlueKutsuさんのマニュアルの文章が参考になりました。
— アルタイルワークス (@altairworks) January 13, 2015

Update (2/20/2015): I know I said no more updates, but reader floppee sent me in another slime to add to the guide. So, Sun Slime added. 

Update (8/4/2015): A submission from commenter RainZ, adding two new slimes.


* The translation for the name of this slime is not straightforward. See here for more details.
** Before you send me an email about the translation on this one being kind of made up, I named it so because I feel like this name makes more sense in the context of the localization choice I made for the related slime.

New Year's Cards: All About Nengajo

Every year around Christmas time in the US, the season's greetings cards make their rounds. Many families, individuals, or even businesses send out Christmas or holiday cards to friends, family, clients, etc. They can be nice, but I've never really been big on them. Though it's much the same thing, I was more into the Japanese version of this custom while I was living over there. Every year, people in Japan send out 年賀状, New Year's greeting cards.

My first year working in Japan, I decided that to improve my Japanese and blend in better (both at work and into the culture), I would send out cards to some of my coworkers. It was kind of hard work, but worth it I think. Got a lot of practice writing kanji, anyway!

One thing I really like about 年賀状 is their variety. I'm not really a big collector, but I enjoyed receiving and keeping all the different cards every year. The general theme of each year's cards depends upon the  animal of that year, derived from the Chinese zodiac (十二支). The years I was in Japan were those of the cow, tiger, and rabbit, so most of the cards I've collected show those animals. Some cards are custom-made and sport family pictures, much like a lot of Christmas cards in the U.S. 

In my experience, many foreigners in Japan don't bother with them and aren't really expected to. So if you do send some out, you may surprise your friends and coworkers. Doing so is a good way to get some back, too. Generally people start sending them a week or two before New Year's (the post office will hold them and wait until New Year's to deliver them), and then during the first week or two of the new year they will often send cards to people from whom they received but didn't originally send one. They often write "年賀状ありがとうございました！" (Thanks for the card) on the front as an acknowledgement.

If you're interested in trying to send some yourself or you've received a card and want to know the deal, here's an explanation for you.

The boxes at the top of the blank side are for the recipient's postal code and the space below that is for their name and address. The person should be addressed as 様 (さま). For example 田中様, 安田様, John Smith様, etc. さま is an honorific, much like さん, but is used to indicate even more respect and formality. Whether you write vertically or horizontally is a stylistic choice.

At the bottom, generally you write your name and address, though some people leave it blank or just write their name.

The  *'s at the bottom represent two numbers that can be found on every New Year's card. Every year the post office holds a lottery. There are big prizes like computers, vacations, and TV's, and smaller ones like free stamps. The larger prizes generally don't have many winners, but the cheaper ones do. The winning numbers (or digits) can be checked online or at your local post office after New Year's. Generally the number on the right is the one you need to look at, but apparently some prizes are restricted by the letter of the digits on the left (A, B, or C). I have won a few stamps in the past, but never bothered to claim them.

Here's an example of a filled-out card:

On the front of the card you don't need to write anything, but you can scribble some personalized message, write some English just for the novelty of it, or use a set phrase (決まり文句).

For New Year's, you'll generally see/hear:

明けましておめでとうございます! 

or

お正月おめでとうございます！

Both basically mean "Happy New Year!"

Anyway, the New Year's cards are one thing I kind of miss about living in Japan. If you're over there but haven't bothered with them, it's your call...but I recommend giving it a shot.

Update (12/19/11): One thing several people have pointed out in the comments that's worth mentioning is that writing something by hand on the card is considered the "right" way to make up a 年賀状 for someone. I guess having everything printed on doesn't show the right level of effort.

Jen of Perogies and Gyoza dropped a link for a New Year's card commercial featured right now on the JP Post website. I had never seen any of these before, but apparently there are a number of these commercials from years past. Here's a previous one (maybe from 2008, which I think was the year of the rat):

Review: The Stress-Free Guide to Leaving Japan

Last week I received an email from Laura of Sayonara Japan. She sent me a copy of her new e-book, The Stress-Free Guide to Leaving Japan, and asked if I wouldn't mind writing up a review if I got a chance. Well Laura, you got it.

First off, let me just say that this is not a sponsored post. I did receive a free copy of this e-book, but I am not receiving any money or other form of remuneration for writing this review, nor am I affiliated with the authors or publisher.

Let's jump right into it. The main appeal of the Stress-Free Guide is that it lays out what you should be doing and when, complete with detailed instructions and resources for most tasks. 

It's divided into three main parts, each addressing the tasks that you should be focusing on at the three-month, one-month, and one-week-until-you-leave marks. I, for example, being at the one-month mark now should be focusing on preparing to close my bank account and cancel my internet, getting my paperwork together for claiming my pension refund, etc.

The book is nicely laid out and very easy to read. There are a number of mini checklists for your ticking pleasure and a generous amount of tables and charts with relevant information. Useful Japanese vocabulary are also provided in both romaji and kanji.

Would I recommend this book to someone preparing to leave Japan?

I answer that question with a somewhat conditional "yes."

I've been working in Japan as a member of the JET Program, with a whole support system in place to help me get by here. Since I have been here for three years now, several of my friends have already left and I have the benefit of their experience. I've also done a fair amount of research. And as an ALT, I don't have to worry about things like cleaning out my apartment as my successor will just move in after I leave. So honestly for me this guide didn't really provide much information that I didn't already have.

That being said, I think it's probably a worthwhile investment if you (a) are on your own and don't have much support in leaving, (b) don't speak much Japanese and/or aren't very familiar with the process of leaving this country, or (c) aren't very organized or aren't very good at researching and budgeting your time.

One thing the guide has going for it is content that addresses a variety of situations. Do you have a car or a pet over here? I don't, but I'm sure the relevant advice could be helpful for someone.

I suppose it really comes down to how valuable your time is to you. Most of the guide's content can probably be found on the internet, but not in one place. Personally I kind of like doing research on the internet, but if you'd rather be doing better things with your time, the hours and possibly the anxiety that the Stress-Free Guide could save you may be worth the 500 yen cost.