SORA NEWS


 

Slimes draw near! Command?

Eat them, of course!

Having a scoop of ice cream in front of you is always something to be happy about. It’s even better, though when the ice cream has some extra special ingredient mixed into it, like ribbons of fudge or marshmallow bits.

Or Slimes. Slimes can be awesome additions for ice cream too.

It’s important to clarify that we’re talking capital-S Slimes here, marking them specifically as the lovable mascot monsters from the Dragon Quest role-playing video game franchise.

Traditionally the first random enemy you encounter, they pose so little threat that fans have come to see them as more friend than foe, and so they’re showing up in a brand-new ice cream flavor at Baskin-Robbins Japan called Heal Magic Flavor (or Hoimi Flavor, to use the same term for Dragon Quest’s healing spell as Japanese-language-versions of the games do).

 

As shown in the diagram above, the cream itself is a mixture of apple sorbet (the green part) and vanilla ice cream. Coincidentally, the colors sort of look like paths through a forest, and dotting the landscape are gummy Slimes for your taste buds to encounter.

 

Baskin-Robbins says the Slimes are “soda-flavored,” but that doesn’t mean they taste like cola. In Japanese confectionary jargon, “soda” refers to a light apple/citrus flavor, like that of popular Japanese soft drink Ramune or popsicle bar Garigari-kun.

All in all, it sounds like the Slime ice cream should have a refreshing, as opposed to oppressively sweet, flavor, making it a great dessert metaphor for Heal magic.

To celebrate the Slimes’ arrival, Baskin-Robbins is also offering a special Dragon Quest-themed box with eight scoops of ice cream flavors of your choice, which also gets you a set of eight art coasters as part of a promotional tie-up with mobile game Dragon Quest Keshikeshi.

 

 

Since Baskin-Robbins doesn’t accept gold coins for payment, a scoop of Heal Magic ice cream will cost you 390 yen (US$3.15), and the special flavor is available from now until May 31. Now if that Dragon Quest Heal Magic fried chicken would come back, we’d be all set for dinner and dessert.