It's probably not obvious, since I barely talk about it on this blog, but I super love Tamagotchi.
There's over £1,000 worth of stuff in that photo if eBay is anything to go by
My first virtual pet was the green triangular one above. It was a clone of a Nano Kitty. The text was all in Japanese, but unlike most clones, it was actually bug-free, and I would always keep the cat alive for the full 30 days. I actually disliked the final adult stage though. It wasn't cute at all.
Anyway, enough of that. My first actual Tamagotchi was the Music Star. This was a gift when I was about 25. I then received the two Tama-Gos when they were reduced to half price. They were both such a step up from the simple pets of my childhood.
And now onto the Tamagotchi Uni, my first colour screen Tama.
It was originally retailing for £70
A whole lot of box for a lot of empty space
I'm supposed to have got a download code for the pink hair accessory, but I don't know where it's supposed to be. I had to get it from a fansite.
The Practical Stuff First
The Uni uses a built in rechargeable battery. Moderate use will give you about 1.5 to 2 days worth of use. It charges via a USB to USB-C cable and takes about 90 mins to charge from flat.
Now be careful, because the Uni is not even splashproof. Which I find dumb, considering it comes with a strap to wear it like a watch. Even though I was careful, I got a few splashes of water on it and it seeped under the faceplate. I now keep it in a little resealable bag, just in case.
I see this Mametchi called Dream Star in the Tamaverse almost every day! My Mimitchi even dated him. If he's yours, hello!
You can't pause your Tama as you can with the old connection models, but you can hire a babysitter (for free!) to cover you until 18.00. She will stay later, but you'll get a lecture if you go over that time. You can just set the clock to a time that's more convenient for you (I do 3 hours back, more if I'm on a very late shift).
You can power off the device now as long as you've updated your software.
Unis can connect to other Unis, but not to other models. You don't need WiFi to visit the Tamaverse, but some options will be disabled.
Customising Your Tama
All Tamagotchis are assigned a personality type at birth. This determines its animations, and its likes and dislikes. Certain items, accessories and foods are loved or hated by certain personality types. If a Tama hates a food or item, it will refuse to touch it.
You can customise your Tama's appearance by giving it accessories. You can buy or make these. What you can buy will depend on your region (which once set can never be changed). Also, your Tama has to be an adult to wear all the types of accessories.
My current little baby
In terms of the characters you can get, it's also fairly meh. The classics like Mametchi, Kuchipatchi and Memetchi are there, but old favourites like Makiko, Kuromametchi, Chamametchi and Violetchi aren't available. Luckily, Ichigotchi and Ringotchi can now be accessed via the free DLC Very Berry Land (it still has to be "purchased" via the store, but there's no charge. More about this below).
The Tamaverse
This is your Tama's virtual reality playground. Here's what you can do in the Tamaverse.
Tama Party is just letting your Tama go on a date and you can then choose to let it marry.
I got my Gozarutchi married off early
Tama Travel is just like the travel ticket item on the Tama-Go, it's not interactive. You get to see the sights in a preset sequence and you get a souvenir at the end. You don't get to explore or anything.
Tama Fashion allows you to buy accessories other users have shared.
The Tama Arena is fun. You choose a team, then play a mini game every day during the week long events. I joined Team Mouse for the Nyangoe Dance event, and we won!
Even though I always came last!
Yay!
The new Tama Portal recently opened, and I got my free ticket for Very Berry Land today. I'm actually really disappointed that they've chosen to go down the microtransaction route. Bear in mind, for the original RRP of £70, you could buy a cheap smartphone. Even at £50, I don't feel like you're getting much value in terms of gameplay. But now they want you to pay £5.20 per each extra location. What's worse is you can only have one of these downloaded areas active at a time. That means that if you've paid for a location that you've currently deactivated (in order to use another), and then Bandai decides to pull the plug on the online service (as they did with TamaTown) then you've lost that paid content. This is enough reason for me to stick with the freebie area.
Other Stuff
You get some nice features, like the Tama Walk, which uses the device's pedometer to count your steps (any movement works). Completing the walk gives you a recipe for a new craft (although you're also likely to get the same craft over and over). Filling up the meter will get you more crafting materials.
The things you can craft are kinda meh IMO. The shop bought stuff is better.
Every evening at 19.00, your Tama will make a social media post documenting something from their day. You can transfer the bmp file of these (and your Tama's profile) via a QR code that lets you connect your Tama to your smartphone via WiFi.
My Mimitchi's trip to Tropical Island
It really bothers me that you can't toilet train your Tamas. In the Tama-Go, you could, but they've taken away that feature and it's silly. Your Tama can craft things, go to restaurants, go on virtual holiday, get married visit the metaverse... but can't stop itself soiling the carpet.
There's no oldie stage. Once your Tama reaches adulthood, it'll stay with you until you marry it off, let it move out, or it dies from neglect.
Verdict
Sleepy Tama
Overall, the Tamagotchi Uni is fun at first, but quickly gets boring. It feels like a step down from my previous two Tamas. If you want a Tama that's low maintenance, then maybe the Uni is for you. For something that costs as much as an entry level smartphone, I expect more.