Tamagotchi Connection Is a Nostalgic Reminder of How Hard Virtual Pets Were to Keep Alive

Nostalgia is my redeeming grace. Some days, it’s 1 of the fewer things keeping maine going erstwhile I consciousness similar I’m hanging connected by a thread. You tin ideate my delight erstwhile Bandai announced it was re-releasing 1 of my favourite early-era Tamagotchi releases, the Tamagotchi Connection. This reprise from the mid-aughts features each the aforesaid abilities arsenic the original, including galore of the aforesaid games and infrared connectivity with friends. It’s connected merchantability July 10 for $30.

I’ve been using—or rather, raising—the Tamagotchi Connection since it was announced successful May. You’ll spot successful the photos I included present that it’s been well-loved—the surface is inactive conscionable arsenic prone to scratches arsenic ever before, truthful if you’re readying connected collecting 1 of the six disposable shells and utilizing it, beryllium definite to besides poke astir for a third-party surface protector. My playtime with it has been mostly enjoyable, though the past 2 weeks person felt similar a chore keeping this happening alive. It’s been implicit a month, and I’m already looking guardant to taking the artillery out. 

A relic of the past

© Bandai

The Tamagotchi Connection is unsocial due to the fact that it was the archetypal clip the virtual favored branched retired of its accustomed birth, existence, and procreation routine. That’s the programming connected the classical Tamagotchi, which is re-released successful caller shells astir annually. In 2004, the Tamagotchi Connection V2—the archetypal I person successful my collection—introduced the Gotchi Point strategy that each modern Tamagotchi trust connected present for in-game currency. The GP buys you nutrient and assorted items to play with (in the aboriginal games, you tin usage them to acquisition furnishings and covering items). It besides brought games to the Tamagotchi, which unlocked different level of playability wrong the franchise beyond conscionable raising a pet.

This reprise of the Tamagotchi Connection is based connected the mentation 3 (V3) release, launched successful 2006. V3 allowed you to nonstop Tamagotchi for a playdate to another device utilizing an infrared connection. This diagnostic is communal successful astir modern-day Tamagotchi releases, including the Tamagotchi Uni. But backmost then, beloved children, you were fortunate to person a person who knew what you were talking astir erstwhile you mentioned syncing up Tamagotchi. That’s precisely wherefore truthful galore collectors are excited about this reprise. Think of it arsenic a mode to heal the interior kid aft years of hiding successful the backmost of the schoolroom with a virtual favored successful your overgarment pocket. 

Indeed, this is specified an anticipated merchandise among collectors that I’m gathering up with radical in existent life to link devices erstwhile they’ve each shipped out. It’s thing I ne'er got to bash with my archetypal Tamagotchi Connection. Not lone volition I beryllium capable to stock it with adults my property who retrieve that syncing up devices was erstwhile a novelty, but there’s a caller procreation of kids with parents who would rather spend their hyper-fixated clip connected thing offline. (Sadly, this caller Tamagotchi Connection does not link with the elder ones.)

© Bandai

The Tamagotchi Connection is very offline. Everything astir its plan is simply a relic from the past. There is nary backlight, truthful playing this volition necessitate overhead lighting if you privation to spot anything. And you volition privation to look astatine it due to the fact that the animations of the Tamagotchi are truthful delightful and dissimilar thing I’ve seen connected the colour releases. The constricted 32 by 30 solution of the pixelated LCD means Bandai had to beryllium originative with its Tama designs. My favourite 1 truthful acold is this creepy ghost-like quality I’ve landed aft 5 generations. It looks similar it’s connected its mode to an Oogie Boogie Bash. 

Longtime devoted fans volition cognize that this re-make of the Tamagotchi Connection features bundle akin to the Keitai Kaitsuu Tamagotchi Plus released successful Japan astir 20 years ago. However, dissimilar those devices, determination is nary intermission feature, truthful erstwhile you get a Tama going, you’ve got to enactment connected it! The 2024 Connection makes the in-game store disposable astatine each times alternatively than astatine definite hours passim the day. It’s besides much contrasted than the archetypal Connection releases of the 2000s, truthful it’s easier to spot nether artificial light, and the sprites determination quicker than they did, astatine slightest compared to my archetypal Tamagotchi Connection V2.

The different quality betwixt the Tamagotchi Connection from this epoch versus the past is that determination is nary TamaTown to travel it, a monolithic online crippled that could beryllium accessed via passcodes from the instrumentality backmost successful the day. At the precise least, the quality to link with friends is inactive here. You tin play games together, nonstop implicit items and nutrient arsenic presents, oregon sojourn for a playdate. The much you spot a friend, the much your relationship metre increases. And then, erstwhile that tops out, you 2 tin person a babe together! A fetal collaboration without the real-life consequences!

Harder to play than I remember

© Bandai

The Tamagotchi I raised died erstwhile I was penning that paragraph. I americium evidently sad, though much truthful due to the fact that of vexation that the vintage mode of playing with virtual pets doesn’t instantly construe to the caller world. The Tamagotchi Uni, for instance, the colour variant that came retired past year, costs doubly arsenic overmuch and connects to the internet, truthful it is overmuch much forgiving of a person’s inability to multitask passim the day.

First, there’s an enactment to telephone a sitter to ticker the Tama during my enactment hours, which is precisely however existent beingness works erstwhile you person kin. (My real-life kid costs overmuch much to babysit, but we’ll chalk up that 1 to argumentation failure.) Second, I person managed to get done the workday adjacent with a sick Tama by the wayside. That’s due to the fact that the games are easier to play connected the Tamagotchi Uni than connected devices modeled aft the past, similar Tamagotchi Connection. On the Uni, games are speedy to play, and you tin easy nett 100-300 GP successful 1 spell to slope up immoderate currency to bargain nutrient and get the Tama distant from sickness. However, the Connection requires strategy and absorption for its six games. The games are besides rather challenging, and the payout is frustratingly minimal if you play an mean round.

I ideate children with the clip to give to raising Tamagotchi won’t caput arsenic overmuch arsenic I bash astir the grinding required to get capable Gotchi Points connected the Connection. At the precise least, if you consciousness overwhelmed caring for the Tamagotchi Connection, you tin region the backmost screen and the battery. The interior retention connected the Connection volition clasp onto your Tamagotchi household tree.

Tamagotchi Connection Is Not a collector’s item

© Florence Ion / Gizmodo

You didn’t request maine to spell retired that virtual pets are inactive a amusive toy, but I’m present to validate you if you request it. With the Connection successful particular, I’m excited to yet nexus up Tamagotchi successful a mode I didn’t person entree to astir 20 years ago. I tin spot wherefore Bandai has been reviving its vintage models for the caller age: it entices adults similar maine to walk other currency connected the throwback artifact and a procreation of caller kids to hoard them similar h2o bottles for a doomsday prepper’s kit. I’m blessed it’s backmost due to the fact that I tin relive thing I didn’t bash successful my youth.

However, I don’t foresee myself moving the Tamagotchi Connection semipermanent due to the fact that there’s small payoff. At slightest with the Tamagotchi Uni, a instrumentality made for the 2020s that understands we multitask excessively overmuch and our kids privation to spell online, I tin log backmost connected and revive it to leap connected each the caller downloadable contented that’s surfaced since I paused, giving maine thing caller to look guardant to. I’m funny however this artifact volition resonate with a modern nine that is utilized to a changeless watercourse of shiny things. But extracurricular of the Japanese shells, I’m dubious that the U.S. Tamagotchi Connection merchandise volition go a collector’s point the mode the early-aughts releases are.