If you ask anyone who was born in the late 90’s to early 2000’s if they had a Tamagotchi, chances are they had one. It was a craze that took the world by storm, and was a pioneer for toy companies everywhere, being able to take your virtual pet with you anywhere you went rather than being limited to your computer screen. While the craze has since died down, Tamagotchi continues to innovate and strives to keep itself relevant in our ever-changing world.
Tamagotchi originated in Japan, created by Akihiro Yokoi and Aki Maita from Bandai, releasing the first Tamagotchi in 1996. The namesake of the virtual pet is a combination of two Japanese words: “tamago,” meaning egg, and “uocchi,” a shortening of the English word “watch.” The game was designed to emulate the experience of raising a pet, and it was quick to fame in Japan and eventually the rest of the world.
The original device is a small, egg-shaped electronic toy with a simple black-and-white LCD screen, and this design would become the staple for quite some time until the first colored screen in 2008 with the Tamagotchi Plus Color. Tamagotchi –often shortened to Tamas be fans – start their life cycle as an egg that hatches into a baby that’ll eventually grow into the child, teenager, and adult stages (it’s important to note that there are also sometimes and additional ‘Elderly’ stage, but the consensus is four stages of evolution). Depending how you take care of your Tama be it by feeding it, playing games with it, and attending to its various needs, will determine which fully grown Tama you will receive.
Over the years, Tamagotchi has evolved and adapted to integrate new technology to create new ways for Tamas and their caretakes to play and grow closer together. From adapting color screens, new special features, and connectivity options are just a few ways gameplay has changed in newer models. There has also been a mobile app version of Tamagotchi, allowing people to take their virtual pet experience on their smartphones!
The Tamagotchi has come a long way and while there have been many exclusives in Japan (some of which I may not have), but there have been other releases that have been just as exciting and engaging for many to enjoy, such as the Tamagotchi Connection, Tamagotchi Friends, Tamagotchi Meets/On, Tamagotchi Pix and most recently the Tamagotchi Uni. Each one has something unique to offer, and having played three of them, I’ll be going into more detail from my experiences with them as well as their differences from previous Tamas.
Tamagotchi Connection, also known as Tamagotchi Plus in Japan and Tamagotchi Connexion in the UK, was released in 2004, almost eight years after its original launch. As its namesake goes, the new function of the Connection was its ability to play with other Tamas via infrared technology. This new ability to link with other devices allowed your Tamas to play together, give gifts, make friends, and even marry! The Connection had several re-releases, each one updating and expanding from previous ones: the Tamagotchi Connection v2 introduced gotchi points that you could use to buy from the shop via minigames, the V.4 introduced jobs for your Tama to earn gotchi points, the v5 introduced a dating show game for their Tama to date randomly generated Tamas, and the v6 allowed you Tama to become a pop star. There are of course many other nuances in each version, but these are the main take aways from each release, features up to the v5 have even been implemented to this day, so you could say the Connection was quite the pioneer and set the stage for other to follow suite. My experiences with this Tama overall have been quite enjoyable, thanks to a friend who gifted it to me. While it is a bit simpler than later tamas, as I have the v2, the overall gameplay is cute and fun especially with the cute little animations you get from your Tama just going about its day.
Tamagotchi Meets, or On in the US, was released in 2018 and was the successor the Tamagotchi m!x. This was my first Tamagotchi, and while quite advanced from previous Tamas, it certainly still has that Tama charm. The On had a fully colored LED screen and introduced many new features for Tama enjoyers to see. One of many new additions was the ability to raise twin Tamas instead of just the one starting from generation 2 and onward. Another was the ability for your Tama to have a pet, by leaving a toy or item outside your yard. You could also see your Tamas family lineage, and the option to visit your Tamas parents from gen 2 and onward (they can also babysit your Tama if you happen to be a little busy). There were also different Resort Areas for your Tama to visit and meet new Tamas within your own game. With eight new locations to visit you could befriend Tamas and eventually marry them, which leads me to the On’s most popular new feature that has fans craving it to come back: the ability to mix your Tamas genes. Not only could you mix your Tamas genetics, but your pets as well. There was even an app for you to connect your Tama to so you could marry and befriend other Tamas around the world (it has since been shut down by Bandai in 2022, but fans have come together to revive it under the new name MixingMeets). Overall, my experience with this Tama has been quite fun, there are so many things to do, changing your wallpaper, taking your Tama on dates, not to mention the new and improved graphics that allow you to see your Tama in all their cute glory! I did find this Tama to be quite needy in comparison to others and found myself dropping them off at their parents’ house from time to time, but it was overall quite enjoyable, especially during those lockdown days.
Lastly is the Tamagotchi Pix, launching in mid-2021 this Tama was the first colored Tamagotchi manufactured specifically for an international audience. When comparing it to the Tamagotchi On, the graphics are defiantly smoother and run at a higher frame rate, as the previous Tama read a bit choppy. However, one of the biggest changes that came with its new feature was the removal of the buttons in exchange for three small touchpads. While it takes some getting used to, it defiantly allows users to go through the menu options more swiftly than it would pressing a button. It goes quite nicely as one of the features is your Tama coming to the screen, which you can then swipe on the pad to pet them. The main attraction is the addition of a camera (hence the ‘pix’) where can take photos with your Tama, explore wherever you are and meet new characters, as well as scan new QR codes to unlock new items and share friend codes. The camera makes its use as well for day-to-day things such as cooking for your Tama, where it’ll select a color from the photo and lead you to create different types of food for your pet to enjoy! You can also customize your Tamas living space and change the color of the accessories via, you guessed it, the camera! There was another release of the Pix called Party Pix, where a Tama can host or join a party and invite up to four Tamas from the Tama List or have them randomly selected. When attending a party, the user can scan another user’s party code to have their Tama join in on the party holder’s device. Once all guests arrive, they can cook, take party photos, and play two of three party games. I would say this has more fun features centered around playing with others, making it easier now all you have to do is scan a code rather than use infrared or Bluetooth. This Tama is relatively new for me, but in the short time I’ve used it the Pix has certainly caught my eye. Small things such as the Tama coming to the screen, decorating its home, and petting your Tama brings the virtual pet extra charm and personality, which in turn allows you to grow fonder of your Tama.
All in all, there are so many Tamagotchis out now that almost everyone can find something that suits their needs. You want something easy to care for? Try the new reproduction of the original Tamas, they have all kinds of new cute designs to choose from. Or maybe something meatier like the latest Tamagotchi Uni; the first Tama to be able to connect to Wi-fi. Theres no denying each has its flaws, such as the On and Pix being a bit chunky now that they use AAA batteries, or the Party Pix’s bad battery life due to the camera use, there’s still something the draws people to these small virtual creatures launch after launch. Is it fueled by nostalgia? Or maybe just curiosity to see what’s all changed over the years. Whatever the case may be, Tamagotchi is here to stay for a while and this Tama enthusiast will look forward to see how they grow.