Ever since Tamagotchi Uni turned globally accessible final summer season, it’s felt like a product with a variety of unrealized potential.
Keep in mind, I say this as somebody who loves this machine and has run it each day since launch. However on prime of all the essential actions one would count on at this level from the digital pet toy, the Wi-Fi succesful Tamagotchi Uni promised customers the “Tamaverse” — a digital playground that will broaden the Tamagotchi expertise like by no means earlier than. Thus far, it hasn’t, actually.
Certain, gamers might ship their characters there to “meet” others, go on little holidays and purchase outfits, however these small actions don’t actually add a lot substance. The “journey” expertise concerned watching brief animation, and infrequently getting a particular meals dish, merchandise or achievement badge. Even the facet of mingling was sorely restricted, permitting gamers to ship only one Coronary heart (a “like” to acknowledge one other participant’s Tamagotchi) per day.
The Tamaverse has been sluggish to stay as much as the expectations Bandai set, regardless of it being the Uni’s largest promoting level. That appears to be altering in an enormous method.
With an replace that rolled out on March 19 — model 1.6.0 — Bandai opened the Tama Portal, an space of the Tamaverse that’s been cordoned off all this time. A number of days after, it dropped the primary two DLC packs for Tamagotchi Uni within the type of “Tamaverse Tickets,” which permit customers to journey to new places by means of that portal. In a bonus, non-Tamaverse associated transfer, the replace additionally solutions gamers’ determined pleas for extra merchandise storage by including “My Field,” the place surplus objects could be stowed so that you now not have to delete older goodies to make room for brand new ones.
The primary two Tamaverse Tickets, because the DLCs are being known as, can be found now. One, which takes you to Very Berry Land, is free, whereas the opposite, for the LoveMelo Live performance, prices $6. Every new space comes with a slew of further characters you may elevate (together with some which are model new for the franchise), an on-theme mini-game and a store with new meals, objects, equipment and furnishings you should buy with Gotchi Factors.
That is the sort of depth the digital house all the time appeared to indicate. Now it looks like we’re lastly seeing what the Tamaverse can actually be. Hopefully, it’s simply the beginning.
There’ll undoubtedly be some who balk at having to pay for DLC past the one freebie, and whereas I can’t say I’d blame them for that, it doesn’t trouble me for what we’re getting. Buying a ticket provides you entry to a obtain code that can be utilized 3 times. As soon as the code is registered to a tool, you may go to that location as a lot as you need, and swap freely between the totally different places you’ve downloaded. Meaning I used to be ready to make use of the identical codes to obtain Very Berry Land and LoveMelo Live performance on each of my Tamagotchi Uni gadgets, and nonetheless have one use left for every ticket in case I ever need to do a reset.
As was the case with the Tamagotchi Sensible’s DLC, the bodily TamaSma playing cards, just one Tamaverse Ticket could be lively at a time, so switching will wipe out any location-specific objects or meals in your stock, however you gained’t have to reenter the code to be able to swap again. All of an individual’s downloaded places could be present in a brand new listing known as DL Space if you go to the Tama Portal.
It’s not only one or two characters that include every location, both — you get six. Some individuals purchase complete new gadgets for that sort of enlargement (undoubtedly not me… haha…). And the free Very Berry Land brings again the fan-favorite cute strawberry, Ichigotchi, which looks like a win for everybody.
The DLC additionally reintroduces the strategy of acquiring particular characters by feeding your fledgling Tamagotchis sure meals or taking part in with a specific merchandise 3 times earlier than they attain maturity. I used to be excited to attempt to get the brand new character, Tanghulutchi, that comes with Very Berry Land, and fed my teen Tama an abundance of Fruit Sweet snacks in hopes that it could make her seem. It labored! (I’m now additionally fiending for the actual candied fruit deal with of its namesake, Tanghulu. Thanks Bandai).
As soon as I’m robust sufficient to half with Memetchi on my different machine, which is operating LoveMelo Live performance, I’ll in all probability attempt to get Drumcrubitchi, a brand new character that’s actually a drum equipment with a face.
The entire issues you should purchase within the Tama Portal places are as of now less expensive than the same old Tama Mall choices, with furnishings and equipment falling between 200 and 500 Gotchi Factors. It’s very nice to have some new mini-games to clean up the each day routine, since there aren’t many constructed into the machine when it’s offline, and those they’ve added to the primary Tamaverse places are nice.
In Very Berry Land, you may play Cake Manufacturing facility, the place it’s important to transfer your character round to put strawberries on prime of cake slices as they arrive down the conveyor belt. It’s a recreation fashion we’ve seen earlier than, however is barely extra thrilling than different related variations as a result of the tempo actually picks up within the second half of the spherical.
LoveMelo Live performance brings again the favored Guitar-Hero-style rhythm recreation format we noticed (twice) within the Tama Area’s Nyanoe Dance, however the brand new Glad Glad Concord encompasses a totally different track so that you can attempt to sustain with. It’s really fairly difficult, and is the kind of recreation I’ll need to obsessively revisit till I’ve perfected it. Nyanoe Dance was clearly nicely obtained, and I’m certain a variety of followers shall be completely satisfied {that a} model of it has discovered a everlasting dwelling within the Uni a technique or one other.
Top-of-the-line issues about earlier variations of the trendy Tamagotchi, just like the Tamagotchi On, was the enjoyment of discovery if you unlocked a brand new location. The brand new Tama Portal locations garner that very same feeling, and I can solely hope Bandai will hold it going even past the extra expansions it teased with replace 1.6.0.
The announcement supplies indicated that there are at the least three extra DL Areas on the best way, together with the Tamamori Style Present that’s set to drop on the finish of Could. That world introduces some extra completely unhinged Tamagotchi character designs — like a pair of anthropomorphic work boots named, I child you not, Bootsbrothers — and I really can’t wait. The opposite areas haven’t but been revealed.
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