OM21: Tamagotchi Nano Review

REVIEW: Tamagotchi Nanao

Release date: October 31, 2010

A slightly newer Tamagotchi toy from Japan, the Tamagotchi Nano serves as a big update for the Tamagotchi Mini (aka Tamagotchi Chibi). Chances are if you have the Mini, you'll want to pick this up. I got mine from my blog partner Jesmond. Thank you again!

The shell shape is more identical to the Tamago-Chu toys instead of the Mini: the screen is very deep and thick, magnetizing the pixels beneath. The shell's border is more of a tear-drop shape instead of the traditional "cracked egg" design. The back of the shell has a "pop-out" sort of back that the Tamago-Chu had, and the copyright information is surrounded in a "cracked-egg" boarder. It comes with a small keychain on top, allowing it to be latched on to the Tamagotchi ID, as well as cell phones or other places.

Like the mini, it has a simplified growth pattern: you start off with an egg that hatches into a baby, and within 24 hours, it will evolve into an adult, depending on your care. Unlike the mini, however, characters are now determined by the gender of the baby. You start off with either Pachikutchi or Pichikutchi, two babies native to the Tamagotchi iD (who can be seen here). From there, the boy can become either Mametchi (best care), Kuchipatchi (average care) or Kikitchi (worst care). The female may become either Lovelitchi (best care), Chamametchi (average care) or Memetchi (worst care). Two secret characters, Spaceytchi and Meloditchi, also exist. Apparently, Meloditchi is obtained through playing the Nano's game 40 times before the baby evolves, while Spaceytchi is obtained through feeding the Nano only snacks until it evolves. I have not managed to get either yet, but Tarokaja of Tama-Zone has, and he has been more than happy to share photos.

Like the Mini, the Nano includes no screen icons. Unlike the Mini, the Nano includes a game function. The object is very much similar to the V3's "Get" game, moving a basket under objects to catch them. In the Nano's game, you have to catch the word "TAMAGOTCHI" twice, meaning catch 20 letters in a specific order. Random letters fall from the top, and the right side of the screen shows what letter you have to catch. Miss the letter when it appears or catch the wrong letter, and the game is over.

So unlike the Mini, the A button always has a function. Pressing it will take you to a menu. The top selection is "FEED" and the bottom is "GAME". The food selection takes you to the typical MEAL and SNACK options, and C brings you back to the previous screen. Playing games in place of feeding snacks is counted as being better for your Tamagotchi, thus earning you a healthier character. You can also use the A button to wipe away waste when your Tamagotchi goes to the bathroom, and turn off the lights when your Tamagotchi goes to sleep. The B button will bring up the clock screen. The C button has two functions. If your Tamagotchi needs something, pressing C will make it do a particular animation to tell you what's wrong. If your Tamagotchi needs nothing, it will simply come up to the screen and wave at you.

Currently, there's no information regarding a United States or worldwide release, so for the time being, go ahead and pick one up off eBay! If you're the kind of person who wants to care for a Tamagotchi but you're too busy with daily life to care for one of the bigger, more sophisticated toys, this one's for you. It has a cute little game to keep you entertained, and plenty of adorable characters. I definitely recommend it. There are also several brand new shell designs being released, so there are plenty of colors to choose from!

EXTERNAL LINKS:

• Bandai Japan's Tamagotchi Nano page
• Tamagotchi Nano Growth Chart Project
• Scanned instruction manual

VIDEOS:

Please feel free to leave questions/comments!