Name:Tamagotchi mini (AKA chibi)Manufacturer: Bandai
Produced:2004
Country of origin: Japan
Aesthetics:
This pet is definitely one that will appeal to the old school collectors, the look of this one hearkens back to the early days of tamagotchi. My unit is one of the variations of the original clock face design. This one has has the pink and blue clock face. When seen next to the original tamagotchi once thing becomes really clear, just how small the mini actually is.
The background is again another throwback to the P1 with the same pink and blue checkers design, just in miniature form. The mini was available in lots of designs ranging from those from the original tamagotchis to newer colours and paint jobs.
*Creatures*
The tamagotchi mini sacrifices some of its functionality with the loss of size, this is why only a handful of characters are available. As a result the Mini only has 4 potential adult stages. For those who know them by character names they are Kuchipatchi, Mametchi, Masktchi,and Nyorotchi. Ive been running this unit while Ive been at work so, with the sound off i tend to ignore it a bit so i seem to get nyrotchi pretty regularly. For those who don't know the character names, its the most unhealthy potential adult.
Because this is more of a tribute to the older generation tamagotchi, its unfair to judge this tamagotchi on the originality of its characters. However as far as a faithful representation of the older gen characters, they are perfect down to the pixel.
*Icons*
As part of making the screen as small as possible, the icons are completely gone from this unit, instead all control is performed with the first button its used to feed, clean and medicate the pet and will respond differently depending on what is on the screen ( if the pet has made a mess, push the first button and it will clean it, if it is sick it will medicate and if it has neither, it will bring up a two option food/snack menu.
*Sound and Sound quality*
The sound is pretty nice on this pet. Similar to the original tamagotchi for button push noises but without the games there's not a lot of variation in the sounds.
Game-play:
Game play in the mini is pretty straightforward care, The mini was more sold as a fashion accessory so the care for the Mini is really easy,as I previously stated. Entertainment isn't really needed in the same way it is in the P1 but happiness is needed in the form of candy the same as the P1 and P2.
* Life stages*
The tamagotchi mini has the shortest life cycle of any of the tamagotchis, going from hatch to adult in 24 hours, and has a lifespan of up to 2 weeks.This makes it the ideal V-pet for someone who only wants to run one on weekends or days off.
Because there is no meter to show how full or bored feeding and cleaning on demand is the only real way of getting the favourable characters.
*Buttons*
Tamagotchi mini keeps with the same old design of the 3 button unit, Whats interesting is the
*Resilience*
Because the Mini was marketed more of an accessory than a toy the pet will take a pretty big slog of neglect before it will die. I personally have left it approximately 10 hours only to find it so overfilling with mess and it very ill but not dead. It takes a heap of neglect, but Like any V-pet it does eventually die. I found that this is a bit better for those who don't like to invest a lot of time in a v-pet, particularly for those who find them hard to maintain.
Additional features:
Clock-Yes
Connectability-No
Sound on/off-Yes
Pause-No
The tamkagotchi mini is fun with little commitment to care required. Its great for short term care and for those who like the old school P1/P2 feel. I loved the ease of care and just the novelty of having this tiny little functional tamagotchi. Great way to introduce a V-pet to a child not quite ready for a more complicated V-pet.
May also enjoy: Tamagotchi P1 and P2
Pokemon Pocket Pikachu
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