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Tamagotchi Connection V5

Manufacturer: Bandai

MSRP: $14.99

Availability: Mass retail, now

Website: tamagotchi.com, TamaTown.com

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Question: What’s even cuter than a Tamagotchi virtual pet?

Answer: A whole bunch of Tamagotchi pets, bouncing around on your screen!

Bandai’s fifth-generation Tamagotchi virtual pets have arrived, and they’ve brought their entire family! Old-school Tamagotchi fans may remember the whispered rumors of secret codes that would let you have twin Tamagotchi. Now, thanks to the miracles of modern technology, you can raise an entire family of Tamagotchi brothers and sisters at once. No special codes required! Just pull out the tab, set the time and your birthday, and you’re immediately presented with three bouncing Tamagotchi triplets, each with its own unique appearance and personality.

The Family aspect of Tamagotchi Connection V5 adds some interesting twists. Previous generations of Tamagotchi had something called a Discipline or Training meter, which filled up as you administered scoldings or praise as the situation demanded. In TCV5, the Discipline aspect has been abandoned in favor of the Family Bond Percentage. The Family Bond percentage is increased by Training. Like the old Discipline system, the Training only occurs when the Tamagotchi randomly calls for your attention… but with the new Family Bond system, you get to choose what kind of attention you give it. Will you give your Tamagotchi family some building blocks? A darts set? A stack of papers or some crayons? The option you choose will have a direct impact on what kind of family they become: clever, sensitive, or easy-going. Raise your family with too much or too little food, and they could become an eccentric family, such as the Large family, the Petite family, or the Ninja family.

(It goes without saying that as soon as I get an opportunity, I will be conducting experiments on my TCV5 to find out how exactly I get the Ninja family.)

The TCV5 is brimming with improvements on previous generations of Tamagotchi. For example, the information screen now includes a snapshot of each Tamagotchi, its character or species name, the role it occupies in the family (Father, Mother, Son or Daughter) and its gender. Unfortunately, you can only choose the family name of the Tamagotchi, with no allowance made for giving the Tamagotchi kids individual names.

The previous iteration of Tamagotchi Connection (TCV4) had many games to play with your Tamagotchi. Each new stage of life unlocked a new set of games, each game affecting your Tamagotchi’s personality and capabilities in different ways. Sometimes the many game options felt a little overwhelming, especially since what game you chose to play would affect your Tamagotchi’s success at his or her chosen career!

In comparison, TCV5 keeps it simple with four games. All four are visible from the start, although two (the Golf Putt game and the Shoe Pairs game) are only available for play once you have an adult Tamagotchi of the appropriate gender. Tamagotchi Fathers get to play Golf, and Tamagotchi Mothers get a shoe-matching game. Meanwhile, the kids can choose between TV Surfing (an image-matching game) and Tea Time (a variation on the classic Tamagotchi flag game). The TV Surfing game sounds simple, but gets progressively challenging as the images on the TV screen fly by. The Tea Time game requires you to pay attention and pour tea into the cups that are upright. Kudos to the development team for creating easy-to-understand, yet moderately challenging mini-games!

In a way, it’s unfair to compare TCV5 to TCV4. Version 4 and 4.5 were so focussed on the idea of trying out different careers with your Tamagotchi… you had to keep track of its various skills, consider what games to play to increase various stats, and go to job interview after job interview in an attempt to remain gainfully employed. Once your Tamagotchi was safely employed, you had to successfully play the minigame representing its chosen career, and only THEN would you get your salary! Some of the minigames were downright baffling, and on some days, the work hardly seemed worth the amount your Tamagotchi got paid.

Version 5 takes away the stress and bother of work, which is such a relief. It also simplifies the match-making process. In previous games, you had to either hope a local friend also had an available Tamagotchi of the appropriate gender, or patiently wait for Otokitchi the Matchmaker to randomly show up and introduce a prospective marriage partner. V5 puts you in control by creating the technologically advanced Tamagotchi TV, where you can simply flip to the Dating Show channel to see what potential partners Otokitchi has lined up today. You can’t be too picky — you only get three chances to play on the Dating Show each day — but if you’re lucky, you can find the perfect match for your Tamagotchi.

The Tamagotchi TV is an incredibly clever way of bundling a number of different functions into one icon. Besides the Dating Show, there’s also a Shopping Channel (replacing the Tamagotchi Shop from previous versions of Tamagotchi) where you can spend your hard-earned Gotchi points on toys, snacks, and souvenir items. Of course, you can also get items from exploring the TamaTown.com website and uncovering new secret codes.

Then there’s the Travel Show, which replaces the Pause function by sending your Tamagotchi on a world tour, during which they don’t age or mature. Instead of getting a PAUSE screen with your Tamagotchi frozen in stasis, the screen actually shows your Tamagotchi leaving the house, locking up, getting on a bus, and travelling to various locations. I can’t imagine it saves battery power, but it’s a nice touch that keeps you immersed in the world of little tiny electronic beings.

I’m still exploring all the functions of Tamagotchi Connection V5 — my little Tamagotchi family just changed from Omututchi (Diaper), Futabatchi (Two-leafed Seedling) and Mimifuwatchi (Ear-Fluff) to Ahirukutchi (Duck-mouth), Tororotchi (Mountain Yam) and Mousetchi (Computer Mouse). But already I’m enjoying this far more than I expected. It’s an excellent blend of challenge and relaxation, full of cute little touches that improve on previous Tamagotchi in many ways.