That's What (Tamagotchi) Friends Are For

Product Review

For the past few weeks, I have been casting envious glances over Ale's shoulder whenever she has busy looking after her own pet. To be specific, it was a virtual pet in the form of a Tamagotchi.

You do remember Tamagotchi, don't you? I remember taking care of my first Tamagotchi back in 1997, and I have probably had more incarnations of Tamagotchis than real pets ever since. A Tamagotchi pet was also the first thing that I ever killed - albeit virtually -  but it sure taught me the dire consequences of leaving one such pet in a room filled with faeces for far too long.

And now, Tamagotchi has evolved into a new version that wants to be your child's (or your, if you are feeling nostalgic) e-best friend.

Tamagotchi Friends is an interactive virtual friend which will grow and develop differently depending on how well you take care of it. You feed it food when it is hungry, give it medicine when it is sick, bring it to the toilet, bathe it and play games to earn points. Much like the Tamagotchi of the old.

But there are a few differences to the new Tamagotchi Friends and the first noticeable one is that it is a lot larger than the previous editions. The reason for that is so that it can fit AAA batteries as compared to the small watch-sized batteries, which were always tough to find.

The other upgrade that the new Tamagotchis have now is they are able to interact with one another, through wireless technology! Just bump with a friend's Tamagotchi and you will be able to send messages or gifts to one another, play games and even pop into their Tamagotchi screen for a playdate.

The more you bump with other Tamagotchi Friends, the more you will earn points and rewards. You can use the points to buy in-game meals, snacks and jewellery and even share them with friends.

Of course, the draw of having a Tamagotchi is the chance to raise your own virtual creature... which Ale was definitely excited to do. For starters, her Tamagotchi egg hatched into a baby girl blob and luckily for Ale, the controls on the device consisted of only three buttons and were really simple for her to pick up.

There are heaps to do with the new Tamagotchi Friends, with new mini-games to keep both pet and owner busy. What didn't change though, is the amount of duties that one needs to do in order to care for it.

Yes, our Tamagotchi got a little needier as the days wore on and started beeping constantly. I admit it began getting on my nerves a little BUT Ale seemed to like it.

I guess being a Dad to 3 monkies in real life is more than enough for me to fret over, so I will be leaving the Tamagotchi for her to take care from now on.

GIVEAWAY

Thanks to Sheng Tai Toys, I have FIVE Tamagotchi Friends to give away! To take part, simply follow the following steps:

1. LIKE Sheng Tai Toys Facebook Page HERE, if you have not done so.

2. Email Sheng Tai Toys at promotion@shengtai.com.sg with the following details:

Subject Header: TAMAGOTCHI FRIENDS GIVEAWAY
Name of Parent:
Facebook Name:
Mobile Number:
Name of Child:
Child's Date of Birth:

3. Leave a comment either in THIS blog post or on our Cheekiemonkies' Facebook corresponding post HERE to let me know once you have completed the 2 steps above.

Important: You have to complete all three steps in order to be eligible for the draw.

This giveaway is open to all residents in Singapore. Giveaway ends on 12 November 2014, 2359 hours. Good luck!


*Fancy a Meet & Greet Session with Tamagotchi? Sheng Tai Toys will be holding a Toy Fair between 12 and 16 November 2014 at United Square, B1 and Tamagotchi will be making an appearance at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm everyday during the fair.

Tamagotchi Friends are retailing for S$39.95 in Toys 'R' Us and major departmental stores.