Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop

aka Tamagotchi no PuchiPuchi Omisecchi in Japan. 

Purchase at Play-Asia

Nana On Sho was the perfect choice for the next Tamagotchi game. They’re the specialists in taking cute characters and making creative games. Just look at Vib Ribbon, innovative in style and gameplay. Just how exactly are you going to raise your new virtual pet? Well you’re not, Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop does away with all of the pet care.

Instead you start out by selecting one of three new friends and then begin working at one of eleven different shops. Each shop is really its own touch screen mini game. For example, the dentist shop has you clean the teeth of other Tamagotchi’s by using the stylus as a virtual toothbrush. First you’ll select the same color of toothpaste as the dirt and then start scrubbing away. If your customer suffers from tooth decay you can use the drill and then fill the empty area with colored wadding. The bakery is a neat game. Tamagotchi friends come by and have a cake on the touch screen that you need to create. You can draw fine lines with colored icing and pull out toppings from the side menu. One nice surprise is there’s a Pac-man cake that a customer asks for. It’s too bad that you can’t freely create cakes at the bakery and instead you have to make the exact cake a customer requests. The Takoyaki Shop is a neat game where you make Takoyaki by putting oil on the pan, pouring the dough, adding the octopus and then rolling them around with a pick so they don’t burn.

The music club game is right up Nana On Sho’s alley. In this game you’ll tap instruments on the bottom screen to the beat. In the flower shop game you’ll select flowers, wrapping and decorations from a side menu to design a bouquet. There’s also a Japanese bathhouse game where you chop firewood to maintain the water temperature and give the patrons different colored bath soap. You might not notice all of these games at the beginning because each Tamagotchi only has two games initially unlocked. However, there are three different save spots, one for each Tamagotchi. If you want to get the most out of the game you’ll start the game with three different Tamagotchi. This way you’ll get to try out each game right away.

As you keep playing the games your shops will grow an extra story, thanks to a generous donation by a friendly customer. The first shop upgrade takes only a couple of minutes of playing to obtain, but it feels like an eternity. Probably, because each mini game is incredibly repetitive. You can only wash virtual laundry so many times before you want to do something else. Basically, Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop is best enjoyed in short bursts. Even the audience who it’s designed for, kids, will want some more variation over selecting the different colors of laundry detergent. Increasing the shop’s level from “putchi” (the smallest) to “metchi” increases the level of difficulty. The dentist game introduces adding in tooth implants for Tamagotchi with serious tooth decay and the laundry game gives players a chance to use the stain remover. Other games like the spa game increase the speed in which players have to react. You’ll have to serve more Tamagotchi, which means more bath powder changes and soft drink servings.

So why go through all the hard work of running a shop? To pamper your virtual pet. First you need to unlock items to buy, which can be done by playing the game. You can buy outfits, snacks and decorations for your pet’s room. Since each tasty donut and dentist coat costs money you’ll have to keep working at a shop if you want to buy more items. Unfortunately, none of these enhancements actually do anything, but hey who doesn’t want to earn a new dining room set for their pet? Someone might get a kick out of this.

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop should be commended for its graphic style. The game’s graphics aren’t technically complex, but the style is fitting for the title. Instead of using hi-resolution models, Tamagotchi Connection has opts for a hand drawn style. It’s like a virtual storybook with about a hundred Tamagotchi in it. Everything from rabbits to ninjas can enter your customer shop.

It’s obvious that Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop is designed for young kids. They’ll get the most enjoyment out of the cleverly designed characters and will be entertained by the mini games. However, most DS owners will find that Tamagotchi Connection is nothing more than a diversion. Since the mini games are so repetitive, you’ll find that it is best played in short bursts. If you’re not sure that you’ll like Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop ask a friend who has it to send you a playable demo.

Import Friendly? Literacy Level: 0

If you choose to get the import version you can probably figure out how to play all the mini games since they are rather intuitive. What you will be missing out on are the hints to tell you how to improve your performance.

US Bound?

You can pick up Tamagotchi Connection at your local store today, it was released on 01.31.06.

+ Pros: Sweet graphical style that fits the game.

- Cons: The mini games are entertaining for about five minutes each.

Overall: While Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop is no Wario Ware, it’s bound to appeal to the elementary school demographic.

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