Before buying the Uni, my "newest" tama was a V3 tamagotchi Connection (called a Connexion where I live) and I always preferred the 90s Tamas to even the connections, although I do love the V3 and the fact that you could have generations of Tamas. I was aware of the new Tamas, including the colour Tamas, but they just didn't appeal to me. With each release there was just something that put me off, whether it was the chunkiness of some of the new ones, the "princess" look of the P's, the camera of the Pix, or the Smarts lack of content without expensive cards, I just wasn't interested. Everyone has different tastes I guess.
But the Uni finally looked like something up my alley. It was the same size as a connection, it came in some colours I liked, and the tamaverse gimmick seemed okay and less forced than previous gimmicks.
So I caved and got the monster carnival version.
So, after running it for a week I figured I could offer a unique review from the perspective of someone who prefers 90s Tamagotchi. I want to preface this by saying I am going to be honest in my praise, but also my criticisms. It is not my intent to bash people who like the modern Tamas. If your favourite is the Pix, that's great. These opinions are just my own personal preferences.
First of all, the design of the shell; I love the colours on the Monster Carnival Uni. The purple and green are great. I love the transparent plastic. Although, I wish they would have kept the iconic ball chain. It's nice to see they are finally committed to making the Tamagotchi into a watch. It makes sense, Tamagotchi means "Egg watch" after all! Although I feel too shy to wear something this large on my wrist, however I bet many people will love the watch strap, kids especially. The option to go without the strap and use it like a traditional Tama is great for people like me. It's size is great when used like a non-watch Tama. I hear the battery life isn't great, but that hasn't been my experience at all. The battery lasts for about 3 days for me without charging, but tmI never see a low battery screen because I charge it at night while I'm asleep.
Now, the software itself: I love the colour screen. It's contrast and the colour quality is perfect. I like the 16-bit/32-bit style of the pixel art.
The raising of the Tama itself is a mixed bag. I never once heard a call sound unless the Tama was starving. The Tama puts itself to bed, so there is no call for bed. There is no praise or scold mechanic, which is a shame. I never liked scolding my pet but there is no reason to remove praise. I could never manage to potty train my pet either, there is no call sound when it is about to poop, and the screen turning off to save battery means that I hardly ever catch the "I'm about to poop" animation. I have yet to figure out if the bath option has any effect on anything.
Being able to customise the room is nice, I liked being able to see the weather out the window, but hardly any of the room options let you see out of the window! Giving Tamas accessories is nice.
The games are also a mixed bag, I only ever place the fast food one because it's the quickest. I wish they didn't show the intro and instructions every time.
Tama walk is nice, as is the Tamaverse itself. Having people around the world choose a team and compete for high scores was a great idea. The Tama party seems a bit too quick, you should have to wait at least a day before marrying your Tama off imo. I also worry about how long the internet functions will be supported by Bandai, who are notorious for pulling the rug out from customers only a couple of years after release. (RIP Digimon Re-Arise). It's good that they can update to fix bugs and add features (Why is the pause feature so hidden though?). I'm glad the DLC is just a code and not expensive plastic stuff, and isn't mandatory to enjoy the device.
The designs of the Tamas, again, are a mixed bag. I love designs that actually look like alien pets like Woopatchi, Mimitchi, Big Smile, Sebiretchi and Shykutchi however I cannot stand the Tamas that look like little humanoid babies or little idol girls, like Memetchi, Neliatchi and Bubbletchi. I feel like Bandai is trying to hard to be Sanrio rather than sticking to the unique artstyle that made them famous in the 90s. The problem for me is all of the "good care" Tamas are Tamas whose design I don't like.
Tamagotchi were first designed to be a virtual pet. They were little alien animals that you raised and sent to their home planet. Newer Tama characters seem to more like raising a child. They also feel like they're be trying too hard to be cool, with newer characters described as being obsessed with the latest fashion trends and social media (which I don't really think is a good message to send to kids). It comes across as a bit vapid and "Hello fellow kids" to me and will age poorly.
Which brings me to my closing thoughts: I like the Tamagotchi Uni and I think there are many things that are going in the right direction. I love that you can have generations of Tamas and that you can customise a lot of things. I like the return of angel an Devil (monster) Tamas was cool to see. However, I would wish it felt more like a digital pet and less like a digital child, and that it would lean into the unique, less gendered artstyle Tamagotchi started with in the 90s. I think that would have wider appeal. I recommend this to people who don't yet have a colour Tama, or people that liked the Connections as it is very similar but more fleshed out. It's a fairly undemanding Tama that is good to run while you're running a more demanding retro Tama.
But the Uni finally looked like something up my alley. It was the same size as a connection, it came in some colours I liked, and the tamaverse gimmick seemed okay and less forced than previous gimmicks.
So I caved and got the monster carnival version.
So, after running it for a week I figured I could offer a unique review from the perspective of someone who prefers 90s Tamagotchi. I want to preface this by saying I am going to be honest in my praise, but also my criticisms. It is not my intent to bash people who like the modern Tamas. If your favourite is the Pix, that's great. These opinions are just my own personal preferences.
First of all, the design of the shell; I love the colours on the Monster Carnival Uni. The purple and green are great. I love the transparent plastic. Although, I wish they would have kept the iconic ball chain. It's nice to see they are finally committed to making the Tamagotchi into a watch. It makes sense, Tamagotchi means "Egg watch" after all! Although I feel too shy to wear something this large on my wrist, however I bet many people will love the watch strap, kids especially. The option to go without the strap and use it like a traditional Tama is great for people like me. It's size is great when used like a non-watch Tama. I hear the battery life isn't great, but that hasn't been my experience at all. The battery lasts for about 3 days for me without charging, but tmI never see a low battery screen because I charge it at night while I'm asleep.
Now, the software itself: I love the colour screen. It's contrast and the colour quality is perfect. I like the 16-bit/32-bit style of the pixel art.
The raising of the Tama itself is a mixed bag. I never once heard a call sound unless the Tama was starving. The Tama puts itself to bed, so there is no call for bed. There is no praise or scold mechanic, which is a shame. I never liked scolding my pet but there is no reason to remove praise. I could never manage to potty train my pet either, there is no call sound when it is about to poop, and the screen turning off to save battery means that I hardly ever catch the "I'm about to poop" animation. I have yet to figure out if the bath option has any effect on anything.
Being able to customise the room is nice, I liked being able to see the weather out the window, but hardly any of the room options let you see out of the window! Giving Tamas accessories is nice.
The games are also a mixed bag, I only ever place the fast food one because it's the quickest. I wish they didn't show the intro and instructions every time.
Tama walk is nice, as is the Tamaverse itself. Having people around the world choose a team and compete for high scores was a great idea. The Tama party seems a bit too quick, you should have to wait at least a day before marrying your Tama off imo. I also worry about how long the internet functions will be supported by Bandai, who are notorious for pulling the rug out from customers only a couple of years after release. (RIP Digimon Re-Arise). It's good that they can update to fix bugs and add features (Why is the pause feature so hidden though?). I'm glad the DLC is just a code and not expensive plastic stuff, and isn't mandatory to enjoy the device.
The designs of the Tamas, again, are a mixed bag. I love designs that actually look like alien pets like Woopatchi, Mimitchi, Big Smile, Sebiretchi and Shykutchi however I cannot stand the Tamas that look like little humanoid babies or little idol girls, like Memetchi, Neliatchi and Bubbletchi. I feel like Bandai is trying to hard to be Sanrio rather than sticking to the unique artstyle that made them famous in the 90s. The problem for me is all of the "good care" Tamas are Tamas whose design I don't like.
Tamagotchi were first designed to be a virtual pet. They were little alien animals that you raised and sent to their home planet. Newer Tama characters seem to more like raising a child. They also feel like they're be trying too hard to be cool, with newer characters described as being obsessed with the latest fashion trends and social media (which I don't really think is a good message to send to kids). It comes across as a bit vapid and "Hello fellow kids" to me and will age poorly.
Which brings me to my closing thoughts: I like the Tamagotchi Uni and I think there are many things that are going in the right direction. I love that you can have generations of Tamas and that you can customise a lot of things. I like the return of angel an Devil (monster) Tamas was cool to see. However, I would wish it felt more like a digital pet and less like a digital child, and that it would lean into the unique, less gendered artstyle Tamagotchi started with in the 90s. I think that would have wider appeal. I recommend this to people who don't yet have a colour Tama, or people that liked the Connections as it is very similar but more fleshed out. It's a fairly undemanding Tama that is good to run while you're running a more demanding retro Tama.
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The Uni really does sound like fun and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it! Perhaps one day I'll pick it up!
