The year 2022 saw the revival of y2k trends: think low-rise jeans, flip phones, sequels to cult-classic movies, and not forgetting, virtual pets. As any 90s kid can remember, raising a Tamagotchi was no easy feat. Earlier this year in June, Bandai introduced a brand new addition to the virtual pet family – the Tamagotchi Pix Party!
Exclusively launched in the USA, the Tamagotchi Pix Party is an upgraded version of the Tamagotchi Pix, which is the first generation of Tamagotchi devices that features a camera, a QR code scanner, and touch buttons.
So how does the Tamagotchi Pix Party play out – is it as needy as its previous generations, or is it a strong, independent pet (or also fondly known as tama) that needs no sitter? We play tested it to find out!
The Shell
Keeping its iconic egg shape, the Pix Party has a cracked top that makes it look like a hatched egg, which also doubles as an unlock button and the shutter button for the camera. Unlike the OG Tamagotchi, the Pix Party is almost double in size and has a rounded shape, a camera at the back and a 1 x 1 inch backlit screen. And yes, you can finally see what your favourite tamas look like with colour! The device comes in two colourways – the Confetti version sees a teal cracked top and a hot pink body, while the Balloons version has a hot pink cracked top and deep purple body.
Quick Overview
The main goal of the Tamagotchi Pix Party is obviously to provide the best care for your tama, however, the gameplay takes things up a notch in which the games or interactions you perform with your tama determines the type of job it will take on when it is in its adult stage.
That’s right! Instead of just creating a lineage, your tamas do have dreams to chase in this generation. There are a total of 3 jobs available, and when your tama has chosen its career path, it will depart to Planet Tama to make its dreams a reality. Then, you’ll be rewarded with a new egg to continue the lineage.
Caring For Your Tama
Caring for your tama is simple and straightforward – feed it to keep it satisfied, play with it to keep it happy, and bathe it to keep it squeaky clean.
However, the tama needs on the Pix Party deplete rather quickly compared to the OG Tamagotchis. The happiness bar that can be located under ‘Tama Stats’ depletes completely in the span of 1 – 2 hours even during its adult stage, and you’ll need to shower your tama with attention by feeding and playing with it multiple times. Talk about being needy!
If you’re a busy bee, you’ll be glad to hear that the ‘Sitter’ option that was available in the previous Tamagotchi generations is available in this generation too, but be warned – the sitter service is only available from 7am to 6:55pm, and cannot be summoned when your tama’s hunger and happiness bars are at zero.
Of course, baby tamas tend to be needier as compared to adult tamas, so don’t be surprised when you feel that you have your hands full while caring for a newborn tama – it’s just a baby! The life stage of the Pix Party tamas is approximately one week from egg to adult.
Collectables, Weekly Missions and Minigames
The Pix Party’s defining feature is definitely the number of minigames packed into a small egg-shaped device – a total of 18 games! Out of the 18 minigames, there are 3 that are exclusive to the Pix Party, namely the Bingo, Gift Game, and DJ Play. These games are only playable when your tama hosts a party. There are also 3 training games in which adult tamas will be able to play on a daily basis, and also hints to the career pathway that it chooses. The remaining games are accessible via the Arcade, and the choice of games differ by the day.
Did we also mention that you can raise up to 24 different Tamagotchi characters? And in true Tamagotchi fashion, the appearance of your tama is determined by how proactive you are in caring for it. Care for it well, and be rewarded by cute tamas such as Mametchi, Neliatchi or Lovelitchi; neglect it and get the sassier adults such as Gozarutchi, Orenetchi or Ninjanyatchi. Meanwhile, you may also collect non-playable tama characters when you access the ‘Camera’ function, and invite them to your parties!
Every week, the official Tamagotchi website has a new mission available and you can get a free item when you solve it. Click here to check it out!
Camera, Connectivity and Party Feature
What’s innovative about the Tamagotchi Pix Party is that it’s the first ever Tamagotchi device that has a camera. There’s plenty of gameplay centred around using the camera, such as collecting Tamagotchi characters to invite to parties as mentioned. Not only can the Pix Party do just that, but it can also detect the colours in your surroundings for you to use it to colour your tama’s items! How cool is that?
The ‘Party’ feature is jam-packed with new details: from unique play items, party-exclusive games, snap special party photos, the introduction of a new raisable Tamagotchi character, and brand new food options. It’s no wonder the Pix Party is a rank above the regular Pix.
Moving on to the connectivity feature. The QR code reader allows for players to schedule parties or visits over to other players’ tamas. This ‘multiplayer’ mode is quite a big deal – visiting anyone with a Tamagotchi Pix or Tamagotchi Pix Party is now so easy and can be done by just sharing your unique QR code. So go ahead and schedule all the parties you want!
Our Verdict
With all that being said, what’s our final opinion on the Tamagotchi Pix Party? BUY IT!
If you are a sucker for nostalgia but would appreciate the new innovations, upgraded gameplay and colour screen, the Tamagotchi Pix Party is just for you. But if you still prefer the OG Tamagotchis that require way less attention, we’re not stopping you! Who can resist the super cute shells anyway?
Where To Buy?
The Tamagotchi Pix Party retails on Amazon for $59.99 before shipping.
