| Introduction
This is a GameBoy Color game review. Yes, astonishing
as it seems, there are still a few titles for Nintendo's
first color handheld trickling through even though it's
now over five years old. The Hamtaro (hamster) phenomenon
was first introduced to children in Japan as a series
of illustrated storybooks in 1997 and has since gone
on to become a TV series with the usual toys and games
that accompany a popular character. I never actually
heard of it until the game landed on my desk the other
day but I dug out my GBC, watched the TV series and
read all the literature that accompanied the game, so
here it goes...
GamePlay
Your general aim in Hamtaro is to locate twelve Ham-Hams
(hamsters) and convince them to return to the Clubhouse
for an important meeting. This is achieved by exploring,
puzzle solving and amazingly, learning a new language.
Made up of 85 words, Ham-Chat phrases can range from
a simple greeting ("Hamha!") to a rolling
attack ("Tack-Q") with many more being added
to your Ham-Ham Notebook as you travel around. When
you meet someone you can bring up a menu with a few
simple phrases and this occasionally opens up another
more complicated bank of words depending on the response
you're given.
You'll also have instances where the conversation
options include a '?' rather than a word. This '?' is
a missing word essential to coax an individual hamster
back to the Clubhouse and will require you to chat to
other hamsters to discover it so that you can then return
to persuade the stubborn critter. The game is well structured,
so whenever you feel as though you've hit a brick wall,
there'll always be someone to ask for advice.
In true Nintendo tradition, there are also lots of
collectable scattered around the various areas and while
some are used for swapping with other hamsters, sunflower
seeds are used as a form of currency to purchase items
of clothing and other useful objects. With the clothing
in hand, you can then dress up back at the Clubhouse
and photograph yourself for use later in the game.
You'll also discover some rather simple mini games
such as the 'Ham-Jam' section where various words and
phrases are joined to form dance moves and 'Tack-Q Bowling'.
While both the mini games are reasonably fun, it's quite
unlikely that you'll be replaying them on a regular
basis.
Game save is completely automatic and seemingly occurs
after every completed task. There is, however, only
one save slot, so I advise that you keep the game to
yourself until you've completed it.
One of the highlights of the game and also a rare
feature, is the use of the GBC's infrared port to exchange
data. So, if you have a friend with a copy of Hamtaro,
you can both swap dances and photos of your dressed-up
hamster.
Controls
As this is an adventure game, the control system
has been kept simple. Arcade game issues such as collision
detection are simply not important here. It's all about
moving your hamster around and chatting to the various
other creatures that populate this strange miniature
Hamtaro land. Striking up a conversation is a mere button
press away as is almost any other action you wish to
perform. All in all, the controls are basic but effective.
Graphics
After playing more than fifty GBA games since I last
picked up my GBC, the graphics in Hamtaro did seem rather
'retro'. That is not to say, however, that it wasn't
good. On the contrary, I found that the visuals perfectly
suited the style of gameplay.
Everything in Hamtaro is viewed from an almost top
down perspective which made navigation a lot easier.
Thanks to the clear and colorful cartoon graphics, there's
also little chance of missing any important items during
your adventure.
In the same vein, the animation, although simply
rendered, was also clear and colorful and subtle enough
to convey a whole host of cute hamster type emotions.
If you're a hamster lover, then you're bound to fall
in love with the adorable animated hamster antics in
Hamtaro.
Sound & Music
Hamtaro boasts a variety of pop tunes that accompany
the game, as well as some nice sound effects and digitized
'hamster speak'. Considering the limitation of the GBC's
sound chip, the music and effects in Hamtaro was reasonably
good, although not the best that I've heard on the GBC.
Final Comments
Although I knew nothing about the Hamtaro phenomenon
before reviewing the game, I must admit, I've been won
over. After all, how can anyone resist such cute and
adorable creatures. Aside from that, I also found that
the game itself was well designed and implemented with
an almost faultless learning curve. It was also one
of the most addictive titles that I've encountered for
some time. It is, however, aimed at younger players,
and mature players might find the cutesy text and visuals
a turn-off. Regardless of that though, if you love quirky
Japanese games or are a big Hamtaro fan, then Ham-Hams
Unite! is definitely the game to go for.
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