Maybe this time you can keep your Tamagotchi alive

We have said it many times, retro is in and My Tamagotchi Forever is the latest resurrection, coming to a mobile device near you, in the near future. Announced by Bandai,My Tamagotchi Forever is due to debut in 2018 and will give you another chance to stress over the health of your virtual pet.

The sands of time may have left us all with the impression that Tamagotchi was the pre-Pokémon virtual pet. A short lived fad that disappeared as fast as it came and then we all bought Gameboys. In reality, Tamagotchi was the second cab off the rank. The difference was that Tamagotchi made it to the western world faster. The late 90’s was when foreign concepts like RPG’s, Anime, Pocket Monsters and Virtual Pets crossed over and became big business.

The question is whether lightning can strike twice. If we are honest the original Tamagotchi was a simple game that kept you playing because you didn’t want your pet to die. Since then, we have had all kinds of pet simulators, Nintendogs for example and some of us have had actual pets. In My Tamagotchi Forever you will need to make sure they are well fed, clean up after them and apparently turn off the light so they can get some sleep.

It will feature a virtual town so your pet can make friends to hang out with. plus augmented reality so they can play at home. They will grow and change depending on how well you look after them. Plus there is an augmented reality aspect so they can do their business  on your carpet.

Although this game is clearly aimed at a younger generation, I can’t help but think about it through adult eyes. Hopefully the app doesn’t constantly run in the background draining your battery. Additionally I can only imagine the horror when you get busy, check on your Tamagotchi and they passed away overnight/during the day. Although I’m sure you learn how to look after an animal, the children should only have to deal with the death of actual pets.

Ultimately, the 90’s were full of fads and now is as good a time as any to make a comeback. Power to Tamagotchi for attempting a return and I hope the world has room for another virtual pet. My own concern is that those of us that were there at the time are now grown up and the kids may not know what Tamagotchi is. Maybe it’s time to spread the word. Check out the official site and the trailer below!