Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3

It’s been a while since Tamagotchi have had their 15 minutes of fame. They hung around for a few encores, catering to smaller crowds like a former rockstar that used to play at the Silverdome. But just as big 80s hairstyles had to change, Tamagotchi are no longer content to be your virtual friend. They are now more, uhh, “human,” with stars in their eyes, cake in their bellies, and big-city dreams.

Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 is the latest in Tamagotchi’s handheld evolution. On this Nintendo DS sequel, you won’t find yourself feeding pets in exchange for virtual companionship (the thought of which sounds crazy until you look at your own game collection and notice that Nintendogs is somewhere in the pile).

No, this isn’t some kind of bait-and-switch scheme. There are Tamagotchi inside Corner Shop 3. But instead of satisfying their needs as pets, you’ll appeal to their desires as a shop owner.

When hunger strikes and only the most delicious goods will do, Tamagotchi head to the bakery. If the Tamagotchi’s sweet tooth happens to be in charge of hunger management, it’ll likely head over to the soft serve ice cream parlor (my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Shall we break now and head over to Cold Stone or Marble Slab? I’ll drive).

Going to have a party? Then you’d better stop by the event coordination shop. They’ll help you with everything you need, decorations excluded. Those, of course, are found at the decoration shop. Don’t forget to stop by the card shop – that too is essential in getting what you need for any party. And if you’ve got a kiddie or two that can’t come along, the day care center is sure to lend a helping hand.

Love music? Visit the piano studio. Enjoy a sunny day in the garden? Then go straight to the shop that’s simply titled “gardening.” Relax at the day spa, and unearth old treasures (translation: junk people lost in the dirt) at the treasure hunter shop.

At the end of the day, when all your errands are complete, you might notice that a bit of garbage has begun to accumulate. Don’t just leave it there for the garbage man to throw in a truck and drop who knows where – recycle it. There’s a shop for that too.

With you as the owner of each shop, the game disperses its mechanics by location. As a treasure hunter, you’ll use a special device that beeps whenever treasure is near. Drag your stylus across the screen, wait for the beeps to intensify, then grab the pick and start digging (scratch the screen). Once a piece of treasure has been uncovered, grab the scraper to remove any hardened rock or dirt particles (second time: scratch the screen). And after that, dust off the item until it’s shiny and new (third time: scratch the screen).

If done successfully – that is, if you clean the item thoroughly and don’t inflict any damage (which can occur while scraping) – your treasure-hunting customer will be very happy. He’ll pay you a set amount of Gotchi coins, the game’s official currency.

What happens if you mess up his precious treasure? It doesn’t matter – you’ll still be paid the same amount of coins. The game will bore you with a simple message alerting you of a mistake. But it’s a win-win you-can’t-lose situation. In Corner Shop 3, there’s no such thing as Game Over.

The money earned per treasure grows every time your shop expands, a phenomenon that occurs whenever the mayor drops by. His visits are unannounced and unexplained. All I know is that you have to play the shop mini-games repeatedly to get him to arrive. Once he comes, you’ll have to repeat the process all over to make him come again – a necessary evil if you want your shop to keep expanding.

Based on the pink and purple-heavy coloring, you might think that Tamagotchi Connection: Corner Shop 3 was designed for girls. However true that may be, it must be noted that, regardless of the sex, this game was definitely made for the youngest of all gamers. This isn’t the kind of experience that’ll hold the interest of someone over the age of eight. And eight might be pushing it if that girl (or boy) in question is used to playing games that aren’t quite this repetitive.