Tamagotchi Plaza

Tamagotchi Plaza reinvents the classic 90s virtual pet with a light and accessible approach to city management and varied minigames, where the player interacts with different shops and charismatic characters. Although it lacks a deep story and some minigames are inconsistent, the game stands out for its vibrant visuals, nostalgic charm, and focus on children and franchise fans, offering a fun and welcoming experience — even if somewhat limited for those who don’t understand English.

Ultimately, Tamagotchi Plaza is a fairly lacklustre game but one that appropriately represents the Tamagotchi brand to the point where enthusiasts and young children may forgive its shallow gameplay loop.

It isn’t necessarily that Tamagotchi Plaza is bad, as I do think it could be fun for kids or someone who really loves Bandai Namco’s virtual pet line. There are just some awkward decisions made that make it a little uncomfortable to play at times. And even if you do overcome that and work things out, it can feel like there’s not too much to do. Especially since you can’t even bring it out as “the early Switch 2 multiplayer minigame collection” due to how few games actually involve more than one person. For the right person, it could be fine, but it caters to a very specialized (and probably forgiving) audience.

As I came to the end of my time in Tamagotchi Plaza, it became an insipid place to roam - an existential nightmare where everyone is constantly happy, living in a cycle of benign pleasantries. The constant repetition only serving to chip away at my sanity, much like when I owned my first Tamagotchi as a kid, hearing it chirrup for attention until I shoved it in a drawer to die.

Tamagotchi Plaza Switch 2 Edition has some silly charm, but the dull minigames and lack of tutorials end up making it a chore to play.

There's no story here, no progression, zero goals, zero meaning beyond feeding the kids Tamagotchi figures. Steer clear.

I smiled when I first started playing this thing. I was directly controlling Unimarutchi, exploring the world with literally my favorite character, but my smile faded within seconds of realizing what Namco had dared to shovel in front of people and charge for. There’s nothing to explore, nothing to enjoy, just the grinding menial filth of a game that doesn’t give a f.ck.

Cute tamagotchi-styled game with sweet little shops but this will not keep you hooked for long for $40-50. 4.8/10 Borderline