It’s like being in the 90s all over again.
Back in the day, Tamagotchi, the virtual pet game from Japan that quickly gained popularity all over the world, filled our days with having a personal digital pet to take care of. Then came the more male-centric Digimon, where we “trained” digital pet monsters to battle with other Digimons. Due to both the Tamagotchi and Digimon devices’ small size which could fit into virtually any pocket, it went everywhere with us. I’m sure most of us has gone through the harrowing feeling of having our Tamagotchis or Digimons taken away by the discipline teachers in primary school. Ah, the fond memories.
Why the walk down memory lane? Well, two app developers are hoping to bring the digital pet trend to the smartphone age with a new app called “Hatch”. As digital illustrator David Lanham puts it, it’s “the first app that loves you back”. And it does look like it might bring the craze back; after all, co-developers Impending and Realmac seem to have got the recipe spot on. Cute pet name? Check: your digital pet is called a “fugu”. Cute digital pet? Check: a fugu is a super cute blob of a creature which comes in a variety of colours. Cute animations? Double check: you interact with your fugu in a variety of ways, but mainly via the touchscreen. You can “pet” your fugu and it will purr; ignore it for long periods and it will – as The Verge puts it – “make you feel horrible” with the look on its face.
[youtube width=”600″ height=”350″]CMrl4krqbsc[/youtube]
Even more interesting is the way it integrates with your smartphone, such as with battery life. When your smartphone is running low on juice, your fugu will start yawning. In addition, if you listen to music on your phone, your fugu will in turn bob its head to the music. At night when you leave your phone to charge, and it, too, will turn in for the night. There are more little interactions like these that add a very personal touch to the fugu – much like the Tamagotchis and Digimons of old.
Unfortunately, the app is currently in development only for iOS and is slated for a 2013 launch. In the meantime, the promo trailer of the app should keep you entertained, in addition to its official website here.
(Source: The Verge)
Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter or Telegram for more updates and breaking news.
