Critics may call the brand nothing but nostalgia-tinged crap, but Tamagotchis are moving into a whole new high-tech field of poo.

Although the original Tamagotchi model went on sale in November of 1996, toymaker Bandai’s phenomenally popular virtual pet arrived in the rest of the world in 1997, and so Bandai Namco has designated 2017, for celebratory purposes, as the Tamagotchi’s 20th anniversary. The company recently announced it will be re-releasing both the first generation and “Discovery of the New Species” Tamagotchi models, but it’s now revealed a new plan for the brand with the unveiling of My Tamagotchi Forever.

Instead of a standalone device, My Tamagotchi Forever is a free-to-play title for smartphones and tablets. That’s a bit of a break with tradition, as is presenting the Tamagotchi brand as a “game” rather than a virtual pet, as My Tamagotchi Forever’s preview video does when it declares it the newest version of “the classic game for all generations.” Bandai Namco probably made the right call there, though, as in the years since the original Tamagotchi’s release, casual, non-objective-based gaming has become a robust section of the market.

Another smart choice was mixing nostalgia (the preview video shows a young girl playing with her Tamagotchi in 1997 before growing up and having a daughter of her own) with highlighting new gameplay elements, such as a promised augmented reality feature.

But things start to get a little strange after Mom snaps a picture of her daughter and their My Tamagotchi Forever character. Suddenly, the creature’s stomach starts to rumble, and sweat pours down its forehead, as it reaches the end of its digestive cycle.

Most of us have never had to take a dump so badly that we perspired, but then again, most of us also haven’t dropped a turd that’s so big, relative to our body size, that it comes up to our shoulder.

▼ Even the Tamagotchi looks startled by his handiwork…or should that be buttiwork?

It’s unclear whether those are supposed to be stink lines or steam rising from the coil of poop, but either way, the Tamagotchi isn’t picking it up. Instead, he slides over a few steps to block it from his human housemate’s view, ostensibly under the logic that out of sight equals out of mind, regardless of smell.

And how do he, mother and child react to the new arrival’s fecal housewarming gift? After the initial shock wears off, they’re all smiles.

▼ These people still have a gigantic turd in their living room.

Granted, there is precedent for all this. As part of their virtual pet concept, Tamagotchis leaving droppings for the player to pick up has always been a part of the gameplay, stretching all the way back to the original version. Mirroring flesh-and-blood pets, if you let the feces sit around for too long, it’ll adversely affect your Tamagotchi’s health.

Still, considering that the My Tamagotchi Forever preview is only a minute long, with less than 20 seconds of that devoted to the augmented reality feature, it’s sort of surprising that the decision makers at Bandai Namco apparently said “There’s not much time to work with, but let’s make sure we find space to show off the AR poop!” Sure, it’s a better choice than showing the AR Tamagotchi die (although the Forever part of My Tamagotchi Forever could mean that this time around the Tamagotchis will never die, regardless of age of living conditions), but it’s a bold move to show “pooping” instead of a less-gross application of AR like, say, the Tamagotchi frolicking after you give it a treat.

My Tamagotchi Forever is scheduled for a 2018 release for iOS and Android devices. No word on whether the turd in the video will be cleaned up by then.

Source: YouTube/BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe via Anime News Network
Images: YouTube/BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Europe

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