A pair of new Kingdom Hearts themed Tamagotchi toys have been announced in Japan as part of the 20th anniversary of the original Kingdom Hearts celebration.
Kingdom Hearts fans are having a blast celebrating the series’ 20th anniversary, while eagerly anticipating any new additions to the franchise. Although the future of the Kingdom Hearts mainline series is uncertain, there has been no shortage of merchandise and tie-ins with other games. Such as Sora making a controversial debut in Smash Bros. Ultimate for the Nintendo Switch.
In celebration of the game’s anniversary, virtual pet Tamagotchi will now get a Kingdom Hearts “flavor”. For those who aren’t traumatized by… or rather accustomed to; Tamagotchi are electronic handheld toys that were first introduced in the 1990s. The basic idea behind the original Tamagotchi was that players would receive an egg that hatches into a baby Tamagotchi and that it could then be raised into various creatures.
You of course need to tend to your virtual pet, much like you would need to tend to a real flesh and blood one. Which lead to an entire generation being traumatized because most of us at some point starved our beloved Tamagotchi to death. Mostly by accident. Sometimes because of faulty memory.
The Kingdom Hearts Tamagotchi is slightly different. There are two versions of the KH Tamagotchi: the light and dark variants. Players can essentially “evolve” different Kingdom Hearts characters into different ones. There will be twenty characters total, including Sora, Riku, Donald, Goofy, Aqua, most likely Mickey too. The company is currently deciding on two more characters, which will be chosen based on fan votes.
Here’s the full lineup:
The Kingdom Hearts Tamagotchi will be priced at $20 per piece. Bandai is currently accepting pre-orders until May 5. They will be available for purchase in October. But here’s the sad part: they are Japan-exclusive. At the current date, there are no plans to localize or even ship to the USA, Europe, and the UK. Interested parties will still have to import the item or purchase it from a reseller. But given the MASSIVE outcry and English activity under the Japanese Twitter post announcing the KH Tamagotchi. It only makes sense that they get localized in US, UK, and EU at some point.
Who knows? This could be the big comeback of Tamagotchi in the West at some point! It was huge in its heyday, selling tens to millions of units over the years. Its impact on the world is undeniable. Previous collaborations have included Tamagotchi being reproduced on sneakers and as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Tamagotchi watch in 2019. Combining Tamagotchi with Kingdom Hearts will be a delight for those who grew up with either of the products.
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