Up front, I'll be honest and say that I have no prior experience with Hamtaro beyond seeing DVDs for the TV series in my favorite anime store. So I have no clue as to what it's all about, beyond absurdly cute hamsters doing things. Not what I grew up with, but I suppose it's decent for kids. At least, that's the impression I get from this game.
The game begins with Hamtaro, the main... Ham-Ham (as they call themselves), dreaming of a hamster in a devil's costume ruining people's relationships. When he awakes, he finds out that there seems to be some trouble with other hamsters, that his girlfriend Bijou is missing... and the klutz ruins his dictionary of Ham-Ham words, meaning you'll have to relearn your native language.
As you do this, and repair the problems in various relationships, you find the devil hamster, named Spat, and you also run across his cherubic counterpart Harmony. Hamtaro's goal (and Bijou's, once they are reunited) is to mend the problems Spat has caused and make their fellow Ham-Hams happy.
It's interesting to note that this game is essentially a dating simulator, where you try to set up a "perfect date." Since none have really ever been released here before, it's an interesting first. Of course, it is a bit of a relief to see that it's a children's game, and thus more innocent, than many of the dating simulators made.
The problem is, though, in the gameplay. In order to repair the relationships, you have to say the proper Ham-Ham word. However, unless you've lucked out and already acquired it, you'll have to go back and find where the word is learned, and then return to use it. In other words, you are dealing with a linguistic fetch quest. Moreover, you are often left to guess which word is correct to use, and you seldom are given direction as to where to learn it. Honestly, I became frustrated with this aimless search several times during play.
Honestly, I'm a rather patient fellow, especially with video games. When I start to lose my patience with a game, that's a very bad sign. This game is directed towards a younger crowd than me, one that hasn't quite developed the patience an adult has. I often don't mind spending an hour or so pushing my way through a game for a single goal that isn't even the main goal of the game, but I nearly got fed up several times playing this. How do you think a child will take this?
The amount of reading will discourage some as well. This game relies on reading skills alot, perhaps even more so than Pokemon because it requires that you flip back and forth between the Ham-Ham dictionary to figure out what everyone is saying. Given how cute the hamsters of the game are, though, I can easily see this attracting the attention of what is often termed "the Sesame Street crowd," who honestly won't be able to play it because they can't read that well yet.
They will honestly just have to appreciate the graphics. Nintendo has made them bold and bright, easy to see in most circumstances even on the basic Game Boy Advance. The animations are sharp, and you really can't tell the difference between the hand-drawn stills that I've seen and the pictures in the game. Further, everything moves smoothly, and you never feel like they just lazily stuck Hamtaro in some generic game, which happens sadly to way too many children's cartoons. Visually, fans of the series will not be disappointed.
Aurally, however, is another question. While the various Game Boys have never been known for even mediocre sound, Hamtaro has some rather annoying tunes. Moreover, the effects, associated with animations for the Ham-Ham words, are nearly ear-splitting. "Heyhoo," to shout to someone, and "Hamha," to greet someone, are particularly shrill. Naturally, they are two of the most commonly used words. I've never been certain whether or not products made for children have such sounds to drive parents crazy or not, but I suspect they do.
The control is mostly solid, though there are some issues. For the most part, it's pretty easy to guide Hamtaro and Bijou around, but there are some parts where you have to be standing in just the right place to advance the game. Sometimes, it's obviously marked, but this isn't always the case. In Boo Manor, in particular, there is one important part that is rather well hidden, and could be very frustrating, especially to those without sharp eyes. The "hot spots" to trigger certain events should have been larger.
One of the game's most notable problems is that it is clearly aimed for the younger crowd. Usually, Nintendo aims to make their games accessible to everyone. Nobody misses out on Mario games, the biggest Pokemon fans I've ever seen are my age, and the Zelda games are still easy for kids to get into despite being a bit more mature. However, Hamtaro is cute to the point of being saccharine, and the game's basic and plodding pace will drive most older players batty. Now, I'm sure that there are a few Hamtaro fans amongst the adults, but they are the only ones above ten who'd enjoy this.
There are two mini-games, though, that are kid of fun. First, and more simple, is the Photo Gallery. You can purchase outfits and accessories in the game, and then dress up Hamtaro and Bijou and place them into whatever scene you'd like. You can even set one of your pictures as the "Press Start" screen at the beginning. This is a neat little touch and allows you to exercise some creativity within the confines of the game.
Another neat move is the HamJams option. You basically collect tunes from within the game, and then select animations from the Ham-Ham language to dance to it. Granted, you'll want to turn the sound off, as I noted above, but it is interesting to actually rearrange the animations however you'd like.
Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak is really for a specific audience. It's for younger children with a good store of patience, and who are willing to keep the sound down. Moreover, it is a nice and non-violent alternative to many video games, something which is more needed for the younger crowd. At the same time, I really wish it had been made more accessible - cute without being cloying, tricky without being frustrating, and so forth. While a decent intro to the dating sim in the United States, it will require a lot of work before this can ever catch on.
