Tamagotchi Connection V1

This was the very first Tamagotchi version I ever played with. It's a pretty fun little Tamagotchi.

The Tamagotchi Connection V1 was the reboot of the Tamagotchi franchise, and was release
world-wide in 2004.

*~*~*~*

Once you've set the time and your birthday, it only takes about a minute for your new egg to hatch.

It has a random chance of hatching into a boy or a girl. This doesn't really have too much of an effect, the only thing it changes is the gender of the Tamagotchis it can mate with over connection with other versions.

After this, you get to name it, with five spaces for letters.

*~*~*~*

The Status screen was upgraded from the original vintage models. It now shows a generation level, much like the Osutchi and Mesutchi vintage models. These two models were probably what inspired the Connection features of the Connection/Plus models. It also displays your Tamagotchi's name.

It gets different food items in different stages; the babies get bottles, the children and teens get bread for food and candy for a snack, and the adults get character-specific food items. 

The toilet icon works much like it did in the vintage versions, but now if you use it just before your Tamagotchi poops, they'll use a toilet instead of leaving it on the floor.

*~*~*~*

This was the first version to feature two games at once, in this case, a dancing game and a jumping game.

In the dancing game, you have to mash the buttons to copy dance steps. You have to copy more steps the farther you get.

In the jumping game, you mash buttons to help your Tamagotchi jump over hurdles.

Playing these lowers weight and raises happiness.

*~*~*~*

The biggest feature introduced with these Tamagotchis was the Connection feature. By using the last icon on the top, you had the option of connecting with other Tamagotchis.

They could play games together, give each other presents, and ones of opposite gender could even mate and have children once they were old enough.

The discipline option was expanded on a little bit. The option to praise your Tamagotchi if it gets sad was added in, which also helped to raise the discipline meter.

The other new icon that was added in was the friend list icon. This would let you look at the names and friendliness levels of the Tamagotchi's you connected with, and gave you a menu to access the items your Tamagotchi received through connecting.

Children and teen Tamagotchis could receive a ball to play with, while adults would each receive to character-specific items, such as shirts or wings. The items don't really have any effect other than playing a cute little animation.

*~*~*~*

There were characters from the P1, P2, and the Osutchi and Mesutchi. A few original characters were also added in. Some were only available in even generations, while others were only available in odd ones.

If you didn't have a friend with a Tamagotchi or a second one of your own to mate yours with, the Matchmaker would eventually start showing up at certain times once your little pet was old enough. She would come by a few times a day with a potential mate for you Tamagotchi. You could either accept or reject her offer.

If you declined, she'd leave, and eventually come back with a new match. If you accepted, your Tamagotchi and its new mate would be left on screen, they'd kiss, and it'd cut to a little fireworks scene in the sky. When it returned to your Tamagotchi, their mate would be gone but they'd have a new baby beside them.

When mating through Connection, the female Tamagotchi would have two babies of the same gender. One would leave with the father, and one would stay with the mother.

*~*~*~*

Your Tamagotchi would spend the rest of that day and the next with the baby. However, it returns to the Tamagotchi Planet the next night, leaving its baby in your care. If you turn the lights on at the right time, you could even catch it looking at its baby just before it leaves.

The V1 also introduced the Oldies. Your Tamagotchi would grow into an elderly character if left unmated for too long. The Matchmaker wouldn't come by anymore at this stage. Oldies could only mate with other oldies of the opposite gender, and it would result in a baby that would grow into a secret adult character.

*~*~*~*

It's a pretty fun Tamagotchi version. Plenty of characters for an older model, some that don't get featured a whole lot nowadays. Two fun games, and a whole lot of charm despite the simplicity. It's one I find myself returning to over and over again

The Tamagotchi in the pictures was my very first, so I have a bit of a soft spot for it. It's been beaten up, lost its keychain and reset buttons, been debugged, un-debugged, covered in stickers, and had several screws replaced. It's really been through a lot. Still works great, though, and I'll keep using it for as long as it lives.