Como si fuera Pokémon, entiende que el uso de una franquicia de dibujos animados para niños incita a poner énfasis en la colección. Es decir, es tedioso como él solo en absolutamente todas sus mecánicas (cuando decides poner el foco en grindear, esto se amplifica un poco más), y las dinámicas a las que acaba llevando su diseño empeoran por completo esto, pero curiosamente tuve ese impulso al final de completar ciertas quests del endgame que estaban a mi alcance, aunque fuese secundario. Ahí entendí que aunque su vertiente más repetitiva de point and click no creo que entretenga a mucha gente, una persona que le tenga mucho cariño a la serie o un niño que disfrute de ella, tendrá rato para entretenerse con las finalidades que busca este juego.

Aunque es cierto que el alma de Hamtaro Ham Ham Heartbreak se consigue dependiendo casi totalmente de su diseño visual, su paleta de colores pasteles, sus muchas animaciones, personajes y diálogos. Sinceramente, es tan bonito que, aunque sintiéndolo casi la mayor parte del tiempo un coñazo, he conseguido dejarme llevar por su llamativo encanto hasta el final.

I'm not even sure why I picked this game up in the first place. I only had the faintest glimmer of familiarity with Hamtaro from when I was a very young child. Even so, I picked up this game, and was pleasantly surprised by what I found.

This is a puzzle/adventure game where your primary tools are a variety of "Ham-Ham Speak" phrases. They're used for a variety of purposes, and you're constantly uncovering new phrases by exploring and experimenting. While simplistic in execution, it causes the lighthearted and humorous writing to shine through brilliantly.

On top of the witty writing, the humor is primarily displayed through adorable, wonderfully animated sprites. Every single Ham-Ham Speak phrase has a unique animation associated with it, and the game was constantly making me laugh with the antics that ensued.

The only real point I can give against the game is that it does fall into "guide-dangit" territory every so often, even with how linear the game already is.

Overall, a really fun and amusing feel-good adventure that I think I could recommend to just about anyone. Even an uninitiated person like me who barely knows what a "Hamtaro" is could get a lot of enjoyment out of this.

A combat-less RPG focused around talking to hamsters while you play as a pair of hamsters, (concurrently, all the time), doing cute emotes together. With homages to Luigi's Mansion and the Legend of Zelda, there is more depth and variety to be found than the box art might suggest.

Developed by Pax Softnica for the Game Boy Advance, Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak closely follows as a mechanical successor to their charming Game Boy Color game, Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite!, released a year prior. After Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak, future Hamtaro games were developed by Alpha Dream, and a year later following this game's release, Alpha Dream released Mario and Luigi: Super Star Saga, also for the Game Boy Advance. That's right, the "control two protagonists" gimmick that sustained the Mario and Luigi franchise was inspired directly by Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak.

As a successor to Unite, Heartbreak has many balance and quality of life changes that make for a smoother gameplay experience. The hint system has become more robust, costs for story relevant item purchases have been reduced, and currency acquisition has been boosted. (Most important to me is the reduction in grifters - Unite was fierce in how many hamsters were out to scam you out of your hard earned sunflower seeds!)

The central gimmick of controlling two hamsters at once gives the game a unique and wholesome feel unlike anything I've played. Most game actions are performed as a duo, but their reactions to situations are still unique. For example, you'll need to balance on each other's shoulders for reaching high places, or pull together to open heavy doors. But there are plenty of small touches that show their individuality. The male hamster gets scared on rollercoasters the girl hamster finds delightful. The degree to which you see the pair as a unit is enough to make you feel naked in the rare occasions they get separated, beyond the loss of actions that can only be performed as a duo.

The gameplay loop involves a brat hamster with a pitchfork causing G-rated mischief and throwing otherwise loving relationships into strife. Your hamster duo must use the power of communication to clear up misunderstandings and set things right. The more couples you help, the more your vocabulary grows, and the more actions you can perform and hamsters you can help. I appreciate that the game shows romantic, family, and friendship types of love in equal amounts in your quest, and even throws in a kiss between himbos. Gay representation in a Japanese 2002 children's game? No idea how this was made!

While Unite is fairly grounded in its middle school neighborhood setting, with levels based on shrines and libraries, Heartbreak is more fantastical than I expected. This game has a direct antagonist with shapeshifting powers, and the levels of amusement parks and spooky mansions have robots, ghosts, and drag queens. The final level has you sieging a moated castle with the power of a magical spoon, stuck in a pedestal Legend of Zelda style, which can only be claimed by collecting the three colored marbles. (These games were published by Nintendo.)

In my rating system, 2 stars represents an average game, and I award Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak 3 stars as a solid B rank game. As a children's game, this is a wonderful introduction to the medium, showcasing charm and variety in an approachable way that invites the player to discover its secrets.