What better way to celebrate twenty years of Kingdom Hearts than with Tamagotchi. You remember those virtual pets, right? And this fall, they’re teaming up with Square Enix’s Disney-themed RPG.
I remember first writing about Tamagotchi for Wired Magazine back in 2004, when infrared sensors were introduced, making virtual pet breeding possible. There has been a Tamagotchi revival—renaissance?—of late. Last year saw the introduction of Tamagotchi Smart, a wearable smart device take on the toy, complete with touch and voice controls. Bandai has also reintroduced its more basic Nano line, and rolled out a number of neat collabs, including with Demon Slayer, Evangelion and Jujutsu Kaisen.
The latest is the upcoming Kingdom Hearts Tamagotchi Nano. It was announced on March 28, the 20th anniversary of when the first Kingdom Hearts was released on the PlayStation 2.
The anniversary Tamagotchis comes in two styles: a white, blue and gold Light Mode version and a black, gray and gold Dark Mode one. Both are quite handsome.
As you can imagine, with the Kingdom Hearts iterations you’re not raising the typical Tamagotchi virtual pets, but rather, KH characters. So far, the official website shows Sora for the Dark Mode version and Kairi for the Light Mode one. Sora, for example, will change his appearance and even into different characters, depending on how he’s raised. To do that, you’ll need to dole out Paupu Fruit and take part in mini-games.
According to Dtimes, there are over twenty characters. Early images also tease Donald Duck and Goofy. Siliconera notes that, based on the initial art, it seems like Roxas, Xion, Axel, Aqua, Ventus, Terra and Riku will also be available, as could King Mickey.
Priced at 2,530 yen ($20), the Dark and Light Mode Kingdom Hearts 20th Anniversary Tamagotchis will be released in Japan this October. They are currently available for pre-order, but, as of writing, they have not yet been announced for release in the U.S.