Free and Fun! Give it a Chance!

May 2015 - I was hoping for a simple Tamagotchi-like call-back with a little modern streamlining and extras, and I feel Hatchi has done the retro feel the best justice out of all the Tamagotchi homages out there.

I play it pretty frequently, even with a busy lifestyle. I wanted some sort of virtual pet with a visual quirk that wasnt trying too hard with the cuteness factor. I cant stand the pet apps that look like my pets are made of candy and rainbows and prefer something more quirky. I was also really surprised to see Hatchi listed for free WITHOUT popup ads, or any ads at all (these had me deleting my other v-pet apps fast)! That made me also wonder what the catch was. No popup ads, and its free? Hmmm…

But yeah, it turns out theres no catch! I enjoyed a few days of gameplay with my first little guy before deciding to get the Coin Doubler. I have NEVER spent money on an app before and was wary at first, mind you. Game designers will often make gameplay impossibly obnoxious unless you submit and open your wallet time and time again, so I feared the Doubler being my beginning down a slippery slope of game-addicted spending. I took the chance and bought it for a whopping $1.

So the game has cost me $1, and only because I chose to do so in the end. Its made in-game coins easier to get by 100%, but gameplay itself remains just as fun, so I consider a single dollar to be a kind donation to the creators, and I get something sweet in return!

Its been two weeks, and since that donation, Ive had enough coin to raise two free pets and change their eye colors, buy another slot to adopt a third Hatchi, buy two more rare eggs, buy some fancy snacks just to muck around, and I still have 19,373 coins to buy other things, like different rare eggs I havent even tried yet! I also like how renaming your Hatchi at any time is free and that you sleeping a good nights rest doesnt kill it or make it sick.

It might be good for me to note that I figured out by playing Raining Meds and Hatchi Matchi like a pro is the best way to earn a ton of in-game coin fast. See, its not that the coins are hard to get. You just have to learn how to play the games. Want more coin? Play the right games with your Hatchi the right way.

In those two weeks since the donation, the game has been endless fun, and I learned strategies on how to earn coins for my pets the fastest. I also remember this is a virtual pet game and not a coin-hungry gamblers game. The pets come first, and the coin obsession is entirely on part of the player. The reviews that bash this game by saying its too expensive are either voluntarily paying real-world cash due to impatience (in my case one measly dollar!), or they havent realized the game is a free app thats perfectly playable without paying a wad of cash.

As for those who gripe about Apple watches and compatibility, I cant really understand that, as this iPod was given to me, and those watches seem like theyre for rich people who still need a Pod to use it...

The guy who claimed this app kept saying to pay .99 constantly, I have no idea what hes talking about. Ive gotten no prompts unless I forced my pets to play until exhausted. It OFFERS for you to buy something to boost their energy, but all you have to do is let your pet rest a bit and click "no thanks." Done. Half an hour later, the little guy is ready for play again.

Another reviewer thats impatient, like the ones complaining the game is expensive or hard to get coins out of… You have to pay money if youre the impatient type, but otherwise, this is a perfectly good game! I wish impatience didnt cost a game its reputation. Bugs and pop up ads, yes, but not if you cant wait for your poor Hatchi to take a half-hour nap. Also, if you feed it certain things, theyll give it more or less energy. Its up to players to figure out the game before they judge it as trying to rob them. I think its really very good! And there is some strategy to it despite its relaxing simplicity.

My only request would be that the game allow you to tap the screen even after the hatching time, like to pet or clean your Hatchi. Pressing the buttons and seeing the water come down, or seeing a heart when your Hatchi is grateful is cute, but the tapping is a bit of interaction Id love to have with my virtual pets. Them smiling as Im petting them with the stylus would just be wonderful! However, I fear such an uprade, as Ive seen on Portable Pixels FB that you must sacrifice your current pets to upgrades and then start over. <:0

Now, if youll excuse me, its time to go off and play another minigame with the song "Its Raining Men" playing in my head! XD The in-game jokes are too cute! But not as cute as my little Squig or Twizzle. ^_^

Jan 2016 - This game is still so fun, and Ive just added it to my new iPad New Years gift! I see its now $1-1.99 depending on the device, but I recommend it still. I dont buy apps, again, but I still donated $1 to the experience, so my usual cheapness being widely away by this game once I tried it should speak for it pretty well.

The main update I LOVE is the mini game hopping hatchi. You can earn a whopping +1000 coins with Doubler, hatchi doesnt get tired from it, and the replay value of this pleasant thing is so nice. Thats a great fact too: in your Extras section, anything permanent you paid for like the Doubler can transfer to your new device.

Sadly, your pets and coinage cant, but if you still used your old devices, I guess that would be like cheating. Still, having the same creatures over multiple devices would just be amazing, and if you had to trade in your device to save some much-needed cash, it would make saying goodbye to your pixel critters a lot easier...cuz you wouldnt have to! :)

Anyway, its been quite a while, but I still do very much enjoy this game and had to share my many, many, many thoughts on this.

Wildy Reviewer about Hatchi - A retro virtual pet