The Deai Hakken!! Arukotch Tamagotchi (であい発見！！あるこっち), but much more commonly referred to as just the Arukotchi, is a pedometer toy released in Japan by Bandai in 1999.
As it came out sometime after the Santaclautch no Tamagotch, it was the final vintage-era Tamagotchi product before the brand was rebooted in 2004.
Design[]
The Arukotch is roughly egg-shaped but, unlike the standard Tamagotchi, is lying on its side instead of upright.
Its screen has the same resolution as the standard Tamagotchi screen, with a 5-digit step counter above. The step counter resets at midnight every night, and also has a symbol of a musical note, which is shown when the unit's sound is on.
It has three buttons below the screen: the N button on the left, the Y button on the right, and the reset button between them. The back of the unit has a belt hook in the center and a motion sensitivity dial at the bottom.
Gameplay[]
The gameplay focuses on helping Arukotchi, a shy girl who's waiting for a proposal from a boy. When the player walks, Arukotchi will walk as well while the unit counts each step. As she walks throughout the day, she may encounter items that help or hinder her, or meet Gotchi Boys.
The unit's screen will go light after two minutes to preserve battery. When Arukotchi encounters a boy or an item, an animation will play on the screen, and it will remain lit until the user reacts. Arukotchi will also perform various animations throughout the day, such as bathing or sleeping.
If an image of Ohimetchi laughing appears, it means the user has gone for too long without collecting steps; walking Arukotchi again will restore the screen to normal.
Menus[]
Pressing the Y button from the main screen will show the total number of steps taken, followed by the health rating, and finally the beauty rating. Certain items improve or lower these two ratings, which effects which Gotchi Boys Arukotchi can encounter. Pressing the N button on the screen for the total steps will give the option of clearing the current number from the step counter.
Pressing the N button shows the clock, followed by date screens, if any had been unlocked. Pressing N and Y together will stop the clock, allowing the user to change the time.
Items[]
There are six normal items that Arukotchi can find, and eight special items from a Mystery Box. Pressing the Y button will accept the item, while pressing the N button rejects it.
The Ribbon, Recipe Book, and Compact all increase the Beauty rating a small amount, the Lipstick increases Beauty a larger amount, and the Dress will increase Beauty a significant amount. The sixth item is the surume (dried squid), a rare item which is purposefully dropped by Oyajitchi to give to him later. It can only be found if Arukotchi gives Oyajitchi her name.
The Mystery Box's contents are not revealed until after Arukotchi accepts it. Four of the items will benefit Arukotchi or her relationships, while the other four will hinder her. The Plastic Model and Cell Phone are used immediately, while the remaining items will stay on as an effect on Arukotchi until her next event. The Mystery Box items and their effects are as follows:
- Plastic Model: A toy airplane to give to a Gotchi Boy. Press the N button to scroll through known Gotchi Boys, and then Y to give them the model. This will increase the relationship rating.
- Cell Phone: A phone to call a Gotchi Boy. Press the N button to scroll through known Gotchi Boys, and then Y to call. This will increase the relationship rating.
- Dango: Arukotchi eats a dango, making herself messy and lowering her Beauty rating.
- Paint: A paint bucket falls on Arukotchi's head, significantly lowering her Beauty rating.
- Sparkly Ribbon: Increases the likelihood of meeting Gotchi Boys.
- Uzumaki: Decreases the likelihood of meeting Gotchi Boys.
- Bicycle: Helps speed up Arukotchi's walking, reducing the steps necessary for the next event.
- Turtle: Slows Arukotchi down, increasing the steps necessary for the next event.
Gotchi Boys[]
There are 15 different Gotchi Boys, with the ultimate goal of getting one to propose. Each one has its own preferred level of beauty and health, while some are met under specific conditions, and are more rare to encounter.
When meeting a Gotchi Boy for the first time, they user may press Y or N to choose whether or not to give the Gotchi Boy her name. Pressing Y establishes the start of their love rating and will allow Arukotchi to encounter them more often, while pressing N ignores them.
At times, a Gotchi Boy may present a special item, such as a love letter, a bouquet, a car, or a ring. The user can choose to accept or reject the gift, with accepting it increasing the love rating; however, the Gotchi Boy may actually give the gift to Ohimetchi instead.
Once the love rating with a Gotchi Boy is high enough, they may propose to her, showing a special date screen with Arukotchi and the Gotchi Boy. Once the date is over, Arukotchi will return to begin again.
Characters[]
Gotchi Boys[]
- Marumimitchi
- Sutebotchi
- Zatchi
- Oyajitchi
- Ghost Jr
- Pyonchitchi
- Bunbuntchi
- ChoMametchi
- Debirutchi
- Cameratchi
- Owaraitchi (Puu and Pii)
- Boardtchi
- Visualtchi
- Mr. Kuribotchi
- Mr. Ginjirotchi
Trivia[]
- The Arukotchi is the first Tamagotchi unit to use the CR2032 battery, predating the Tamagotchi Connection by five years.
- The Arukotch is one of two Tamagotchi pedometer toys, the other being the Tamawalkie.
External Links[]
- Official page (Japanese; archived)