The Jordy Tamagotchi (죠르디 다마고치) (ジョルディのたまごっち) is a licensed variant of the Tamagotchi Nano exclusive to South Korea, based on the NINIZ mascot character Jordy. It was teased on Bandai Korea's Instagram[1] before being officially revealed on November 27, 2020. This marks the first time a Tamagotchi has been exclusive to Korea.
Design
The Jordy Tamagotchi uses the standard Tamagotchi Nano mold, and uses the ball chain design first introduced with the Evatchi.
Functions
Birth and Growth
After the user sets the clock, Jordy will appear and thaw out of a glacier for the user to care for. Jordy is a career-oriented dinosaur, and will change forms depending on how he's trained, reflecting him taking on part-time jobs. However, should the user provide sufficient neglect, he may lose his part-time job and regress back to his original form.
Buttons
There are no on-screen icons, and therefore all information is conveyed through the screen and buttons. Jordy is cared for by filling his meters; he has Hungry and Happy meters, each consisting of four units, which are both empty when Jordy is born. If either becomes empty, he will call for attention to fill them.
If Jordy needs something, the user can press the C button for an animation to see what he needs. If Jordy shows a dizzy spiral, he is hungry. If he shows a sulking mark, he's unhappy. If neither meter is empty but the Happy meter is not full, Jordy will wag his tail and then hold up a rose. If neither meter is empty and the Happy meter is full, Jordy will perform a Close Up.
Pressing the A button opens the main menu, with the options to feed or to play the games. The meal option (triangle kimbap) fills one Hungry unit, and will refuse to eat anymore once the meter is full. The snack (apple) fills one Happy unit, and can be fed even when the Happy meter is full. The A button is also used to open the lights on and off menu when Jordy has fallen asleep. Jordy sleeps at 8 PM in his base form, while his part-time job forms sleep at 10 PM. Jordy will wake at 7 AM regardless of form, and will turn the lights on himself when he wakes up.
Pressing A and C together will open the menu or turn on or off the sound. Pressing the B button will open the clock screen, and pressing A and C together will allow the user to set the time. These two functions are always available regardless of Jordy's circumstances, except when he has departed.
Games
The Jordy Tamagotchi has a total of six games, and each one can impact which part-time job Jordy takes. Winning a game will fill one Happy unit, while a perfect game will fill two Happy units.
- TONIC Test: Jordy will open a book and begin to write. The user will have 15 seconds to press the A button as much as they can. If A is pressed enough times, Jordy will complete the test.
- Cleaning Game: Jordy will appear on the right side riding a towel, and obstacles will appear on the left side. The user must Jordy down (A) or up (B) to clean the puddles of water while avoiding the pastry wrappers, bottles, and cans. Clearing one puddle wins the game, while five puddles must be cleared for a perfect game.
- Swimming: Jordy will appear swimming in the water. The user will have 15 seconds to press the A button as much as they can. If A is pressed enough times, Jordy will do a dive in the water.
- Dancing ♪: Jordy will wear a cheerleader outfit, dance around the screen, and then present the user with the letters of buttons to press (A or B, once or twice). The user must successfully respond at least once to win the game, and five times for a perfect game.
- Eyebrow Drawing: Jordy will attempt to draw on his eyebrow. The user must press the A or B button when his marker lines up over the pre-made line to finish drawing the eyebrow. The eyebrow must be drawn five times for a perfect game.
- Making Triangle Kimbap: Three spinning slots appear with three possible images (a round onigiri, a triangle onigiri, and a triangle kimbap). Pressing A or B stops the slots one at a time (left first, then middle, then right). The game last five rounds, and after the third round, the slots will spin faster. The user must successfully match the images five times for a perfect game.
Poo
Throughout the day, Jordy will leave poo on the screen. Pressing the A button will clean the poo away. If left for too long, Jordy may leave multiple poos on the screen. When poo is on the screen, cleaning it takes priority over all other functions; therefore, Jordy cannot be fed or played with, until the poo is cleaned away. Poo cannot be cleaned when Jordy is asleep.
Sulking
If the user fails to fill the Hungry and Happy meters, and allows poo to accumulate on the screen, Jordy will being to sulk, depicted by him crying with four lines at the top right of the screen The player must press A twice to cheer him up. The user will not be able to feed him, play games, or clean his poo until he is cheered up, and he can't be cheered up when he is asleep.
Daily Animations
Throughout the day, Jordy will be shown performing various activities, such as reading, napping, or drinking. The animations are cosmetic and do not impact evolution.
Departure and Career
The function of Death is replaced with Jordy leaving. If the user severely neglects Jordy, he will run away. However, if the user has cared for Jordy for long enough, he will depart, with the final screen showing his new full-time career. Pressing A and C together will summon a new Jordy, starting the cycle over.
Gallery
Videos
Trivia
- The Jordy Tamagotchi marks the first of several things:
- It is the first Tamagotchi model to be released exclusively in Korea.
- It is the first Tamagotchi virtual pet to be exclusive to a region outside of Japan and North America. It is the second release overall, with the Tamawalkie being the first.
- It is the first licensed Tamagotchi to be based on a property that is not Japanese in origin.
- It is the first licensed Tamagotchi Nano model to feature poo, which had been excluded in every release prior.
- It is the first licensed Tamagotchi Nano outside of Japan that features the original Nano mold and sound chip; the Pac-Man Tamagotchi and Hello Kitty Tamagotchi both use different builds.
- It is the first Tamagotchi model to be released exclusively in Korea.
- In October 2020, one month prior to the announcement, the Jordy Tamagotchi was hinted at by a Jordy virtual pet appearing in the "Jordy x Iab Studio" announcement video.[2]
- Five of the games featured on the Jordy Tamagotchi originate from previous Tamagotchi Nano models:
- The TONIC Test game and Swimming game both use the same programming as the Pocket Usapiyo's Paint Game.
- The Dancing ♪ game uses the same programming as the Eevee x Tamagotchi's Dance ♪ game.
- The Eyebrow Drawing game uses the same programming as the Evatchi's Targeting game.
- The Making Triangle Kimbap game uses the same programming as the Slots game introduced on the Pocket Usatama 2019 and Pocket Usapiyo.
- The Jordy Tamagotchi does not come with an instruction manual; instead, it has a slip with a QR code and link to download the instruction manual online. While both the Evatchi and Demon Slayer Tamagotchi both feature downloadable instructions for their Unites States releases, this marks the first time a Tamagotchi has had download-only instructions in its native region.