Before Pokemon, the world was temporarily
obsessed with raising fictitious pets known as Tamagotchi. The creatures didn’t
do much, and neither did the keychain-sized electronic games they were sold on.
Still, it seemed that everyone had to own one, and soon one became several. They
were more than a virtual pet – every Tamagotchi was a potential collector’s
item. However, as we’ve all learned (often after spending way too much money),
collectibles are only as good as the length of time at which they are cherished.
If a collectible ends up at the bottom of a crate, never to be heard from again,
what purpose does it serve?
Humble Gaming wants to take a different approach.
Inspired by what Tamagotchi had the potential to be but unsatisfied with its end
result, Humble Gaming set out to create EdiMon, a new kind of virtual “pet.”
Developed for the iPhone and iPod Touch, EdiMon focuses on a quirky character
whose shape and color changes based on his mood and accomplishments. His
accomplishments are your accomplishments. EdiMon’s normal form is like a cross
between a bug and an alien. His eyes are big and bulging. His mouth is huge, and
he has a long antenna hanging a few inches off the top of his head.
Should he evolve, his color may turn from pink to
yellow; his mouth will shrink, his eyes will pierce (and lose their bulging
bugged-out appearance), and his antenna will morph into a large bump. If he
evolves in another way – again, evolution depends on how the player treats their
EdiMon – his color may turn from pink to blue. If so, his head will double in
size, morphing into a square shape. His eyes will be pierced, just like his
yellow form, but become a little more oval. And he will lose the bump and the
antenna.
EdiMon also has a silver-gray form, and he’ll
turn orange if he’s happy and turn red if he’s angry. In other words, he meets
the criteria to be classified as a virtual pet. But unlike the VPs before him,
EdiMon likes to have fun. Thus, you’ll be able to participate in three different
mini-games: Weightlifting, Meditating and Fun Time. None of these are what they
seem. Fun Time, for example, is a guessing game where you must try and figure
out what object your EdiMon is thinking of. Weightlifting, on the other hand, is
a match game where you must quickly tap two circles of the same color.
EdiMon is available now. You don’t need to
purchase a silly electronic keychain or some other useless trinket to play it –
simply download the full $3.99 game to your iPhone or iPod Touch.
