Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak

"Keep the peace. Or else."

Maybe its my cats. They're a pentagram of pain for anything that moves. Since having a real pocket-pet would be cruel, I get my cute rodent fix from a kids' anime--one where hamsters talk and have their own clubhouse. But I'm not the only one who likes Hamtaro and his pals; the little hams are so popular that they have their own toys, beach towels, and video games. But if you think there’s no creativity in video games made from TV shows, think again. The Hamtaro games' premise is one of the more unusual, and enjoyable, in an RPG.

In Nintendo's Hamtaro: Ham Ham Heartbreak for the Game Boy Advance, your job is to save love: the romantic, the Platonic, the maternal. A nasty hamster named Spat has broken up couples everywhere, and it's up to you to unbreak the hearts Spat broke. But as the harbinger of luuuv, you can't go putting the smack down on everyone who crosses your path. It's against union rules. So if you can't fight Spat off, what weapon do you have at your disposal?

Communication...duh! You must talk to other hamsters, clearing up misunderstandings and explaining Spat's plan. But there's one problem: you don't know all the words you need. Ham-Chat, the hamster-slang of groovy rodents everywhere, is all the rage and you’re a Ham-Chat novice. But never fear. Friendly hamsters will play Professor Higgins if you'll only talk to them. When another hamster uses a new Ham-Chat word, you'll jot it in your dictionary and be able to use it yourself. Words like “hamha” (hello) and “oopsie” (sorry) help you talk to other hams, but some words help you do things. “Digdig” lets you dig in dirt for items, and “scoochie” lets you climb.

Fans of the Hamtaro crew's earlier game Ham Hams Unite! know this linguistic scavenger hunt well. But Ham Ham Heartbreak ups the ante. There are new and bigger worlds to explore, new words to learn, and a new friend to help you. In keeping with the love theme, the Ham-God has created woman; her name is Bijou. She'll go with Hamtaro on his Cupid quest, dropping hints for the game...and otherwise. (“Do you think if we took a cruise, we could, you know, be hamigos?”) You'll need Bijou's help with couple-themed mini-games and certain Ham-Chat words--e.g. “hamlift,” when one ham ham jumps on the shoulders of another to reach a high place.

You'll also need Bijou to polish rocks. Now instead of just collecting them, you can “rubrub” rocks to find gems. These gems can be used to make jewelry for photos. And the more loves you patch up, the rarer gems you can polish.

Like the rocks, the graphics in Ham Ham Heartbreak are well-polished. Everything about this game is big and colorful: the ham hams' chubby-cheeked, anime-eyed expressions, and the text, are easy to read. These little touches make ham slang sweeter than a truckload of Pixy Stix. Our heroes twirl each other ballroom style; they swell in size and flash a dozen roses. Ham Ham Heartbreak isn't Golden Sun but it doesn't need to be. Its cartoony cuteness takes advantage of the GBA's visual capabilities in its own fun way.

The game's sound is a nice dose of aural bubble gum. Each world has its own catchy theme--tribal drums, scary haunted house music, even a surf-tune worthy of the Beach Boys themselves. Birds cry, monkeys screech and mine carts bump along rusty tracks. Though sound isn't the GBA's greatest talent, Ham Ham Heartbreak makes McGuyver-ish use of its resources.

And those resources add up to a charming game that's fun to play again. Maybe not right away, but Ham Ham Heartbreak's good writing and involving story are a joy to immerse yourself in every so often. Plus, there's plenty to do after you defeat Spat and save love for all hamsterkind. You can fill up your Ham-Chat dictionary; use the words in it to choreograph dances called “Ham-Jams”; complete your gem inventory and make jewelry. Making Ham-Jams is actually worth your while in this game. There's a hula contest you can compete in to win rare gems. As open-ended as the game is, it's a little easy for older hamsterphiles. But if you want something strangely engaging and adorable as heck, give Ham Ham Heartbreak a “Hamha!”

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 03/13/04