Tamagotchi (Pet Care)

The iconic virtual pet "Tamagotchi" reborn in Horizon Worlds! Feed, play, and care for your virtual pet regularly as it grows. But neglect it, and it may fade away. A fun way to learn responsibility!

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Step into the world of Horizon's Tamagotchi, a lovingly crafted digital pet experience inspired by the iconic original Tamagotchi! Now fully reimagined for Horizon Worlds! Players can adopt, nurture, and bond with their very own virtual pet, right in the immersive 3D environment.

Inspiration

Inspired by the beloved iconic original Tamagotchi (a handheld digital pet from Japan, created by Aki Maita and released by Bandai in 1996). I was sad to see that there isn't a single Tamagotchi Game in Meta Horizon, only over pet collecting games like Pokemon. Altough Tamagotchi is such a great way to learn how to take responsibility.

What it does

Players can feed their pets, play with them, clean them (their home) and train them, all while watching them grow and unlock new stuff over time. Just like real pets (and classic Tamagotchis), neglecting your pet has visible consequences: if your pet isn’t cared for for several days, it becomes sad, and players may have to start over which adds emotional stakes that make bonding meaningful and rewarding.

Gameplay Features:

  • Virtual Pet Management: Adopt and care for your pet with attention to feeding, hygiene, play, and training.
  • Growth & Personality: Pets evolve over time, unlocking new skills and personality traits.
  • Customization & Habitats: Unlock new habitats (minigame areas) as your pet grows, allowing players to personalize their pet’s environment.
  • Daily Care & Mini-Games: Engage in mini-games like fetch and search-puzzles.
  • Emotional Engagement: Expressive animations, moods, and behaviors foster strong emotional bonds with your pet.
  • Short, Accessible Sessions: Designed for quick, daily or weekly interactions, keeping players coming back for consistent care without overwhelming them.

How we built it

Using Typescript combined with Meta Horizon's Features such as Persistent Variables we are able track when the pet was last fed, cared for and so on and how often. Ensuring your pet knows how time passes even when the player is away. If it was neglected for a longer period of time (multiple days) it "dies" and you have to start over. Depending on how long it has been we may let the player choose to revive their pet if they agree to now fully take care of it. A basic machine learning algorithm tracks the player's pattern (when he plays/takes care of the pet) and decides if a revive option is shown (because it could be possible the player was on Holiday or else). We keep track of how many days pass overall to let the pet grow and give unlockables over time (going up to many many days!),

Challenges we ran into

We somehow need to track the Age of the Pet. The only way to Persistently Store Variables across Sessions is Persistent Storage which can only store Numbers and Objects but no Strings (Names/Text) or Date and Time. But it wasnt to tricky! But I understand why there exists no Tamagotchi game so far and (as far as I can see) no other Horizon Worlds track Dates (only simple daily quests) because this is not straight forward.

Another challenge still there to overcome: As I am still completely new to Horizon Worlds I don't know how to market this correctly to players. I hope the Algorithm does its thing.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I’m incredibly proud of bringing a missing classic into Horizon Worlds, while creating a deep, emotionally engaging experience that mirrors the charm of the original Tamagotchi. From the persistent care system to dynamic pet growth, mini-games, and unlockable features, every detail was designed to make players feel a real connection to their pets.

What we learned

What's next for Tamagotchi (Pet Care)

More growing, more unlockables after many more weeks. As the pets of players grow over time I can slowly add more late game content. For example new features if the pet reaches 100 days which can currently only happen in 2026 (so I still got time!) and then continuing to 200 days, a year (365 days) and so on! Hopefully also monetization, like buying accessiores and cloths for your pets.

"Tamagotchi (Pet Care)" On Horizon Worlds: https://horizon.meta.com/world/2919624104893123/?target=release&hwsh=HWPOgjlSgA

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