When you’ve got a free-to-play sport, you additionally should determine there are methods to get you to maintain taking part in and maybe spend actual cash on it. That undoubtedly occurs in Hamster Playground, a sport about elevating and caring for pet hamsters, however the bonus right here is that it actually solely appears like it’s important to spend about $12 to get probably the most out of it.
Like most animal or pet elevating video games, Hamster Playground begins by adopting a hamster. You’ll be able to solely have one firstly, however leveling up by finishing missions permits the choice to deliver extra residence. Talking of which, the house is a dilapidated mess to start out. You additionally begin out with no further minigame modes and no clothes for them. So your objective is to ultimately ship them to the work house or full missions to earn foreign money, full missions that may be tied to duties or purchases to improve and enhance the house, and undergo minigames (in the event you purchase them). As hamsters develop stronger in areas, they’ll be higher at sure minigame duties. Additionally, you’ll get sufficient spending cash for costumes (although some it’s essential to purchase with actual money earlier than shopping for with in-game foreign money) and different customization choices.
The factor about Hamster Playground is that for a lot of it, it’s a wait and watch sport. You’ll want issues like screws to restore obligatory useful resource facilities for hamsters after some time. These are, say, your mattress, bathe, rest room, trampoline, water dispenser, and meals dispenser. For the surroundings, you’ll use issues like blue stars. Cash can go towards the clothes. Plus you’ll want sunflower seeds for bolstering issues like dexterity and intelligence. Which suggests you’ll seemingly be sending the hamster to the workspace location to have your pet “work” to earn them, whereas stepping away from the sport till the critter must eat, drink, wash, use the potty, play, or sleep. At which level you could be sending them again over once more.
Which suggests in the event you don’t pay the about $12, Hamster Playground can really feel like a repetitive grind. You’ll be going by the identical routine to purchase the gadgets you need or want. If you aren’t doing that purchasing or adorning, you’ll be tending to the fundamental wants of your hamster within the sport or having them work so you are able to do these issues. The animations are enjoyable and lean into the silliness of the state of affairs, fairly than extra critical or sensible ones. Likewise, the hamsters themselves have extra human-like expressions. (I’m truly not a fan of that. I believe they appear just a little creepy!) The main points going into it are good, and it seems to be and runs properly on the Swap.
Should you do pay the extra about $12 for Hamster Playground, then you definately get extra “sport” for the pet-raising sim. It is because transient Beward the Cat, Consuming Contest, Skateboard, and Automobile Pull minigames you’ll be able to play alone in opposition to the CPU or in opposition to different gamers are locked behind DLC. The one minigame within the free model is a Maze. That includes going by timed QTEs at sure factors to assist the hamster get by it sooner, with the sunflower-seed-based coaching sections enhancing stats for these. The opposite minigames, although having completely different components like racing down a monitor on a skateboard, consuming meals, pulling a toy automobile, or taking part in red-light-green-light with a Squid Video games like cat toy, additionally function the identical form of QTEs to proceed. None final greater than a minute or two.
These are technique of getting foreign money and interacting with the hamsters extra. They’re positive for what they’re, however I really feel such as you don’t actually should spend $12 for every $2.99 minigame except you actually need all gameplay components. The Maze itself is ok, and I really feel just like the Beware the Cat and Consuming Contest ones had been the one two that felt distinct or particular sufficient for an additional function. Although I’d say the Skateboard minigame is a detailed third. Except you actually are into dressing up hamsters and really feel like paying for the opposite cosmetics, these are actually the one paid purchases I really feel such as you’d should make.
Hamster Playground is a pet elevating sport the place it will possibly really feel such as you’re there to finish missions and earn sufficient foreign money for the cosmetics you need. It seems to be positive and has a silliness to it that I recognize. I additionally like that the one important purchases linked to it contain some reasonably priced minigames, and like you would even simply go for the one or two you want as a substitute of all 4. It’s nice sufficient, regardless that I can see it getting tedious as you grind to finish your private or game-mandated goals. Contemplating the bottom sport is free although, the design high quality is larger than I anticipated and it’s an entertaining diversion.
Hamster Playground is out there on the Nintendo Swap, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Collection X, and PC.
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Hamster Playground
Put together for cuteness overload, relentless coaching, and fierce rivalry as you and your hamsters tackle challenges whereas traversing the maze, using a skateboard, and extra! Be the primary to cross the end line to earn rewards and yummy treats! Swap model reviewed. Evaluation copy offered by firm for testing functions. Hamster Playground is a pet elevating sport the place it will possibly really feel such as you’re there to finish missions and earn sufficient foreign money for the cosmetics you need.
