Portable Nintendo has played host to a number of pet simulation games in recent years with dogs (Nintendogs), cats (Nintendogs + Cats), hamsters (Oshare Hamster to Kurasou), pandas (Panda-San Nikki), teddy bears (Kuma Tomo) and now a green bean/dog hybrid in everyone’s favourite green bean/dog Mameshiba. Actually known as Green Pea the game begins with naming yourself (Green Pea says my name ブライアン in English!) before ringing the doorbell (he not you!) and you’re in maison de Mameshiba!
Decorated with a bed, retro TV, a giant teacup (Mameshiba’s bath!), table, cushion and cute portrait (obviously a self one!) you can feed Green Pea, bathe him, lend him a trumpet, buy him headwear or bodywear, decorate the walls and/or floor as well as buy different coloured/patterned beds, teacups, TVs, cushions and tables. The in-game currency looks like lemons! Typically you can pet Green Pea and chat with him (I assume he gives you some of his renowned trivia!). My favourite part of Mameshiba is the mini-game!
Playing like a Mameshiba version of Face Raiders and therefore relying on the game’s awesome art (it is incredibly well timelessly stylised with great 3D on top) as opposed to the 3DS’s piss poor camera of the pre-installed 3DS software. Blasting the Mameshiba (who are riding on clouds!) gives you more lemons to spend on more items (with even more unlockable with regards to progress!). And did I mention that you can also change the colour of your Mameshiba (I still prefer the original green!)!
As is typical of pet simulation games, you soon run out of things to do after a few daily minutes although Green Pea’s friends often visit. There’s also the opportunity to go into the garden with Green Pea but I can’t work out what to do (I assume you speak on the mic but he won’t respond to the few Japanese words I know “Konnichiwa”, “Arigato”, “Tomodachi” and “Konchu”!). Hopefully I’ll work it out soon as there’s a Mameshiba band pictured in the manual and I simply must listen to Green Pea on guitar!
All-in-all Mameshiba is a few minutes a day game as opposed to many hours at once (even though the Face Raiders game is addictively ace) and in-spite of its limitations, Mameshiba is simply delightful with a wonderful art style, cuteness aplenty and is one of those rare passive games (such as Tomodachi Life and in-particularly the cafe scenes) where I found myself watching the Mameshiba talk with each other (and watch them watch television) for minutes at a time whilst never losing my smile!
6/10
Review by Bri Bri. For more information on Mameshiba go to http://dogatch.jp/anime_kids/mameshiba/game/
