Nostalgia for Nintendo's Game Boy family of handheld consoles, notably the Game Boy Advance (GBA), appears to be an increasingly hot topic. There were rumors of GBA games coming to the Switch Online service prior to N64 and Sega Genesis libraries being announced. Meanwhile, Castlevania Advance Collection surprise launched during the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, and Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp is set to release this December. With these collections setting a precedent, it would be fun to see the trilogy of Hamtaro adventure games make a comeback.
Hamtaro began in 1997 as a Japanese manga series created by Ritsuko Kawai that ran in Shogakukan's Second Grade magazine, chronicling the adventures of a 10-year-old girl's hamster who gets into slice-of-life hijinks with his friends. An anime adaptation began airing in the 2000s which became so popular that protestors in Bangkok even riffed on Hamtaro's theme song to criticize their government in July 2020, according to Reuters. Naturally, video games emerged from this successful franchise, with the Game Boy-era titles standing out among other licensed titles.
Hamtaro's Adventure Games
There were three titles that fit the franchise's adventure game formula: Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite (Game Boy, 2001), Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak (GBA, 2002), and Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue (GBA, 2003). All three star Hamtaro as he wandered real-world places that are giant in his eyes, meeting with characters from the manga or anime as well as generic hamsters living their lives. Players had to learn unique phrases in Ham-Chat, a language made up of full-bodied physical actions, and use them to solve environmental puzzles while helping others through problems.
While they were primarily casual, beginner-friendly titles with an emphasis on exploring, they did have high stakes at times. Ham-Hams Unite centered around gathering those who spent time in Boss' clubhouse for a party, but Ham-Ham Heartbreak saw Hamtaro and Bijou tasked with stopping an evil hamster in a devil costume named Spat from sowing discord and literally tearing platonic and romantic relationships apart.
The mixed media of this collection wouldn't necessarily be an issue with regards to lumping them together under one label. Square Enix's Collection of Mana did something similar in 2019, including a Game Boy game alongside two SNES titles - at least the Hamtaro trilogy would be able to proclaim all three of its entries came from the Game Boy family. Those Hamtaro games and Collection of Mana also have another thing in common, as Rainbow Rescue was not localized worldwide similar to Seiken Densetsu 3 before Square Enix retitled it Trials of Mana.
Rainbow Rescue Deserves to be Preserved
Both Ham-Hams Unite and Ham-Ham Heartbreak were developed by Pax Softnica, a Japanese studio that reportedly assisted with titles like Mother and its sequel EarthBound. Meanwhile, Rainbow Rescue was developed by AlphaDream - the now-bankrupt company known for the Mario & Luigi franchise. Even as staff members changed in this transition, the "Shogakukan Hamtaro Team" stayed on as special advisors. Producers on all three games include Shigeru Miyamoto and former Mario Club president Kenji Miki, according to credits listings on Moby Games.
Rainbow Rescue only released in Japan and Europe, with plans to localize the game for American audiences being cancelled despite having a July 2004 release date later delayed to early 2005. Following AlphaDream's closure it's hard to say whether it would be feasible to put the game out on modern platforms, but that seems like even more reason to do so.
Not only would a trilogy collection allow American audiences to play a game they largely missed out on, it would also prevent this portion of the storied franchise from becoming lost media. Hamtaro is a beloved IP to many, and the era of its popularity likely coincides with the age of those who are also looking back fondly on GBA games like Advance Wars. Now seems like a perfect time to see if the hamster friends are primed for a comeback.
Sources: Reuters, Moby Games