Hamtaro: Wake Up Snoozer! | |
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Developer: | Riverdeep / The Learning Company ImaginEngine (programming) Skyward Studios (audio production) |
Publisher: | Riverdeep / The Learning Company |
Platform: | PC |
Release Dates: |
NA: 2003 |
Hamtaro: Wake Up Snoozer! is an educational PC game, released for Windows and Mac in 2003. The game includes a variety of different modes featuring Hamtaro and the Ham-Hams.
Overview[]
Story[]
Boss was digging tunnels in the Clubhouse, but stopped to take a short break. In the meantime, Penelope was chasing a ladybug, and followed it into the newly-dug tunnel. Pashmina alerts the Ham-Hams that she can't find Penelope anywhere; Oxnard and Bijou realize that she must have gone into the new tunnels. All of the Ham-Hams go over to the tunnel to retrieve Penelope; but unfortunately, Snoozer has fallen asleep at the tunnel entrance, locking her in. The Ham-Hams quickly realize that they cannot possibly wake up Snoozer - and each hamster comes up with their own strategy to attempt to rescue Penelope.
Gameplay[]
Hamtaro and his friends play child-oriented, educational minigames to rescue Penelope. The game features extensive animated cutscenes, in a similar style to the animated series. There is also voice acting, but it is not done by the same actors as the show.
The minigames featured include:
- Dig Your Way In (Boss's game) - A series of domino-like pieces must be placed in a tunnel. The tiles must be placed with their pictures relating to each other in some way (an egg is placed next to a bird, a bird is placed next to wings, etc.), without directly matching two identical pieces.
- Collecting Ribbons (Bijou's game) - There are three birds in their nests, each with letter(s) below them. In the corner, there is a word with a blank spot needing to be filled in, with a picture of it shown above. The player must create a slope that will drop an acorn into the nest with the correct letter(s) to complete the word.
- Catching Butterflies (Dexter and Howdy's game) - The player guides Howdy and Dexter to catch the falling shapes into the correct net. On the highest difficulty setting, the basic shapes are replaced with fractions instead.
- Build a Contraption (Panda's game) - The player must match sets of two numbers that are equal to each other, while placing them into Panda's moving wagon. On the easiest difficulty, the player matches amounts of nails with their written number; on the hardest difficulty, the player matches math equations which equal the same number as each other.
- Tunneling for Penelope (Hamtaro's game) - In the final section of the game, the player must navigate all of the Ham-Hams through the tunnels to rescue Penelope. The player must use a selection of tools such as tree logs, boulders, and bouncy mushrooms to create the correct path to reach the exit. If any of the Ham-Hams get stuck or fall into pits, the level must be started over.
- Flower Garden (Pashmina's game) - A bonus section of the game. The player can design their own flower garden, which can also be saved and printed out.
Following the completion of "Tunneling for Penelope", Penelope is rescued; she rushes into Pashmina's arms, ladybug still in hand.
Voice Cast[]
- Brett Abrahmson as Hamtaro
- Michelle Johnston as Bijou
- Brian Moore as Boss
- Jeff Kramer as Dexter
- Andrew Chaikin as Howdy
- Evelyn Huynh as Oxnard
- Brandy Collozo as Panda
- Ali Johnston as Pashmina
- Unknown voice actor as Penelope (uncredited)
Trivia[]
- The game's music is based on the actual background music from the English episodes, but the notes are seemingly swapped (high notes go low, and vice versa) for unknown reasons.
- Aside from a handful of children's books, this is the only major piece of Hamtaro media to not have been released in Japan.
- 20,000 copies of the game were sold in its first week on the market.
- A bootleg Russian version of the game was produced, despite Hamtaro seemingly not airing in Russia. The audio is a voiceover, and the voices are rather poorly done. Several different companies released the game with varying cover artwork; a release date for this version is unknown.
v - e - d Games | |
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Nintendo Hamtaro games | Tottoko Hamutaro: Tomodachi Daisakusen Dechu ยท Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! ยท Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak ยท Hamtaro Card-e ยท Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue ยท Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Games ยท Hamtaro Nazo Nazo Q ยท Hi! Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Challenge |
Hamtaro computer games | Hamtaro: Wake Up Snoozer! ยท Hamtaro: Starry Night Tour ยท Hamtaro: Starry Sky Romance ยท Hamtaro (Hebrew PC game) |
Epoch Hamtaro games | Have a Big Dance with Ham-Chans! ยท Ham Ham Circus ยท Tottoko Hamutaro TV-PC ยท Hamu Hamu Ongaku Paradaichu! ยท Tottoko Hamutaro (LCD game series) |
Sega Pico Hamtaro games | Haru-Natsu-Aki-Fuyu Tottoko Nakayoshi! Ham-chans! ยท Lots of Drawing with Hamuchanzu ยท Fun with AIUEO - Find the Magical Sunflower Seed |
Other games | Hamtaro's Day Out ยท Hamtaro (iOS game) ยท Cyworld ยท Story of Seasons: Trio of Towns |