Introduction

What is this you're playing?
This is a Gameboy Advance title from 2003; one of six videogames made as part of the Hamtaro franchise. These handheld titles have been rather varied, showing significant differences in gameplay styles; today's offering would be best considered an adventure game, with a small sprinkling of minigames (and boss fights!)

What is this 'Hamtaro' you speak of?
Though the original incarnation was as a children's manga series, the Hamtaro franchise really stems from its six seasons of anime. Add in four movies, a bunch of specials and OVAs, and all the usual plushies and other products... And you've got yourself a popular piece of Japanese media.

As for what it's about...?

In a word: Hamsters.
In two words: Adorable hamsters.

Okay, so it's a little bit about some of the hamsters' owners too. Plus, there's some of the old 'building friendships through adventures and conflicts' at work. Anyone who watched cartoons as a kid would know the sort of stuff we're talking about here.

So, what's this game like?
Acting through the anime's protagonist and female lead, players embark on a quest to thwart a villain's attempts at destroying love. Yes, it is a case of cartoon villainy at its finest. And I do mean finest.

We'll be solving puzzles, reuniting lovers and learning the language of hamsters.

Seriously, we're going to learn 86 different 'Ham-Chats' during this. Each with their own accompanying animation.

What's the format for this LP?
We're going with screenshots, plus some bonus videos for new Ham-Chats and the occasional cutscene/mini-game. Since they should all be fairly brief, the videos won't have commentary.

Okay... Any thread rules on spoilers and the like?
There isn't that much that could be spoiled, but I'd like to see what little there is remain a surprise for everybody. Make sure to use spoiler tags at least, folks.

How about thread participation?
Well, there is one decision that you can all weigh in on.

That's right; our protagonists need names! Seven letters, bold your votes.

In case you require a little background for your decision-making: Hamtaro himself is the cheerful, friendly and hopelessly naïve hero-type, while Bijou is generous... and speaks with a fairly strong French accent in the show. She's also crushing on Hamtaro pretty bad, not that he really realises it.