Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue

Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue

Developer(s) AlphaDream
Publisher(s) Nintendo
ShoPro Entertainment
Director(s) Chihiro Fujioka
Takahiro Murakami
Producer(s) Shigeru Miyamoto
Kenji Miki
Tetsuo Mizuno
Composer(s) Kiyomi Tanaka
Rie Kaneko
Platform(s) Game Boy Advance
Release date(s)
  • JP May 23, 2003
  • NA October 29, 2004
  • EU October 29, 2004
Genre(s) Adventure game
Mode(s) Single player
Distribution 16-megabit Cartridge

Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue (とっとこハム太郎4 にじいろ大行進でちゅ Tottoko Hamtaro 4: Nijiiro Daikoushin Dechu) is a video game developed by AlphaDream for Game Boy Advance and the sequel to Tottoko Hamutaro: Tomodachi Daisakusen Dechu (Japan only), Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! and Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak. It was released in Japan and PAL regions (but was poorly distributed in some countries which makes copies of this game rather rare). It was set to be released in North America, but it shared with Europe instead. The series is based on the manga Hamtaro, written by Ritsuko Kawai.

Plot

The game involves an extensive plot. One day while playing outside, Bijou witnesses a great rainbow. The rainbow disappears and Prince Bo falls to the ground. The Prince states that he can make rainbows by using his umbrella. He tries to prove it to disbelieving Stan and the rest of the Ham-Hams, but realizes too late that the colors on his umbrella are gone. And thus, Hamtaro and his Ham-Ham friends must set off on a journey in order to collect things that are the proper color for Prince Bo to use for his umbrella so he can create a rainbow to return home.

Gameplay

Certain minigames are needed to reach the colors, and the player must have certain Ham-Hams in their party in order to play them. For example, Sandy is needed to ride pigeons, Bijou is needed to collect falling petals, and Penelope is needed for rolling on top of cans to get across small streams.

In addition to the original Ham-Hams, the game contains some additional characters, most of which were never seen in the English anime. These include Prince Bo, who is the prince of Rainbowland (a castle that is made of clouds); Flora, or Nurse-Ham; Tux; and other various characters.

Playable Characters

In the game, there are 13 different playable Ham-Hams. Hamtaro, Bijou, Oxnard, Boss, Cappy, Maxwell, Pashmina, Penelope, Panda, Stan, Sandy, Howdy and Dexter are the playable characters. When you begin the game, you have a limited number of Ham-Hams, but as you progress through the game, you will find other Ham-Hams that will join your party.

References