Hey everyone! As a lifelong pet enthusiast and a bit of a nostalgic soul, I’m excited to share my journey of diving back into the world of virtual pets, specifically with a Giga Pet. For my first log here on pets.edu.vn, I thought what better way to start than by revisiting a classic? Many of you may be familiar with Tamagotchis, but today, I’m focusing on another 90s digital pet phenomenon: the Giga Pet. And not just any Giga Pet, but the adorable Komputer Koala!
Growing up in the 90s, I was captivated by these little digital companions. I fondly remember having a Komputer Koala back then, and recently, the nostalgia bug bit me hard. After seeing some photos online, I decided to find one for myself. I initially purchased a used Koala online, just to make sure the magic was still there. It worked, but being a bit of a collector, I decided to upgrade. I ended up finding a brand new, in-package Komputer Koala – the ultimate retro score! There’s something special about having the original packaging and instructions, it really enhances the whole nostalgic experience.
So, here I am, ready to embark on a new adventure with my actually NEW Komputer Koala. I thought this would be the perfect giga pet to document in my first log. Koalas are undeniably cute, and I figured sharing photos of this little digital critter would bring a smile to fellow pet lovers and giga pet enthusiasts alike. Interestingly, the Komputer Koala wasn’t even my most played virtual pet back in the day. My memories of its specific quirks are fuzzy, which makes this experience feel almost like a first-time encounter, filled with fresh reactions and discoveries, all while wrapped in a comforting blanket of 90s nostalgia.
It’s funny, I remember when I first introduced myself on the TamaTalk forums (a fantastic community for virtual pet lovers!), I joked about not having much time to post. Never in a million years would I have guessed I’d be starting a giga pet log just a few weeks later! Life is full of delightful surprises, isn’t it?
To make this log more engaging and informative, especially for those who might be new to Giga Pets like this, I’ll be including photos as clickable thumbnails. This way, you can zoom in on the details and really get a good look at the Komputer Koala in action. Let’s dive into Day 1 with Koko!
Day 1 with My Giga Pet Koala “Koko”
Incredibly, this giga pet is still running on its original batteries from the 1990s! Talk about durability! Let’s hope these vintage batteries hold out long enough to get us through at least one full life cycle for this log. Fingers crossed!
Allow me to introduce you to Koko! (Okay, maybe “Koko” isn’t the most original koala name, but hey, I like it! It’s simple, sweet, and it suits her).
Birth and First Moments: Koko made her grand entrance by appearing in a pixelated tree on the giga pet screen. She looked incredibly tiny and undeniably cute, starting her digital life at a mere 3 pounds!
Now, for a bit of a comical start… The very first thing I managed to do was accidentally discipline poor Koko! In my initial fumbling, I mistakenly selected the discipline icon instead of the status icon. Was it completely irrational of me to think the koala-head icon would be for status? Probably! Turns out, the status icon is the heart. Looking back at the instructions now, yes, it was a bit of a “duh” moment. Lesson learned: always read the manual, even for a giga pet!
This is what her sad reaction screen looks like, which, thanks to my blunder, I got to see almost immediately:
Feeding Time: Milk or Eucalyptus? Koko’s feeding options are milk and eucalyptus leaves. The instructions that came with this vintage giga pet suggest that eucalyptus leaves are her main food and milk is a treat. However, my 90s kid memory is telling me the reverse is true. Plus, on the feeding screen itself, milk is positioned on the left, which, if my memory serves me correctly, is where the primary food is usually located in Giga Pets. So, for now, I’m going with my gut and treating milk as her main course. It seemed to raise her hunger level as expected, so I think my instinct is right. Adding to the confusion, eucalyptus leaves are the only reward option when she successfully performs tricks on command. This definitely strengthens my suspicion that leaves are indeed the treat! Unlike my Micropup Giga Pet, Koko doesn’t make cute eating noises while she’s munching. It’s just the standard button beeps.
Game Time: Tree Climbing Challenge: Playing with Koko has been… well, let’s just say it’s a work in progress! Her game is tree climbing, naturally. You have to alternate pressing the left and right buttons to help her climb. If she reaches the top, she gives a happy reaction. If she falls… you guessed it, sad face. Each game consists of five rounds, and I’m assuming I need to win at least three to consider it a “win.” So far, victory has been elusive, to say the least. Why am I so bad at this giga pet game? I’m a seasoned console video gamer, button mashing is practically in my DNA! Maybe the button presses need to be timed with more precision than frantic mashing. I’ve tried both fast and slow button presses, and she still tumbles down more often than not. Then it hit me – perhaps training is the key! Maybe I need to train her to climb properly.
So, I ventured into the training feature and instructed her to “climb.” The first attempt resulted in Koko scratching herself instead – wrong trick! Second try, success! She climbed! Reward time: a eucalyptus leaf! After this successful training session, I jumped back into the tree climbing game, full of renewed hope. And… still mostly falling. However, there’s a slight improvement. Now, I can usually get her to the top of the tree in ONE out of five rounds – sometimes even twice! I’m still unsure if the issue is my lack of skill or Koko’s digital coordination. Probably a bit of both! Whoever is to blame, I’m hoping we’ll both improve soon so I can keep her happiness level up. I’ve noticed that even losing a game seems to slightly increase her happiness score by 1 point (on a scale of 100). Not a huge boost. I’m guessing winning a game will raise it by a more substantial amount, maybe 20 points or more.
For those curious about the training feature on this giga pet, it’s quite straightforward. You select the bell icon, choose “trick,” and then select a trick for her to perform. If she does the correct action, you reward her with a treat (leaves, in this case). If she does the wrong thing, you just keep trying. From what I’ve read about Giga Pets, training isn’t permanent and needs to be reinforced regularly, perhaps even daily. Something to keep in mind!
Happy Reactions and… Poop! This is what Koko’s happy reaction looks like. Her little arms go up and down in a celebratory gesture. Pretty adorable! Unlike my Micropup Giga Pet, there’s no accompanying sound effect with the reaction screen, just the visual animation.
And now for a less glamorous, but equally important part of giga pet parenting – poop! Yes, I even managed to capture a photo of Koko’s first digital poop, haha! Similar to my Micropup, the poop isn’t constantly displayed on the screen after she goes, but the poop screen does reappear frequently. It’s kind of funny how it keeps showing the screen of her squatting over the poop even after she’s resumed wandering around and doing other things. When my Micropup needs to poop, the screen just flashes an image of steaming poop (which I always found hilarious – random flashes of steaming poop interrupting the regular pet view!).
Care and Weight Update: So far, Koko seems surprisingly less demanding than my Micropup Giga Pet. Not that my Micropup is high-maintenance by any means (he’s actually quite easy to care for, I think), but his attention icon lights up and beeps quite often, even just for treats. Koko hasn’t done that yet. I’ve only given her treats as rewards for training. I’m still wondering if reward treats count towards her overall health and weight in the same way as treats given from the regular feeding menu. Not entirely sure, but I’m playing it safe and holding off on giving her treats from the feeding menu unless she specifically indicates she “needs” them at some point.
The beeping sound Koko makes when she needs attention is also different from my Micropup. Hers is louder and has a longer duration. Definitely gets your attention!
My future giga pet log posts will be shorter now that I’ve covered many of the initial details. The upcoming updates will mainly focus on Koko’s progress and daily adventures. She currently weighs 5 pounds, a slight increase from her birth weight of 3 pounds just a few hours ago. Growing fast!
Even though her first day is far from over, I felt like I had plenty to share already for this initial post. Wish me luck with improving our tree-climbing game! If I don’t get better at winning and keeping her happiness score up, this might be a tragically short digital life for Koko! Stay tuned for more giga pet adventures!
