Ever since the PlayDate was introduced, I had high hopes that someone could make a Tamagochi-inspired game, and this is pretty much what I had on my mind. Great job, I'm sure that it took a lot of clever planning.
That said, as someone who is heavily invested in v-pets in general (and who has a drawer full of them), I'm aiming to provide some feedback, which I find to be crucial in order for anyone to properly enjoy Mini Monsters:
- We need a Pause function, stat! My job is full of responsibilities and urgencies, and I can't always be around for the little one. And I think it's fair to say that I'm not the only one like that. Sometimes I can't reach for my PlayDate for days. Modern V-pets have a Freeze function for a reason. I think that this should be at the top of your update priority list, unless the function is already in here and I'm not seeing it.
- I feel like hearts are dropping way, way too fast. V-pet remakes typically lower the amount, because, let's face it, the prime audience is nostalgia-fueled adults, who don't have as much time as kids. I'm not saying that you should lower it permanently, but maybe giving us a toggle to choose is a great idea. My reason being: I had to reach for my PlayDate four times in the last hour, while my other two V-pets haven't bothered me with anything in the last 2,5 hours. It means something.
- The mini games are great and very nostalgic, however they take a long, long time to complete and grant just a single heart. I propose a fix: if the user passes the minigame without a single error, the full hearts are restored. Otherwise: they gain one. But still, I'd say that having another option is a good idea, maybe something passive, like "playing" and leaving the Monster to play on it's own for X amount of time, coming back with full Happiness, but Hungry? That makes for a fair trade-off, I think (especially considering that Hunger is way, way easier to fill).
- This one is very subjective and fueled from my love for Digimon: battles? Please? xD
Thats about it from me for now, but I've only played about a day or so. I love the concept and I hope that there are many updates planned, because this is certainly one of the most impressive PlayDate games I've played.
Great job and thanks for your efforts! I can't wait to see what more you've got in store for Mini Monsters. And I'd defo support a sequel.