Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite!

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

An adventure game developed by Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color based on the Hamtaro franchise.

The story revolves around you playing as Hamtaro helping Clubhouse leader, Boss, round up all of the other Ham-Hams for a surprise. Along the way Hamtaro learns new words to add to his Ham-Chat dictionary, which are used to solve puzzles needed to get the Ham-Hams to the Clubhouse or acquire other words.

Tropes used in Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! include:
  • Dronejam: A stuffed hamster blocking a passageway in Sunflower Elementary and a scared hamster blocking a passageway in the Ruins.
  • Fetch Quest: A few of them, including one in which you must buy a thermos, have it fixed by Panda, bring it to a pipe-smoking hamster so he can fill it with tea and give it to the aforementioned Dronejam in Sunflower Elementary to get through a certain passageway.
  • Flower in Her Hair: One of the hamsters in Acorn Shrine.
  • Forced Tutorial: A small one: Boss teaches you the four main Ham-Chat words--Hamha, Hifhif, Tack-Q, and Digdig--before you can start playing (thankfully, though, he just writes all of the other words you start with in the dictionary without making you go through them, too).
  • Gotta Catch Them All: The Ham-Chat words, jams, stars (after beating the game), and clothing (which requires you to collect all of the rocks to get the last clothes shop).
  • Hello, Insert Name Here: You can name Hamtaro something else at the beginning of the game. Odd, since unlike in most games with this trope Hamtaro is a canonical character.
  • Hint System: Hint on request: Talk to Snoozer sleeping in the main room of the Clubhouse and he will give you hints on where to find other Ham-Hams.
  • Honest John's Dealership: There are two merchants: one of them sells you a garbage "Tear Essence" and later jacks-up the price for an item you need to progress (and in the Sunflower Market he doesn't like taking "No-P" for an answer); he also has an apprentice who offers to teach you Ham-Chat words for sunflower seeds. Unfortunately, he only sells you words you already know.
  • Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: The pink and blue hamsters you hook up in Acorn Shrine (see Match Maker Quest). The tiny girl specifically says she wants a guy that's "Mega-Q," while the huge guy specifically asks for a girl that's "Teenie."
  • Intrepid Reporter: In the Sunflower Market (including a newspaper hanging on the back wall of the room you encounter her in that changes to read whatever her newest story is). Later on you help her find her purse and she in return helps you rescue Dexter or Howdy.
  • Licensed Game
  • Match Maker Quest: The aforementioned pink and blue hamsters in Acorn Shrine.
  • Mini Game: A few:
  • One Hundred Percent Completion: Boss gives you a new dictionary and gives you one last new word if you learn all 85 Ham-Chat words.
  • Playing Hard to Get: Bijou tries this with your character in Acorn Shrine, forcing you to chase her through the level.
  • Public Domain Soundtrack: Two Ham Jams: "Bolero" is, well, "Bolero" and "Postman's Post" is based on "Csikós Post."
  • Suddenly Blonde: Pashmina's scarf, which is pink in the Anime, is brown (just like parts of her fur) when it is on her due to palette limitations, and only pink when she's not wearing it (when it's a separate sprite).
  • Toilet Humor: One of the words Hamtaro can learn is "Go-P," which makes him turn away from the screen and, well, go pee.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: You can Tack-Q (tackle) most hamsters, as well as biting, scratching, and poking with a stick some hamsters. (The purple hamster stuck between the cardboard boxes in the Sunflower Market is a good example.)
  • Video Game Settings:
    • First Town: The Clubhouse, which is where most of the minigames and where you bring all of the other Ham-Hams (and is where you will most likely get the last few words at the end of the game).
    • Green Hill Zone: Acorn Shrine, the first real level, which is mostly forest and grasslands.
    • Ruins for Ruins Sake: The Ruins. Except instead of being made of rocks it's mostly made-up of garbage (which, considering you play a hamster, is much larger from your point of view).
  • Virtual Paper Doll: The aforementioned dress-up minigame.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Dexter and Howdy. Although when you first meet them they fight over Pashmina, when one of them gets in danger (either Dexter getting frozen trying to make a sculpture for Pashmina or Howdy getting stuck in his cash register, depending on how you play) the other will rush to help you rescue him.
  • Westminster Chimes: Sunflower Elementary's music is based on this.
  • A Worldwide Punomenon: Most of the Ham-Chat words, which helps the player remember their meanings.