================================================
Nakayoshi Pet Advance: Series 1 - Kawaii Hamster
a.k.a
Best Friend Pet Advance: Series 1 - Cute Hamster
for
Game Boy Advance (JP)
Translation and FAQ
Game (c) 2002 MTO
The original portions of this
FAQ are (c) 2002 Frank Provo (mosaic)
Version 1.0 (10/07/2002)
E-mail:
[email protected]
================================================
FAQ sites may reprint this guide without permission, provided no
portion of it is altered. Other publications, print and online,
should ask permission first.
The current version of this guide is available in text format at:
http://www.gamefaqs.com/
=================
Table of Contents
=================
A. Introduction
B. The Basics
C. Menus and Actions
D. In-Depth Menu Explanations
E. Hamster Tests & Rewards
F. Additional Hamsters
G. Strategy
H. Closing
===============
A. INTRODUCTION
===============
Nakayoshi Pet Advance is actually a series of three virtual pet
simulators for the Game Boy Advance. This FAQ concerns the first
volume, Kawaii Hamster, which means "Cute Hamster." I don't know a
word of Japanese, but I've done my best to translate the menus and
offer strategies that will help you to successfully play the game.
You'd think taking care of a hamster would be less complex than a
dog or cat, especially since it's just a rodent in a cage. And yet,
Kawaii Hamster has a lot more options than both of the other games
in the series.
===============
B. THE BASICS
===============
After you turn on the game, you'll be asked to input your gender
and name. The next few screens introduce your parents and friends.
You've been given a hamster to take care of, so your first step is
to give it a name.
The goal of the game is to raise your hamster's FRIEND LEVEL to 10
and satisfy all 14 hamster tests. Over time, you will also be able
to purchase additional hamsters at the PET SHOP. You can care for
FIVE HAMSTERS at ONE time.
Most actions take place inside the cage. At the earliest stages of
the game, your cage has a hamster wheel (green), a food dish
(purple), a water bottle (dark green), a hamster house (red &
yellow), and a toilet area (yellow).
If you do nothing, your hamster will explore the surroundings and
make use of the objects inside the cage. Should you need to interact
with it or clean something, press the A button to bring up the menu
pointer (see next section for menus).
When you place the pointer over an item, you'll see a bar under it.
That's its status. Blue is OK. As they turn red, however, you should
clean or replace them.
The hamster doesn't have a status bar, but rather three indicators
under it that show FRIEND LEVEL, SATISFACTION, and APPETITE. Level is
the top one. It will increase as you care for your hamster and earn
CARE POINTS. Satisfaction is the option in the middle. It changes as
the surroundings become messy. Appetite is option at the bottom. For
these options: Green is OK, Yellow is So-So, and Red is BAD. To
improve these status indicators, clean up the cage and feed your
hamster frequently.
You can find more status information on the hamster status screen. To
bring this up, push the A button on the hamster, select the third menu
option, and push A again in the system menu. The main items of concern
here are on the right: LEVEL and CARE POINTS. As you interact with your
hamster by playing with it or caring for it, you earn CARE POINTS. The
big number on this screen is FRIEND LEVEL. Below it is the number of
CARE POINTS you have and the number you need to reach the next level.
See the following sections for a more detailed explanation.
The tricky part is your ACTION POINTS. These also represent time. You
get 16 per day. Once they're gone, the day is over and it's bed time.
Some actions consume more AP than others, which means you really have
to balance care and maintenance. At the end of the day, if you don't
have enough AP to do something major, just feed your hamster some
pellets. This consumes 1 AP.
You begin the game with one hamster and 1,000 yen. At the end of each
day, your progress is saved and you earn additional allowance. This
starts at 100 yen per day, but can increase as you complete hamster
tests.
Hamster tests are great fun. Every so often, you're given the chance to
attempt some goal -- like decorate the cage with a green toilet and
house for 10 days. By completing these tests, you'll earn special
rewards, get more hamsters, and be able to buy better items in the pet
shop. See section E for an explanation.
!!! WARNING !!!
If you have a save file and begin a new game, it will erase your old
data. When you want to continue, always choose the RED option. If you
mistakenly choose the GREEN option, hit B to go back. If you hit 'A'
twice on the GREEN option, it will erase your previous save file and
start you over from scratch.
!!! WARNING !!!
====================
C. MENUS and ACTIONS
====================
ROTATE THE CAGE - left or right on the d-pad or shoulder buttons.
BRING UP MENUS - press A button
When you push the A button, you'll bring up a pointer that
selects different "hot spots" on-screen. The bar under each hot
spot indicates its status. Blue is OK.
Each hot spot also has a menu of choices. Push A again to access
the menu. Some choices consume a number of ACTION POINTS, which
are shown at the bottom of your screen. Action points are roughly
equal to time. You get 16 AP per day, and as your AP diminish, so
too does daylight. As time goes on, the amount of AP that each
action consumes will decrease.
Scroll down the list and push A to select an option, or push B to
cancel.
WATER BOTTLE - REFILL [costs 3 action points]
FOOD DISH - FILL [food costs 1 to 3 action points]
(round) CLEAN [costs 3 action points]
WASTE BIN - CLEAN [costs 3 action points]
(yellow)
HAMSTER HOUSE - CLEAN [costs 3 action points]
HAMSTER - ACTIVITY [costs 3 to 4 action points]
NEIGHBORHOOD [see next section]
SYSTEM [see next section]
CAGE - DESIGN [reposition items]
(above hamster) CLEAN [costs 3 action points]
There is no "save" menu. Your data is saved automatically after
you GO TO SLEEP for the day.
=============================
D. IN DEPTH MENU EXPLANATIONS
=============================
FOOD DISH
---------
If your hamster is hungry, this is where you put its food.
Different types of food cost more AP than others, but they
also fill your hamster up further. You begin the game with
the first three items. You need to buy the rest at the pet
store, or earn them as rewards in the hamsters tests, or as
gifts from your parents.
Hamster Pellets (green & brown) - 1 AP
Sunflower Seeds - 2 AP
Corn Kernels (yellow) - 3 AP
Pretzel Barrels (brown) - 5 AP
Broccoli (green) - 4 AP [Hamster Test->Buy]
Carrots (orange) - 4 AP [Hamster Test]
Anchovies (grey) - 3 AP
Cheese Slice (yellow) - 4 AP
Orange Slice (orange) - 4 AP [Gift from Father]
Big Pretzel (brown) - 3 AP [Hamster Test->Buy]
Strawberry (red & green) - 4 AP [Hamster Test]
The AP consumed by the various foods decreases as you
gain experience feeding your hamster.
HAMSTER
-------
The hamster menu has three choices: activity, neighborhood,
and system.
[Activity]
Wheel - 3 AP [coax hamster into wheel]
Hand - 4 AP [coax hamster into your hand]
Box - 3 AP [give hamster a purple box to play in]
Hamster Car - 4 AP [your hamster can play in a car]
Brush - 4 AP [brush your hamster's fur]
Hamster Ball - 3 AP [let hamster play in a plastic ball]
Pipe Gym - 3 AP [let hamster play in a maze of pipes]
You begin with only the first three activities. You can buy
the rest in the form of toys at the pet store. The AP consumed
by activities decreases as you gain experience performing
them. The more you do something, the less time it wastes.
[Neighborbood]
Visit places in the neighborhood. Does not consume AP.
Red House with Trees - Your House
- Return Home
Purple House with Blue Roof (north) - Friend's House
- View her hamsters and get gameplay tips
Big White House with Purple Roof (west) - Friend's House
- Gameplay tips & Challenges information
Yellow House with Green Roof (northwest) - Pet Shop
- Buy care items and furniture.
- The older your hamster gets, the more items in the shop.
- There are 8 menu choices here:
Toys & Food (blue)
Wheels (green)
Hamster Homes (red)
Water Bottles (green)
Food Dishes (red)
Toilets (blue)
Cages / Shavings (green)
Special Items (yellow)
Park Area (east)
Tan House (southeast) - Friend's House
- Gameplay tips and view his hamsters
[System]
Check Hamster Status [for all your hamsters]
Cinema Album [watch all cut scenes you've seen]
Link Cable [trade and pair up hamsters, need 2 GBAs]
Your money is shown at the bottom of this screen.
On the "Check Hamster Status" screen, you can see detailed
information about each of the five hamsters in your care.
It looks something like this:
Day
Name
Hamster Breed Friend Level
Gender Current Care Points
Tests Completed CP to Next Level
CAGE
----
Use the second option in the cage menu to CLEAN the cage.
The first option is a bit more complex. It allows you to totally
redesign your hamster's cage. Push B to go back if you didn't want
to do this. There are two options in the DESIGN menu: object and
entire.
[Object]
Move over an item and replace it with a similar item. You can
buy better items at the pet shop.
[Entire]
Start from scratch. Choose cage, bedding, and then place each of
the five major furniture items. You probably don't need to do
this until you buy more items from the pet store.
==========================
E. HAMSTER TESTS & REWARDS
==========================
At the end of the first week and every so often after that, you're
presented with a list of challenges. They're usually based on your
ability to accomplish something within a certain number of days.
Choose one and try to satisfy it. As time goes on, you will need to
pass these tests in order to purchase better items in the pet shop
or to get more hamsters to raise.
These tests also serve as milestones to unlock bonus gifts from your
family and friends. A few days after completing one of them, your
father may give you an orange slice or a gift of 1500 yen.
The best thing to remember is that you don't have to satisfy all
requirements of a test during its time period. For example, if you
need to have three LEVEL 4 hamsters within 20 days, you can actually
raise all three hamsters to LEVEL 4 seperately. Choose the test, wait
20 days, and you've completed it.
The menu looks like this:
BEGINNER SIMPLE A
SIMPLE B SIMPLE C
MODERATE A MODERATE B
MODERATE C ADVANCED A
ADVANCED B ADVANCED C
EXPERT A EXPERT B
EXPERT C FINAL
BEGINNER
--------
Increase your hamster's LEVEL to 2 in 6 days.
Reward: None
SIMPLE A
--------
Buy the mushroom house at the pet store within 10 days.
Reward: CARROT FOOD ITEM
SIMPLE B
--------
Increase your hamster's LEVEL to 3 or above in 10 days.
Reward: ALLOWANCE INCREASE 50 yen
SIMPLE C
--------
Decorate your hamster's cage with a green house and
green toilet for at least 10 days.
Reward: ALLOWANCE INCREASE 50 yen
MODERATE A
----------
Make five types of meals in under 15 days. Basically,
feed your hamster something different every single
time you feed it.
Reward: ABILITY TO PURCHASE MORE HAMSTERS AT PET SHOP
MODERATE B
----------
Raise two hamsters to FRIEND LEVEL 3 within 15 days.
Reward: ALLOWANCE INCREASE 100 yen
MODERATE C
----------
Make the house, bowl, wheel, and cage pink (looks purple to
me) within 15 days.
Reward: SUPER CLEAN SHAVINGS AVAILABLE AT PET SHOP
ADVANCED A
----------
Raise three hamsters to FRIEND LEVEL 4 within 20 days.
Reward: STRAWBERRY FOOD ITEM
ADVANCED B
----------
Perform six different ACTIVITIES during a 20 day period.
Reward: NEW W.C., WHEEL, AND HOUSE AVAILABLE AT PET SHOP
ADVANCED C
----------
Have 15,000 yen in your allowance within a 20 day period.
Reward: ALLOWANCE INCREASE 100 yen
Hint: Visit your friend to the west for a 2,000 yen bonus.
EXPERT A
--------
Change the color of the house, the bowl, and the wheel each to a
different color within 25 days. You must also save up an allowance
of at least 20,000 yen by this time as well.
Reward: LAST WATER BOTTLE AVAILABLE AT PET SHOP
Hint: You should you have three hamsters to LEVEL 10 by now. If
so, start raising a new one to prepare for the EXPERT C
test.
EXPERT B
--------
Within 25 days, decorate the cage with a wooden wheel and house,
and a ceramic bowl and toilet.
Reward: LAST WHEEL AND HOUSE FOR SALE AT PET SHOP
Hint: Visit the pet shop a few days before the time period ends
and the ceramic bowl will appear for sale. By the way,
the ceramic toilets are any of those before the red one
with flowers.
EXPERT C
--------
Raise four hamsters to FRIEND LEVEL 7 within 25 days.
FINAL
-----
Raise five hamsters to FRIEND LEVEL 10 within 30 days.
[Thanks to ZTimer, FoxSpiritShadow, and DCharlie's girlfriend for
help with some of the translations.]
======================
F. ADDITIONAL HAMSTERS
======================
After you complete the "MODERATE A" test, you can purchase additional
hamsters in the pet store.
But where do the old ones go?! Don't fear. The green-haired girl in
the house to the west takes care of your excess hamsters.
To switch between hamsters, just visit her and select the hamster
you'd like to take care of. In this manner, you can get FIVE hamsters
to FRIEND LEVEL 10 without going crazy.
===========
G. STRATEGY
===========
Day 1: Waste your AP today on ACTIVITIES. Close out the day with a
quick meal of pellets or sunflower seeds.
Although you have to clean in order to keep your hamster satisfied,
you earn the most CARE POINTS from feeding and by picking it up.
Once your hamster is used to being picked up, you can put him in
other areas of the cage. Set him near the WATER BOTTLE and he will
drink, earning you an extra 10-15 CP (for a total of 40-50 CP).
If you choose the Beginner and Simple B tests, you don't need to buy
ANYTHING from the pet shop for the first three weeks. By that time,
you can work on buying the mushroom house. It's also a good idea to
purchase the CHEESE SLICE or ANCHOVIES to better satiate your
hamster's appetite.
Don't lose heart. The AP upgrades take awhile to earn. After about a
month of in-game time, many of your cleaning and feeding options will
only consume 2 AP.
In order to keep your hamster's FRIEND LEVEL growing, purchase the
green house, green toilet, and mushroom house from the PET SHOP as
soon as possible.
==========
H. CLOSING
==========
Nakayoshi Pet Advance: Series 1 - Kawaii Hamster is a simple, but fun
game. The graphics aren't that spectacular, but there's a lot to do.
One of the game's best aspects is how you're able to improve as your
hamster gets to know you. You can clean quicker, prepare food faster,
and earn CARE POINTS that much easier. It's also immensely fun to
redecorate and buy new furniture for the cage, something you can't do
in either of the other two Nakayoshi Pet Advance games.
But each of the games in the Nakayoshi series seems to have something
that the others don't. In Kawaii Hamster, it's the different furniture
you can acquire and the hamster tests. In Kawaii Koinu (Puppy), it's
the ability to walk your dog and participate in dog shows. In Kawaii
Koneko (Kitten), it's watching your cat explore the neighborhood and
the massive number of kittens you can adopt (22) - albeit for a short
time.
Ratings:
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3
Hamster Puppy Kitten
Cuteness A B A++
Graphics 4 7 6
Sound 4 6 6
Gameplay 8 9 7
Value 8 8 6
Tilt 8 7 6
Overall 7.0 7.7 6.3
