Hamster Playground Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 & PC)

In a bid to make hamsters appear more lovable and less likely to nibble at your fingers the moment you take their carrot batons away from them, Mass Creation has launched a new single-player and online PvP pet simulation game called—wait for it—Hamster Playground. That’s right, even Goat Simulator is currently quaking in its hooves, and it’s thanks to odd concepts like this that even the most irrelevant parts of animal maintenance are suddenly becoming all the rage. The only major difference between this and a lot of other pet-centric multiplayer games, of course, is that you have the single task of training a hamster, and not, for example, a rampaging goat with violent tendencies to attack picnic tables and innocent civilians. Well, technically it goes a little deeper than that — but you get the point.

Hamster Playground is a mixture of a two vastly different genres, one of which is a bread-and-butter animal training and management sim, and the other an online multiplayer game, one that sees players dropping their fluffy friends into a series of generic bouts, races, and mini-games and what have you. Think of it as more of a souped-up version of the beloved Tamagotchi or, if we’re going for good measure, Nintendogs, and you’ll have a rough idea of what we’re getting at here. That, in a nutshell, is what Hamster Playground is, and I can’t quite decide whether I’m in love with the concept, or if I’m merely incapable of seeing beyond the deceiving eyes of a rodent.

So, is Hamster Playground worth picking up, or is it something that you should simply discard in favor of another, slightly more radiant incarnation? Let’s talk about it.

You Can Be Taught, and You Will

As it turns out, training a hamster to be in a league of its own isn’t the simplest thing to accomplish. Well, it is, thanks to the game’s mechanics consisting of one or two frequent inputs — but in spite of its simplicity, the game still has a fair bit to keep track of—hunger, thirst, hygiene, and happiness, for example. At the heart of these basic needs is a simple yet effective gameplay loop that sees you earning a mixture of in-game XP, perks, stars, and other useful items, all of which tie into a series of generic short mini-games and extracurricular activities. There’s racing—a maze-like sport that pretty much speaks for itself; an eating competition, which involves tapping buttons to consume nuggets and other bite-sized snacks in a timely fashion; and a host of colorful obstacle courses to chomp through.

I’ll be honest, none of the above mini-games require a great deal of effort to complete; in fact, it’s more the case of having to press the occasional prompt to finish each of the tasks. That isn’t the thing that bothers me; it’s the fact that, win or lose, the game still makes a habit out of spoon feeding you the option to purchase in-game diamonds—a costly currency that, if paid for, can reward you with a slew of fresh cosmetics and other set pieces for your hamster’s humble abode. Sure, it’s entirely avoidable, but the fact that a paywall prevents you from seeing a lot of the game’s content does dampen the overall appeal — and that’s a shame. It’s cheap, shameless, and a waste of potential—three things that haven’t been known to sit all that well when it comes to independent video games. But, you know — whatever.

A Mixed Bag

If you’re able to gloss over the demeaning nature of the in-game paywalls, then you’ll come to find that Hamster Playground can be a rather enjoyable game to shovel through. Yes, it’s incredibly simple, but it’s also clean and accessible, and not to mention riddled with cozy environments and visually appealing scenes. It also features a progression system that’s oddly rewarding, too, and it’s thanks to certain perks like its coins and furnishings that make it all the more fun to explore and stick around for. As for whether or not it’s something that has the power to keep you in its lane for extended periods of time is another question, and one that will no doubt vary from person to person.

In all fairness, I suppose it does help that the game has a quality amount of items to unlock and other set pieces to obtain for your character and their homes. Aside from the obvious stickers and paints—two things that you tend to cycle through on a regular basis—there are also numerous interactive toys to choose from, hats, sunglasses, and even a few weird and wonderful facial accessories, too. And sure, while a lot of these things aren’t exactly obtainable without the correct currency to hand, there’s still plenty to keep you busy. With that said, I wouldn’t say that there’s enough to keep you coming back for months on end. A week, at most, if you’re lucky.

And the Wheel Stops Turning

Like many other touch-and-go games that center around the world of character (or pet, in this case) development, there comes in point in Hamster Playground where you don’t need to do any more than what’s absolutely necessary to progress. Like Fall Guys, I suppose, the game sees you ascending through the ranks and to a level that’s relatively comfortable, after which it simply leaves you to find joy in your own choices. Unfortunately, those choices don’t always come cheap; case in point, if you’re not pouring a bit of extra cash into unlocking some fresh perks or items, then you’re essentially just rerunning the same motions over and over again until you’ve exhausted all of your available options. And that’s, you know, not great.

On another note, the graphics aren’t all that bad, and the animations aren’t quite nearly as janky as I thought they’d be. Okay, so they’re unlikely to turn heads or captivate the entire demographic, but the fact that the game at least performs to an acceptable standard certainly makes it easier to gel with. I can’t say the same about the soundtrack, mind you. Rather disappointingly, the game only offers the one track — and it’s a bit of a mind-grating track, at that. Sure, it’s cute in short bursts, but if I were to tell you that I spent the entire journey rocking back and forth to it and plodding along to the generic best of a candy-popping anthem, I’d be lying. Sorry, Mass Creation — you’ll get no golden buzzer from me.

Verdict

If I’m able to simply bring myself to pretend that the in-game diamond system doesn’t exist, then I might actually be able to sing a lot of Hamster Playground’s praises. It’s a shame, really, that so much of it isn’t accessible, because if it were, then I probably wouldn’t have too much to complain about. But that’s just it: even the best features are often overshadowed by a paywall of some sort, and it’s because of that, that I’m unable to scrape just enough joy out of its world and the activities that it does foster to generate a positive outlook. However, as I mentioned earlier, this might not bother you at all, as you may only view it as a minor inconvenience. Still — it’s worth mentioning on the off chance that you’re expecting a complete product right from the get-go.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot to carve into here, and I’d be lying if I said that fledgling hamster enthusiasts won’t be able to scrape enough together to create an entertaining experience, be it with friends or with absolutely nobody at all. It is worth noting here, however, that the vast majority of the game’s primary features tend to orbit the PvP side of things, which means, if you are hoping to get your hands on a solo endeavor with all of the bells and whistles of a full-fledged single-player campaign, then you might be in for some level of disappointment.

For a free-to-play game, you could certainly do a lot worse than Hamster Playground. Yes, it has its ups and downs, but when all’s said and done, if you don’t like what you see, then there’s no reason why you can’t just part ways with the wheel and find something else to keep you busy.