Japanese company Bandai is known for releasing a range of oddball products but its Star Wars-themed Tamagotchi lineup lives on the edge of a galaxy far, far away. There are a couple to choose from — Grogu and R2-D2 — but there’s a new one coming later this year: Darth Vader.
The new product is up for pre-order, with expectant Padawans being expected to part with R570 ($30) before shipping over to the Dark Continent. At least, that was the case a few hours ago. The pre-order link, which appeared in several earlier stores, seems to have gone dark. Perhaps the Death Star was taken out like a swamp rat on Tatooine.
Tamagotchi nose
It’s more likely that the pre-order was prematurely revealed or, perhaps, demand crushed stock levels like Conan Antonio Motti’s throat. A lack of faith, possibly? Regardless, the product is real and has a projected launch date of March this year. Given that Amazon ships the other Star Wars-themed virtual pets to South Africa, you can probably have this one too.
Why do you want one? If you have to ask the question, you probably haven’t watched Return of the Jedi nearly enough times. It’s a Tamagotchi, one of the nearly ubiquitous virtual pets from days past, so owners are tasked with keeping the virtual critter alive inside its little keychain enclosure.
Despite arriving in a sombre black with Lord Vader’s iconic helmet as a case, the Tamagotchi starts virtual life as Anakin Skywalker. It’s up to owners to influence the creature’s slide into the Dark Side. This is possibly inevitable but perhaps there’s a moment of redemption for poor Darth before he’s thrown to his death. Or the batteries run out.
Owners will have to feed and train the young Jedi — lightsaber practise is important — and a dozen iconic scenes from the character’s arc are also played out on the little LCD screen. Motti may get his comeuppance again but owners will certainly encounter Luke Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi on the journey from Jedi to Sith Lord.
You want a Darth Vader Tamagotchi. Search your feelings, you know it to be true.
