Off the AppStore: IT IS REVIVED, in Tamaweb

• The Tamagotchi spirit makes its way into your pocket in the mobile realm
• Name, raise, feed, play, and teach your virtual pet to watch it grow and transform
• Customise your virtual home, craft new items, and join the virtual pet community

Welcome to Off The AppStore, a weekly feature with a twist. Namely, while these - as with all the games we cover here - are games that you can play on your phone, they're ones that operate outside of the realms of the big two ways to play: The Google Play Store and the Apple AppStore.

That means that there might be a bit of work required in downloading alternative AppStores or  APKs, or that the games can simply be played in your phone browser. We'll make sure to detail that for each game, though. Anyway, read on to find a new game or experience to play Off The AppStore.

Do you remember Tamagotchi? If yes, you're either a child or much older than you'd like to admit. Tamagotchi was a flash in the pan, but it was so bright it blinded an entire generation, at least for a few years. They were individually packaged virtual pets you carried in your pocket, played with, fed, bathed, neglected, and remembered just in time before they starved. Despite their disappearance from the general public, Tamagotchi has survived in other forms and inspired others to perfect the virtual pet formula. SamanDev is taking their turn in the laboratory and whipping up Tamaweb, which also fits in your pocket.

You have taken up the mantle of a virtual pet caretaker, and boom, a large, colourful egg sits in the middle of your digital living room. It hatches, and before anything happens, your first major decision comes up: What to name it. Let's hope maturity wins out, and your little digital buddy gets a name that won't get them bullied on the digital playground. After the naming ceremony, your little pet is free to roam the many rooms in your digital house that defy physics if you think about them for more than a few seconds.

That being said, you have a pretty varied environment to explore with your little pet. They'll follow you to any room you want and will just entertain themselves, for the most part. Occasionally, they'll express desires and needs, and you'll need to navigate the clean menu to get them what they need. It could be as simple as food or as serious as medicine when they're sick. They'll want to play and feel clean, and they'll watch as their environment changes. You can also visit shops for more supplies, craft your own, or dare to dream and socialise with other pet caretakers and their pets.

Tamaweb is a 2D pet simulator inspired by Tamagotchi, but with far more features and the potential for a larger community. This is a return to an idle virtual experience about having a pet on a small screen that will grow with time and will look to you for fun and affection. While the devices they're on may not be as indestructible as the original tools, they're at least smarter, and let's hope the pets can benefit.

Tamaweb is available to download and play from its itch.io page!