Punirunes, Interactive Digital Toy with 55 Squishy Characters Inside, Reacts to Touch, Color Display, Kids Toys for Ages 5 and up

The media could not be loaded. The Punirunes is like having a virtual pet squishy toy or gummy. The most unique aspect of this game device is the squishy sticky mochi on the inside of the shell which is the top of the joystick used to interact with your pet and play the mini games.Gameplay OverviewThe gameplay itself is like a combination of the PuniTapiChan and a Tamagotchi. The interface, sound effects and animations are most like the PuniTapiChan or the Sumikko Catch. This game has its own music and the characters all have voices. There is no actual speaking, which makes knowing any languages unecessary.LanguageThis is the English release, so the yes and no options are in English. The rest of the game has no words, so figuring out what to do takes patient playing, experimenting and observation if you don't feel like unraveling the giant instructions sheet.Actual GameplayFirst, select your skintone for a truly immersive experience when you stick your finger into the shell. Your finger is picked up by a sensor even before you touch the joystick, so it appears on the screen and your virtual finger moves along with yours. The inside is kind of warm!You start with a tiny mochi and the starter food, green gummy bears that never run out but only fill up the hunger a small amount. Feed it, pet it, bathe it and clean up poop using the menu options and the squishy joystick. There are 4 evolutions and 55 different gummy creatures to collect.Select the door to explore the Punirunes world with its market, arcade and forest pond, where secret combinations of gummy gems unlock some stuff but I don't know what it is yet.Games & TouchSubtle touches yield the best results. The joystick is directional. You'll be tempted to press hard to register touches but don't-- the reason why it's not picking up your touches is because you're pressing down hard rather than forward, back or side to side. Quick gentle taps are key when petting, cleaning and bouncing to catch gummy runes or bouncing into portals.You'll learn quickly while playing mini games that it's all about a combination of gentle, directional pressing. To avoid stick drift over time and to ensure the longevity of the device, I highly recommend not allowing really small children with underdeveloped motor controls (or self control!) To play with the Punirunes. Also, it is best to play it with clean, dry hands. As you can see in some of my pictures, the gummy is already picking up a bit of fuzz.Clean with a small cloth with some rubbing alcohol on it, then pat dry.My OpinionsI love it. For the novelty, the games, the pet play, the characters and the customization options in pet accessories, rooms and furniture. Customize items by combining color gummies and make your Punirunes shine with their own style. I do wish that there was a little bit more text and dialogue but that's just me. I guess that was foregone given how it can slow down gameplay. Too much something that annoys me on the Tamagotchi Pix is the long dialogues and cut scenes between each activity.... I'm glad the Punirunes is my go-to stress relief pet and won't die on me while I'm running 3 other v-pets at the same time.These pets don't die by the way, but it takes effort to get their happiness and hunger back up! In this way it's a happy medium between the Sumikko Catch and a Tamagotchi Uni, with different foods having higher or lower hunger sating power. And just like the Bitzee, you don't have to worry about feelings of heartbreak or loss if you fail to care for it.I just got this thing yesterday 7/17/2024 so my review will be updated in the future as I figure it out more!Overall I'm VERY satisfied with my purchase and with Spin Master distributing one of Takara Tomy's most genius electronic toys for the western market!

This is by far the neatest toy I have come across in a very long time! It’s different, it’s interactive, and fun! It’s not overly complicated yet not boring! My 6 yr old and I LOVS it! She has to rip it out of my hand!The instructions aren’t easy to understand. (Only downfall) If you use the QR code there is an awesome video that explains everything!Amazing toy! Highly recommend!

Very fun. No need to read instructions,Cause it's really simple. Comes with batteries.Very bright.. nice music. Interesting on howI can touch the pet.

This was an automatically loved toy. The sounds,the color all beautiful. This can be used for younger children,but regardless of the age. The directions don't give alot of help on the how to play. There is a YouTube video that is pretty straight forward. It helped my husband and daughter figure out how to play the game better. My biggest issue is that it eats through batteries,so plan to take the batteries out over night to conserve them. All in all the value,build and size are good. My daughter likes it,but it is growing old fast for her.

We saw this reviewed on the Nerdecrafters show. Then bought it for my daughter. It is absolutely a fun toy. Very interactive, a lot of variety for raising pets, and has games.

Got this as a Christmas present for my niece! And she loved it! It’s so cool and you can really feel something!

The media could not be loaded. An interesting addition to the world of virtual pets.PROS:*Nice mint/pastel colors entices me to want to pick up and look at*Good quality overall case. Buttons all work great.*Interior “squish” joystick button makes the play more interactive and is incorporated into not only petting, but feeding, games, and other activities involved in raising your pet.*Fast pet evolutions (about 3 days from baby to adult) and good variety of adults (55+?).*Ability to help control what your pet evolves into using different colors and shapes.*Ability to turn both sound and brightness up and down (multiple settings for each, including mute)*Awesome price/value for what you get, just around $20 as of January 2025.CONS:*Large size makes it hard to travel with*Games can get repetitive (sp?) and need to play many to fill happiness meter each time pet evolves (food and happy go back down to 0 each time).*Sounds can get somewhat annoying (pets make “whiny” noises when doing activities.) Not sure of better way to explain this. Mute is available though.*3 AAA batteries don’t last long (4 days using it a lot though). Recommend rechargeable.*Squishy joystick is difficult to control in some of the games (I just avoid the couple of games I have problems with!)I hope this helps in your decision making process as to whether or not you try a Punirunes yourself or gift it to someone. Overall, a great addition to any virtual pet collection. I’d recommend to more mature kids 8+.

This is similar to a tamagotchi. My daughter loves it. Her pet doesn’t die if you forget it for a day, it melts. But will come back and you can store it and grow another new pet. She loves the finger touch petting/feeding of the pet. It’s a good toys but just a little bulky to take around unlike the tamagotchi.