Top Row: Translucent Glitter, Blue
Middle Row: Yellow, Pink
Bottom Row: Licensed MIB, IDO
Top Row: Translucent Glitter, Blue
Middle Row: Yellow, Pink
Bottom Row: Licensed MIB, IDO
Wave UFO (1997) also known as Wave U4 or ウエーブユーホー. This virtual pet gets fed and transforms between characters by gathering electromagnetic frequencies (EMF or 電波 meaning denpa in Japanese). It was originally meant to signal incoming mobile phone calls. There are 2 games and 26 characters (called EMF Aliens or Denpa Aliens). It is low maintenance and you can easily keep your alien alive for days with just a few interactions each day. It does beep a lot if you keep it near electronics. There are 4 buttons which I will refer to as A B C D in order left to right.
Press the A button and the points screen will appear. Press the A button once more and the slot game will start. The A button stops the left reel, the B button stops the middle reel and the C button stops the right reel. Winning combinations such as SSS, UFO, 777, 123 will earn points, and combinations such as SOS, USO and mismatches will lose points. The maximum number of points is 100, and 1 point is deducted per round. If you reach 0 points you can still play. The instructions mention that game points have an influence on transformations. This game is not chance. Win or loss is predetermined. You just need to go through the motions of the game till you get high points. I just start the reel and press A B C in sequence.
10 Slot points get spent to play one game of Rock Scissors Paper. Press the B button to start the game. Press any button to begin the countdown (except D which will exit the game). During the countdown hold the button that corresponds with the hand signal you want to throw:
The instructions imply that you should play a game of Rock Scissors Paper after a attention call for an extra health boost compared to regular gameplay.
Pressing the C button will bring up the care options. Use the A button to cycle through which type of care you want to give (Drugs, Liquid, Air, Clean) and then use the B button to select it. Use the D button to exit the care menu. If the alien needs the care it will show a happy face afterwards and health will go up or the room will be cleaned. If it is a type of care that the alien doesn't need, it won't have any effect on health but the alien will have a sad or angry face to show that type of care isn't needed.
When your alien needs care, it will send an attention call by beeping and showing !! on the screen for 30 seconds. Press any button to stop the beeping. If you answer to your alien's call within 5 minutes the health meter will be increased (unclear if this means to play Rock Scissors Paper, give care or both). There is no status menu so you need to just try giving each care option to see what your alien needs. If your alien's health gets to 0, it will be placed in a suspended animation freezer device and you will not be able to play with it. You can revive it by feeding it EMF, and your Y data will increase by 1.
Press the D button to show the time. The device uses a 24h clock. Press the A button to display the age of your alien.
If your alien reaches 14 days they will ask to return to their home planet; you can choose yes or no. Press A to exit the age screen, and press D to exit the clock screen.
Press the A and D buttons together gives you an option to turn the sound on/off. However, be aware that it is pointless. You can never fully mute this virtual pet. The attention call and transformation alert sounds will still beep even if you have the sound off. You can cover the sound holes with tape to help quiet the sound or put it in a pouch, and keep it in a away from electronics when not actively playing it. If the beeping becomes a problem you can try a faraday pouch, but the 30 second care alert beeps will still sound. Do not take this virtual pet anywhere that unwanted beeping sounds will cause a problem. It is low maintenance so I just leave mine at home in a room away from electronics. When I want to play it I put it near my mobile phone. It can survive off care given only once per day. The best way to "mute" the sound is to keep it several feet away from your mobile phone and other electronics. You could cut the sound cable, but the main appeal of this virtual pet—the transformations and messages—would be missed.
There are 26 characters. When the character eats enough EMF it will transform into another character and a message will appear. It is possible to see many characters in one day. The characters are awake from 9:00am to 1:00am. When the character sleeps the screen shows static. You cannot care for them when they sleep, but they can still transform.
Here are the English instructions translated poorly by Google Translate, or have a look at the original Japanese instructions.