Neopets vs Tabikaeru: Travel Frog
Neopets
Neopets is rather old yet entertaining simulation/virtual world game that lets you adopt and take care of magical and unique pets. This means that you'll be expected to build them a home, buy them food, clothes and other cool stuff. Set in a cartoonish and immense world, you can even set off on exciting adventures with your pet. Best part is that thepets in this game can grow alongside you and they have different looks for different stages of growth, much like the Pokemon in a Pokemon game. There are plenty of fun mini-games to keep you engaged for hours on end as well.
Although the game is a bit on the old side (being released in 1997 and all), the game still holds its charm for players who want a game that's a combination of a usual pet simulation/collection game with a virtual world game. It's free to play and you can play it directly from your browser!
Tabikaeru: Travel Frog
Tabikaeru: Travel Frog is a Japanese simulation game that, in some way, depicts the journeys of an adorable little frog as it travels around Japan. The interesting thing about this game is that you have absolutely no control over what assumingly is your pet frog. It may decide to go on a trip any time it likes, disappearing for hours or even days. It sometimes sends you postcards or photos of the places it went to and the animals it meets, and bring home some gifts when it returns, but sometimes, it does none of those. In some way, you can learn more about your frog through its travels.The game also has a clover garden where you can collect clovers, the virtual currency of the game. You can collect 30 clovers every 3 hours or you can buy more clovers using real cash. Sometimes, your frog will bring home some clovers for you too.
As simple as the game is, it blew up in terms of its popularity at least among East Asian countries mainly because slowly makes the players, especially the 20-somethings, realize that they are actually the wandering frog in this story and that their elderly parents are at home eagerly waiting for their return. After all, in this game, you are put into the role of a parent to some extent - the person who prepares food, tools, and amulets for the travel-obsessed frog whenever it returns home. Also, the game brings the "idle game" genre to a whole new level.
Tabikaeru: Travel Frog is a game that's perfect for players who just don't have a lot of time to play and yet still like to have a very undemanding and interesting virtual pet of sorts... and for any young adults who are working away from home, be sure to visit your parents often! They miss you as much as you miss the frog when it's on its travels.