An adorable MR game that sees players of all ages raise a dragon.

Raising a virtual pet is not a new experience.

Whether it’s the classic – or video game platform versions – of Tamagotchi, or even the online craze that was Neopets, there have been an abundance of ways for people to take part in the care of a digital pet.

Now, thanks to the technological advancements of virtual reality (VR) and mixed reality (MR) the Quest series of headsets has a new way to engage with and care for a virtual creature.

“Eggy is a mixed reality pet simulation game where you raise a dragon in your own living room! Using the immersive tech of the Meta Quest 3/3S, players are given the ability to craft a mystical space between the Dragon Realm and the real world. The game begins with a mysterious egg containing a tiny dragon hatchling. It’s up to you to transform your home into the perfect environment to help the little dragon thrive. You’ll need to raise your baby dragon so that it can return home and thrive alongside its own in the dragon realm,” said Ben Schuster, marketing & creative content specialist with Spunge Games. “And while Eggy is quite a cozy and approachable experience for players of all ages, there’s also an underlying story of emotion and connection. Players will begin to build a bond with their dragon as they visit each day and see as it grows. But every day brings you both closer to your real goal: helping your dragon return to its world.”

The experience by Spunge Games launched today.

From the moment you boot up the game in headset, you’re drawn into the mystical world of the dragons.

As a mysterious and sparkly voice is there to call out and get you started, a dragon’s egg appears. It’s then your duty to help set this little being on its path, by casting the magical spells that will help it hatch – and become who it needs to be.

A quick sidenote that everything in game is done via hand tracking, controllers cannot be used. This is a nice refreshing experience as you get to be closer to your dragon Eggy but does also eliminate the chances to feel haptic feedback as you pet and interact with your dragon.

Back to the magical spells, there are three from which you can choose – water, fire, and earth – but you should pick the spell carefully as you’re setting the stage for the magic it will possess for its lifecycle.

To note, while the prompt made it seem like you needed to use the same magic on your Eggy there is the chance that you can cast multiple spells during the hatching process – but wasn’t tried firsthand.

The second your dragon has come out of its shell, it’s up to you to care for it.

To do this, Spunge Games has introduced the ‘DragonBoy 3000,’ an iPad like device that allows you to purchase items, see your dragon’s stats, and care for its needs.

“Players will be able to unlock interactive items to play alongside your dragon, customise your space with decorative items, and dress up your dragon with a range of outfits and accessories. There’s also a main story to experience, which progresses daily when you visit your dragon and begin to build a closer bond,” adds Schuster.

The rest of the game plays out as you would expect it’s up to you to keep Eggy healthy, happy, and prepare that little dragon for life back in its world.

Through the DragonBoy 3000, you will need to fill your space with items such as furniture, toys and accessories that can help a little dragon thrive. Just like you would care for a cat or dog, so too will you find yourself performing tasks to take care of Eggy.

While many of the things needed to be done here are fairly straightforward, once your little friend has hatched from the egg, the instructions on what to do next become a little thin.

This lack of understanding is probably the only downside to an otherwise engaging – and extremely adorable – MR experience.

Yes, it’s obvious that you’ll need to put down some toys, a litter box and other items for your dragon. However, it’s not always clear how all aspects of the game work.

Firstly, it was very confusing to figure out how to clean up after Eggy does its business. For the first 20 minutes, it was almost embarrassingly difficult to figure out that there was a vacuum which could be added to your inventory to clean up all the sparkly dragon poop.

It’s a lot of little things like this which were encountered as problems throughout the game. They’re not big things, it just made one wish that were was a guidebook that could be brought out for assistance.

For instance, it’s not very straightforward on how you’re supposed to read Eggy’s traits menu. Sure, if the bar is leaning more towards tired or hungry, then something needs to be done about that. But perhaps it might be easier to explain what each trait bar means and how best to go about making things better.

There wasn’t a guided tutorial beyond how to cast spells, this is probably something which should be added in, considering the game seems to be geared towards a younger audience.

The easiest way to overcome this issue is to expand the ‘book of lore’ to include more guides. When you’re helping Eggy to hatch, the book of lore is your guide that allows you to see all the spells; and process for helping bring a dragon into the world. However, this book quickly becomes obsolete as it never updated or added any helpful suggestions.

This would be the ideal tool to help people, not only by providing a comprehensive guide on tasks that will be undertaken and how to take care of your dragon; but also, by providing background on things which don’t seem to be explained at all.

For instance, the in-game currency to buy new items out of the shop looks to be crystals. You start with 250 to purchase items such as new toys, hats, and other care items. However, there’s never an explanation for how you earn more.

Just like cleaning up the poop, you’ll have to figure this out on your own – and even now it’s still not clear how this works, beyond Eggy gifting you with some crystals whenever it returns from its trip through the little dragon door.

Spunge Games created a great looking game here, and one that plays in an interactive way to keep you engaged and bonding with your dragon. This is a fun and unique way to experience the classic virtual pet care, but with the added depth and immersion that only VR and MR can bring.

The only downside here is the lacking tutorial/ guidebook which can easily be fixed by upgrading the features of the ‘book of lore.’

While the game may look like it skews towards a younger audience, this will absolutely draw in and engage an older audience – especially those nostalgic who spent their youth playing with other virtual pets.

“You’re never too old to have fun. We know that many younger players will love the charming gameplay and colourful design of Eggy, but there’s plenty of older players who would have fond memories of looking after virtual pets in the ‘90s and will get that warm feeling of nostalgia while playing Eggy,” said Schuster.

Eggy is now available on the Quest store.

Eggy was reviewed on the Quest 3 after receiving pre-release access.