Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue

Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue (とっとこハム太郎4 にじいろ大行進でちゅ) is a Nintendo video game for Game Boy Advance and the sequel to Tottoko Hamutaro: Tomodachi Daisaku Ikusa Dechu (Japan only), Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! and Hamtaro: Ham-Ham Heartbreak. Therefore, it was the third Hamtaro game released in Europe, but the fourth one in Japan; the game has not been released in the U.S.A. It was released in Japan on May 23, 2003 and in Europe on October 29, 2004. The series is based on the manga Hamtaro, written by manga-ka (comic artist) Ritsuko Kawai.

Game
The game involves an extensive plot. One day while playing outside, Hamtaro and Boss are suddenly witness to a great rainbow. Off the rainbow slides Prince Bo. The Prince states that he can make rainbows by using his umbrella. He tries to prove it to the disbelieving Boss, but realizes too late that the colors on his umbrella are gone!

And thus, Hamtaro and his Ham-Ham friends must set off on a journey in order to collect things that are the proper colors for Prince Bo to use for his umbrella so he can create a rainbow to return home. Certain minigames are needed to reach the colors, and the player must have certain Ham-Hams in their party in order to play them. For example, Sandy is needed to ride pidgeons, and Bijou is needed to collect falling petals, whilst Penelope is needed for rolling on top of cans.

In addition to the original Ham-Hams, the game contains some additional characters, most of which were never seen in the English anime. These include Prince Bo, who is the prince of Rainbowland (a castle that is made of clouds); Flora, or Nurse-Ham; Tux; and various other characters.

U.S. release
Hamtaro: Rainbow Rescue was initially set to be released in the U.S. in 2003. Although the date was pushed back to July 2004, the game has yet to be released in the U.S. Some sources say that it is now set to be released in July 2007, even though Hamtaro and the games stopped when the TV show was canceled. At the time of the initial 2003 release date, Rainbow Rescue was supposed to be the second U.S. Hamtaro Game Boy Advance game. At the 2004 release date, it was supposed to be the fourth. But by now, Rainbow Rescue would be the fifth Hamtaro game released since Ham-Ham games came out.