Seaman

1999 · Simulation · Dreamcast

Overview

Seaman (1999) is Yoot Saito's Dreamcast virtual pet, a creature with a human face that the player talks to through a microphone. Leonard Nimoy narrates the English version.

Deep Dive

The player raises a Seaman through five life stages — Mushroomer, Gillman, Podfish, Tadman and Frogman — talking to it through the Dreamcast microphone. It must be checked on at least once every real-time day or it may die. Leonard Nimoy narrates the English version, while in Japan Saito voiced the creature himself.

Developer Story

Yoot Saito designed the game at Vivarium, and it was released in Japan on 29 July 1999, with Sega publishing it in North America in 2000. It sold 399,342 copies in Japan and won an Excellence Award at the 1999 Japan Media Arts Festival.

Did You Know?

Saito modelled the Seaman's face on his own.
Testers' long sentences confused the creature, so Saito gave it the reply "You talk too long, I don't understand."
It was the third best-selling Dreamcast game in Japan.