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madamewario · 7 years

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Hey guys! It’s MadameWario, and I am freaking obsessed with claw machines/crane games/ufo catchers – whatever you want to call them, I love them! They are my crutch, my weakness, my one true love in every arcade. Because of this intense love I have for claw machines, when I first heard about the Toreba app, I FREAKED. Toreba is a free app that allows you to play an actual Japanese crane game straight from your phone. No joke. You can win real prizes, and if you do, Toreba ships them to you for FREE! Now I know this sounds sponsored (omg I wish they would sponsor me), but it isn’t. This is just me telling you about the app, sharing my tips & strategies for playing, and basically reviewing the addiction that is Toreba because I have enjoyed it so much.

FREE PLAYS

Okay, so the first thing I want to point out is that when you download the app, you get 3 free plays. After that you have to purchase TP (Toreba Points) in order to play. What I recommend doing is AT LEAST downloading the app for your 3 free plays, and then deleting it if you’re worried about getting sucked in. You get to keep anything you win, even from free plays, so it’s at least worth testing your luck, but here’s my other tip: DON’T USE THOSE 3 PLAYS RIGHT AWAY. You need to WATCH FIRST. Observation is key. I say this because there is a legit strategy to this app, especially for certain types of machines. If you get impatient and just immediately blow your free plays, you’ll likely blow your chances of winning. The good news is that if you have more than one smart device (i.e. a smartphone and a tablet), you can download the app on each device and get 3 free plays on each! I definitely downloaded the app on all 3 of my smart devices, lol.

HOW IT WORKS

RESERVE: Once you have your 3 free plays, you’ll notice something called a “reserve” at each machine. If the reserve number is higher than 0, you can’t use one of your free plays on it. Toreba saves the “reserve” feature for paying players. Up to 5 players can reserve a machine at a time. You’ll notice a higher reserve number on machines where a prize is close to being won (i.e. close to the edge of the prize drop, etc). This makes it tricky to use your free plays. If you’re from the US like I am, you’re used to crane games where a prize can be won with simply one try depending on how strong the claw decides to be when you play. Toreba games aren’t quite the same. You have to strategize more and really work to move a prize into a “winning position.” Unlike US crane games, Toreba crane games only offer one or two prizes at a time, whereas US crane games offer a variety of prizes and you just choose which one to go for.

TP: Toreba Points (TP) is the currency used within the app. Each machine is priced differently per play, but most are 1600 TP and above. Occasionally you’ll see smaller prizes available for 1200-1500 TP, but not often. $5 (USD), the lowest dollar amount you can spend, will get you 5000 TP. Toreba offers better deals if you spend a higher amount of money at once, such as $30 USD, but you’re probably more committed than I am if you do that. :P Toreba does reward you for spending money on TP though!

TICKETS: After you spend so much, Toreba will give you a “play ticket” as a reward. Play tickets work exactly like TP (rather than free plays). You are able to play any machine one time using your ticket whether there is a reserve line or not. You can also play any priced machine without TP limitations. It doesn’t matter. I think this is a great reward for paying players. I believe you get your first reward after spending $15-$20.

TIME LIMITS: There is a time limit when it’s your turn to play. This keeps players from waiting too long in the reserve line, especially if someone goes m.i.a. or just can’t make up their mind on whether or not to test their luck. The only downfall is that the time limit is non-existent to players who are willing to spend money on TP during their turns. Then they basically have an endless time limit, which isn’t fair, but that’s how it works.

VIEWPOINTS: Be sure to observe players using BOTH viewpoints. You’ll notice a little green camera icon in the top right corner of your screen. Use this to change your view from front to side. This will give you a better idea of where to aim and what other people are doing in order to win.

LAG: One last thing to keep in mind before playing Toreba is that there may be just the slightest amount of lag while controlling the crane. Anticipate the crane going a tiny bit further than you expect after you let go of the control arrows. You have to remember that this is a real crane game being controlled half way around the world by your phone, so be sure to take that into consideration while playing.

TYPES OF MACHINES

There are 8 types of Toreba crane game machines.

Ball Machines

Bar Machines

Crystal Rock Machines

Fishing Machines

Loop-Hole Machines

One-Arm Machines

Ping-Pong-Ball Machines

Traditional Two-Arm Machines

#1 Ball Machine

#1 BALL MACHINES: This kind of machine I try to avoid because it consists of rolling a large prize capsule in the direction of the arrows and off the edge of the platform using the crane. I have never seen anyone playing one of these, which isn’t surprising, but it seems ridiculously hard to win without breaking the bank.

#2 Bar Machines

#2 Bar Machines (another version)

#2 BAR MACHINES: Bar machines make up the majority of crane games available on Toreba. There are two different types. The first is the kind where your goal is to get the prize to drop through the bars it is wedged on. The second is the kind where your goal is to work the prize up to the front of the bars until it tips over the edge. People work their way to winning on these machines like crazy and some are easier than others. Type #1 takes a lot more creative thinking than just wrapping the crane around the prize and hoping it drops, so try and watch how other players strategize that kind of machine before playing one yourself.

#3 Crystal Rock Machines

#3 CRYSTAL ROCK MACHINES: These kinds of machines are harder than they look and take more tries than you think. Something about those rocks is just plain daunting. They really stick to the prize. Think of these machines like a gravel driveway. There’s a reason your car doesn’t slip when running over gravel rocks, so it makes sense how the prizes are hard to maneuver towards the edge through these crystals.

#4 Fishing Machines

#4 FISHING MACHINES: I have seen people play these, but I have never seen anyone win one of these machines. Your goal is to hook that wire net using the tiny hook on the end of the crane so that the picture falls down the chute. It’s extremely hard to judge where the hook is going to go via this mobile app as opposed to in-person. I don’t recommend these machines for that reason.

#5 Loop-Hole Machines

#5 LOOP-HOLE MACHINES: These machines are similar to fishing machines, only your goal is to hook the red ring (connected to the prize) in the crane. I have heard these aren’t too bad in-person, but using a mobile app to play might be a bit trickier than what it’s worth.

#6 One-Arm Machines

#6 ONE-ARM MACHINES: Here’s my advice for these: don’t play them. These machines are 50% weaker than any other machine (for obvious reason). THEY HAVE ONE ARM. That, and I only see these machines used on huge prizes. Therefore, you are supposed to maneuver the prize to the edge at an incredibly slow pace, meaning you have to spend lots of cash on TP. Unless you luck out and happen to see a prize RIGHT at the edge where you think you can get it, don’t waste your time.

#7 Ping-Pong-Ball Machines

#7 PING-PONG-BALL MACHINES: These are, perhaps, the most luck-based machines available to play. All you have to do is hope your ping pong ball drops into the hole with the red rim. That being said, you may have a pretty fair chance at winning one of these because there is little to no skill involved. You choose how far back you want your ball to drop and that’s it. I have seen people win these countless times. These machines are a lot of fun to watch people play as well. I recommend playing when the ball pit isn’t extremely crowded (like in the photo), because the ping pong balls are more likely to bounce into the red hole when there aren’t tons of ping pong balls to get stuck in between.

#8 Traditional Two-Arm Machines

#8 Traditional Two-Arm Machines (another version)

#8 TRADITIONAL TWO-ARM MACHINES: These machines are what I like to call “the old faithfuls.” Now, they differ from traditional UFO catchers, as there is still some maneuvering to be done using these machines, don’t get me wrong, but they do give you a more traditional crane game experience. Most aren’t like US machines that clamp down and carry the prize to the chute, so don’t expect that, but they are probably more along the lines of what you’d expect from a Japanese crane game.

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PRIZES

Toreba features a huge assortment of prizes that change and are updated every single day. Basically, when a machine runs out of prizes, they change it out. This keeps the prizes fresh and gives you a reason to open the app every day. If you’re like me, plushies are your kryptonite. That isn’t all that Toreba has to offer though. You can also win figurines, blankets, school supplies, candy/food, and a variety of home goods. There are sometimes extremely strange prizes available as well. I have literally seen a “boob towel” as a prize, which was just a towel with boobs on it to cover…your boobs…??? I have also seen a fuzzy handcuff and blind fold set as a prize. The prize list is amusing to say the least.

JAPANESE PRIZE BRANDS: My sister, who lived in Japan for a year, educated me on how certain Japanese brands are “prize brands.” If you have any Japanese plushies obtained through anime cons with the brand “Amuse” on them, then you already own one of these “prize exclusive” items. Some companies own the right to sell prize exclusive merchandise, but it’s rare. Prize brands try to maintain exclusivity of their products by only offering them as prizes in arcade machines. This gives people a reason to play because it’s difficult to find the merchandise available anywhere else. HOWEVER, there is a website I found that offers a ton of merchandise (of which you often see on Toreba) for sale. If there is a plushie in particular that you are dying to have, and you either don’t win it or you are concerned about how much money you will spend trying to win it, check out Tokyo Otaku Mode.

TOKYO OTAKU MODE: This is a website that carries a wide array of the prizes featured on Toreba that are available for purchase. Sometimes, it may be worth checking out this website first to see how much a prize you are contemplating trying to win is worth before emptying out your wallet. It is also a great resource if a particular prize or style of prize runs out before you have the chance to try and win it. (This has happened to me before, and I actually used this website to purchase a few items that I really wanted. I also purchased an item or two that I wasn’t willing to spend $50 TP on when I could still end up empty handed.)

BLIPPO: Blippo is another website that offers a large array of kawaii items. Not all of the plushies available in their store are prize brand exclusives, but the alpaca plushies for sure are. If kawaii alpaca plushies are your thing, definitely check Blippo first before playing.

WINNING

There are 3 common ways to win a Toreba prize that I have noticed after hours of watching people play. (FUN FACT: Watching other people play is oddly calming.)

spending tons of money

incredibly perfect timing

100% pure luck

Method #1 – spending tons of money

METHOD #1: Obviously you want to avoid method #1, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t people out there willing to spend their entire paycheck on a little stuffed toy just because they can’t take “no” for an answer. This is where the app gets dangerous. If you’re the kind of person who just can’t accept failure or losing (especially after multiple tries), this app is not for you. Sometimes you will be in reserve position no. 2 and the play-timer of the person in front of you NEVER seems to run out. This is because if you play a machine until you run out of TP, you are able to purchase more TP right then and there at the machine and it will grant you more play time. I personally don’t think this is fair as a player, but the company is obviously going to favor this method because it is making them more money. Therefore, some things just aren’t worth spending that much money on in order to win. Be sure to check out the links provided in the “PRIZES” section before breaking the bank just to call yourself a “winner.”

Method #2 – incredibly perfect timing

METHOD #2: What I mean by method #2 is that sometimes you’ll stumble onto a machine where no one is playing, hardly anyone is watching, and the prize is RIGHT THERE in a winning position. This is where you can luck out with free-plays especially, but it’s rare to come across this. A lot of the time, this is caused by one of two things. One, the person who had been working to get that prize spent too much money, got fed up, and rage quit before knocking the prize down the chute. Two, the app of the player who had been trying to get the prize closed unexpectedly, and now it is anyone’s game. This perfect timing method can also work for you if you happen to reserve at the right moment. Say you’re #2 in the reserve line and the person who had been playing runs out of TP and is unable to refill it or simply doesn’t want to, then you’re in business. This doesn’t happen often, but it is still a possibility.

Method #3 – 100% pure luck

METHOD #3: This one doesn’t really need any explanation, but I couldn’t not put it on the list. There will be times when you decide to give a machine two or three plays and things just happen to go your way. I have seen this happen to so many people while observing. Someone goes into a machine with no reserve where the prize doesn’t even seem to be in a great position, the crane just happens to clamp a little harder, and the prize instantly gets moved into a winning position after just one or two tries. By the third try, the player has won. The 100% luck method is also pretty much the only method for ping-pong-ball style machines.

ADDITIONAL TIPS

TIME ZONES: I believe a lot of players are actually from Japan, which means Toreba is super busy at odd times of the day (if you’re from the US like me). I have noticed that the best times to play if you live in an Eastern/Central/West Coast time zone are either right smack in the middle of the afternoon (because this is in the middle of the night/early morning in Japan), or right smack in the middle of the night/early morning (because this is around bedtime in Japan). The machines are less crowded, therefore you may have better luck when it comes to waiting in reserve lines.

VIDEO FOOTAGE: Believe it or not, Toreba saves every single video clip of you playing the game. If you want to see what went wrong while you were trying to win that adorable Hello Kitty plushie, you can! Make sure you visit Toreba’s website, create a login account, and fill out your info, that way you can easily access your videos (and more). Unless you win a prize, you may not be prompted to do this, but trust me, it’s worth it just so you can watch yourself. :P This is a super cool feature in my opinion, because not only does it capture every play, but Toreba sends you a congratulatory video anytime you win something so you can share your victory with whoever you want. You also have the option to upload any of your videos to YouTube or Facebook. Here’s a video of me failing, lol. I should also mention that if something goes mechanically wrong while you’re playing Toreba (the crane messes up, the prize falls and doesn’t recognize your win, etc.), you are able to dispute it via your video footage provided on the website.

TRY TOREBA!

I hope you found this post helpful as you embark on your Toreba adventure! (…Addiction?) :P As you can tell, I have spent a fair amount of time on the app. It’s a lot of fun and I wouldn’t recommend it if I didn’t truly find it enjoyable. As stated before, if nothing else, download the app, get your 3 free plays, then delete it. Then, you can at least tell people that you played a crane game all the way in Japan from your phone and lost, or better yet, won. :) Have fun! ~MW

Toreba Japanese Crane Game App Review Hey guys! It's MadameWario, and I am freaking obsessed with claw machines/crane games/ufo catchers - whatever you want to call them, I love them!

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