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Chibi-Robo! (video game)

May 05, 2023

For the game series, see Chibi-Robo! (series).

Chibi-Robo![a] is a platform-adventure video game developed by Bandai and Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the GameCube console. It was released in Japan in 2005, and in North America and Europe the following year. Originally conceived as a point-and-click adventure game, it was put on developmental hold until Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto gained interest in the title and overhauled its production.

Chibi-Robo!
North American GameCube cover art
Developer(s)Skip Ltd.
Bandai
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Kenichi Nishi
Hiroshi Moriyama
Producer(s)Kensuke Tanabe
Hiroshi Suzuki
Designer(s)Sayoko Yokote
Ryosuke Sumida
Hiroyuki Takanabe
Alberto Gonzalez
Programmer(s)Masaru Hori
Shunsuke Yoshida
Junko Muroyama
Composer(s)Hirofumi Taniguchi
SeriesChibi-Robo!
Platform(s)GameCube, Wii
ReleaseGameCube
Wii
Genre(s)Platform, adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

The player takes on the role of the eponymous Chibi-Robo, a 10-centimeter-tall robot owned by the Sanderson family. Gameplay revolves around navigating a household and collecting "Happy Points" by completing various tasks from housework to helping solve the dilemmas of the Sanderson family and the numerous living toys that inhabit their household. Every action consumes energy, requiring the player to recharge using electrical outlets.

Chibi-Robo! was generally well received, with praise for the premise, the charming storyline, and sound design. However, some gameplay mechanics and the quality of the graphics drew some criticism. Sales of Chibi-Robo! were modest. It spawned several sequels. For the Nintendo DS, Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol was released in 2007 and Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji! was released in 2009, the latter being a Japan-exclusive. For the Nintendo 3DS, Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder was released in Japan in 2013 and in North America in 2014, and Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash was released in 2015. The original Chibi-Robo! saw a Japanese re-release in 2009 for the Wii as part of the New Play Control! series.

Plot

Chibi-Robo! takes place in a 1960s-style American home and revolves around a tiny, highly advanced house-cleaning robot of the same name[5][6] given as a birthday gift to the socially withdrawn eight-year-old Jenny Sanderson by her father George. This is much to the dismay of Jenny's mother Helen, a homemaker who is constantly stressed over how much money her husband spends on toys despite his unemployment; he originally worked at a toy company called Macroware Robotics Inc.[7] Chibi-Robo is packaged with a small "Chibi-House" and an assistant named Telly Vision who speaks on his behalf.[8] Each of the one million Chibi-Robos in the world is supposed to collect "Happy Points" by doing good deeds for their owners and must occasionally charge their batteries at electrical outlets.[6][9] During the night or when humans are not around in the Sandersons' house, several toys come to life:[9] a superhero action figure named Drake Redcrest, a toy caterpillar named Sophie, a group of egg-shaped army men called the Free Rangers, a wooden pirate named Plankbeard, a teddy bear named Sunshine, a toy fortune teller named The Great Peekoe, a brick-made T-rex named Dinah, a toy mummy named Mort, a toy princess named Princess Pitts, a toy potted flower named Funky Phil, and a black and white toy named Primopuel.[6][8] Chibi-Robo also meets several animals and creatures consisting of two frogs named Freida and Fred, a plug-headed being named Mr. Prongs, a bluebird, a eggplant-like creature called Kid Eggplant, and the Sandersons' pet dog Tao. Chibi-Robo eventually finds a large robot in the basement called Giga-Robo, who was once a companion of the Sandersons', but had to be deactivated due to its high electricity consumption.[6][10] Chibi-Robo attempts to revive Giga-Robo by fully charging its massive battery using the Giga-charger and makes it a goal to find Giga-Robo's missing leg, but is attacked by spider-like robots called Spydorz.

When George purchases yet another toy, Helen locks herself in her room and tells him that she wants a divorce, prompting the rest of the family to do housework in an attempt to make up for it.[11] Meanwhile, Chibi-Robo finds a strange pattern in the backyard and uses his radar to contact an alien species. Once the aliens land and greet him, Chibi-Robo uses a time machine made by the visitors to go into the past to find a code to enter a safe in the master bedroom containing Giga Robo's leg. He returns to the present to open the safe, but several larger Spydorz are released and capture the Sandersons. It is revealed that George originally created the Spydorz to be friends with the Chibi-Robos, but his toy company reprogrammed them to be hostile (it is unknown why), causing George to quit his job.[12] George upgrades Chibi-Robo's blaster weapon, allowing the small robot to defeat the Queen Spydor, recover Giga-Robo's missing leg, and rescue the Sandersons. Chibi-Robo reactivates Giga-Robo, and the aliens meet them in the backyard. The aliens explain that the toys are able to walk and talk due to a request from Giga-Robo to give them life and to give all Giga-Robos infinite battery power to prevent their energy consumption. The aliens could not do the latter at the time and returned to their own planet to obtain the item necessary to grant Giga-Robo's wish.[13] They then give Giga-Robo this ability, who shares it with Chibi-Robo and the rest of the robots in the world as well, eliminating the energy problem.

Gameplay

 
Cleaning pawprints from the floor using the toothbrush is just one way for the player to earn Happy Points. The game's HUD shows the player's remaining time (upper left) and battery life (lower right).

Chibi-Robo! is a platform-adventure game that puts the player in direct control of a tiny, battery-powered robot that does housework for humans. The objective of the game is to become the top-ranked "Super Chibi-Robo" in the world by accumulating Happy Points, a collectible gained by doing good deeds for the family and for various toys in the Sandersons' home.[6][7][8][9][14] In order to do this, the player must control Chibi-Robo and explore the Sandersons' home. During exploration, Chibi-Robo can find a wide variety of things to collect, including "Moolah", the currency of Chibi-Robo!. An important task in gaining Happy Points is to clean up messes around the house, such as disposing of trash or scrubbing dirty footprints.[7] The player can also interact with and help with the personal problems of the Sandersons and the toys. This ranges from solving a plot-driving crisis or completing a subquest of simply locating a lost object as a favor.[6][8][9] With Chibi-Robo's assistant Telly Vision as his speaker, the player is often prompted to give either a positive or negative response to each question or request.[8] The player loses battery power with every step and action. If his battery is not charged before it empties, Chibi-Robo will collapse and re-emerge in the Chibi-House, having lost half of his Moolah.[8] Throughout the house are electrical outlets, which the player can plug into to recharge his battery or save his progress.[7][14] The player's exploration is limited by a timer representing a full day or full night. Once the timer expires, Chibi-Robo automatically returns to the Chibi-House.[9]

There are three collectibles in the game. One is the stickers, which can be obtained throughout the game, either by completing the game, completing quests, playing mini-games, or doing simple tasks for other non-player characters. The Second is the Frog Rings which can be collected and given to Jenny, the daughter of the Sanderson household, for Happy Points and a sticker. The third is the crayons found throughout the house which can be deposited in a crayon box for Happy Points.

At the start of both day and night, the player begins in the Chibi-House, where they can charge Chibi-Robo's battery, save at the electrical outlet, or connect to the Citrusoft "Chibi-PC" to purchase a variety of items and power-ups with Moolah and use scrap metal to build "Utilibots", robotic helpers that ease the navigation of the Sandersons' home.[7][14] The gear available from Citrusoft includes the "Chibi-Copter", used to reach far-off points or fly down from a high place safely; the "Chibi-Blaster", used to eliminate obstacles and fend off the hostile Spydorz; and the "Chibi-Radar", used to detect hidden objects.[6][8] There are several other items of the Sandersons' that Chibi-Robo can find and use. These include the toothbrush, used to clean up stains; the coffee mug, used for protection; the spoon, used to dig holes; and the squirter, used to hold fluids and squirt them.[6][8] Chibi-Robo can also gain special costumes throughout the game, each of which has its own function.[7] For instance, if the player poses for Mr. Sanderson while wearing The Drake Redcrest costume, he will give Chibi-Robo Happy Points. As more Happy Points are acquired, the player's rank increases among all the Chibi-Robos in the world. At certain ranks, Citrusoft will send the player bonus batteries, allowing Chibi-Robo to roam longer without having to recharge until they earn the status of "Super Chibi-Robo", which earns the player unlimited battery life.[14]

Development

Chibi-Robo! was developed by Skip Ltd.[6] Chibi-Robo! was announced in early 2003 with publishing rights held by Bandai. Its original projected release date was June 2003 in Japan and spring 2004 in North America.[15] Unlike the released version of Chibi-Robo!, the beta version entailed the player training Chibi-Robo to defend the home of his inventor from a pair of burglars. The gameplay was different as well; instead of a platform-adventure game, it played like a point-and-click adventure title, where the player was not in direct control of Chibi-Robo, but was rather conveying commands to him by clicking a cursor around the area.[5][15] The protagonist was also to learn and develop depending on the choices the player made for him.[15] This incarnation of Chibi-Robo! was ultimately put on "indefinite hold" and disappeared from the media.[16] Shigeru Miyamoto was eventually introduced to the game by fellow Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe.[6] Miyamoto took a personal interest in the character of Chibi-Robo and signed on as the game's senior producer. The development of Chibi-Robo! was revamped with Nintendo acting as its new publisher.[6][17][18] Chibi-Robo! was in development for four years from start to finish.[5]

Director Kenichi Nishi had previous development credits such as Chrono Trigger, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure and Incredible Crisis.[19] Nishi's approach to game design, even with Chibi-Robo!, was to always take a standard, orthodox method and "crash it, twist it, or create a totally different direction".[6] The reason Nishi chose to make the majority of the cast toys is because humans are "too big to interact with [Chibi-Robo] and create all the drama" and that it added a sense of fantasy to the experience.[6] The family dog Tao had appeared in Nishi's previous games: Moon: Remix RPG Adventure and L.O.L.: Lack of Love. The director based the dog on his own pet because he felt that the "black-and-white color is very simple and universal".[20] Despite the game's overall happy attitude, the game designers put some emphasis on serious topics such as divorce, loneliness, pollution, and loss, in which Nishi said: "If we only concentrate on cheerful fun, we'll lose depth. There's nothing surprising for people if the game looks cheerful and the experience is cheerful. There are no surprises or unexpected things". Still, rather than use these topics as major themes for the player, Nishi felt it would be more effective to bring them in as "ordinary things to enhance the adventure of daily life".[6]

The music and sound in Chibi-Robo! were composed by Hirofumi Taniguchi. He wanted to make unique sound patterns and motifs for each character, and even used human voices to create the system sounds, such as on the menu selections.[6] All of the noises made by Chibi-Robo's actions were phrased. Taniguchi used both woodwind and electronic instruments for the character's actions, the former because "Chibi's actions are not ordinary robotlike actions" and the latter because he did not want to totally eliminate his mechanical characteristics.[6] Different background music is played for the day and night cycles, but they lack melody because Chibi-Robo's footsteps create a melody at random. The tempo of his footsteps was designed to match the background music; if he picks up his plug to walk faster, the music speeds up.[6] All of the game's music was compiled on the Chibi-Robo! Limited Soundtrack, a CD released alongside an official 142-page guidebook and published by Shogakukan in Japan in August 2005.[21]

Reception

Chibi-Robo! has enjoyed a generally favorable critical reception.[22] Official Nintendo Magazine ranked it the 88th best game available on Nintendo platforms. The staff felt that it was the GameCube's "last classic".[29] Critics Greg Mueller of GameSpot, Mathew Kumar of Eurogamer, Bryn Williams of GameSpy, Shane Satterfield of G4, and Matt Casamassina of IGN all applauded the game's charming setting, compelling storyline, and complex characters.[8][9][14][26][28] Casamassina found that the fashion in which the main plot and objectives are sewn together is part of the reason the game is enjoyable.[28] Mueller, Kumar, and Satterfield noted endearing, charismatic qualities among the various toy characters.[8][9][26] Kumar heeded Chibi-Robo! as "honestly one of the most touching games I've played in ages" in which the player often becomes engrossed in "events that pan out like miniature plays, with love triangles (nay, love dodecahedrons) between toys, and some scenes with a real pathos behind them".[9] Considering the joyous atmosphere of Chibi-Robo!, Satterfield was pleasantly surprised at its inclusion of controversial topics like divorce and its possible distortion of a target audience.[26] This attribute was criticized by Jinny Gudmundsen, a columnist for USA Today, who thought that the interpersonal issues negate the game's overall charm and render it inappropriate for younger children.[30] Writers for Computer Games Magazine praised Chibi-Robo by interpreting deep, symbolic meaning in its more subtle aspects. The publication found the game to use "overarching narrative arcs" and "stock melodramatic devices" among the Sandersons' dysfunctional interactions, "emotional crisis points, downtime, and rhythms and cycles of action" between its day and night events, and "evocative music" as a way for characters to communicate their feelings.[31]

Opinions on the gameplay of Chibi-Robo! have been mixed. Among the more positive reactions, Casamassina assessed the cleaning mechanics as "very fun and very rewarding", while Kumar compared the game to the Story of Seasons series due to both entities convert seemingly boring tasks into something fun.[9][28] James Mielke of 1UP.com similarly enjoyed the "near-constant sense of discovery" and the tiny details included by Skip with earning Happy Points and Moolah.[23] Casamassina, Mielke, and Williamson were satisfied that they had to frequently recharge Chibi-Robo, but Mueller was dismayed to have to stop one's current task in order to find an outlet.[8][9][14][28] The GameSpot contributor was also aggravated with the mere five-minute intervals for the day and night cycles, which he considered a major interruption of the game's pacing.[14] Contrarily, Kumar felt the pacing was appropriate and Williamson viewed the feature as a "flexible difficulty level setting".[9][14] Satterfield proclaimed that although the gameplay is somewhat varied, most of it is constituted by the tedious location and collection of objects for the non-player characters.[26] Jeremy Zoss of Game Informer was displeased with the game as whole and wrote that it was "not a platformer, but more of a 3D adventure game composed entirely of fetch-quests and repetitive menial labor".[27]

The audio design of Chibi-Robo!, particularly its integration of different instrumental tones for the hero's various actions, was lauded by the press.[8][23][26] Kumar felt that its utilization of sound could be "the seed of a new way of using music in games".[9] Casamassina commented: "Few developers would be brave enough to create a title whose main character generates varying musical notes whenever he takes a step, but this is exactly what Chibi does - and it's actually very whimsical and cute".[28] Although many critics appreciated the bright and colorful features of the accompanying aesthetics, they also judged the graphical presentation as dated.[8][14][23][27] Casamassina encountered low-polygon 3D models and a below-average frame rate; Satterfield stated the game operated at "Dreamcast level".[26][28] Other portions of Chibi-Robo! were assessed as unpolished as well. Several sources noted the game's default camera system to be unwieldy, combersome, or frustrating at times.[9][14][26][28] However, Mueller noted that switching to the top-down or first-person viewpoints and the ability to center the camera behind Chibi-Robo alleviates most of its problems.[8] Satterfield and Casamassina regarded the cutscenes as awkward and repetitive; the former of the two claimed that they "amount to ugly characters recycling the same animation routine over and over while gibberish comes from their gaping maws".[26][28] Kumar perceived the game's combat to be "messy", "uninteresting", and "entirely unnecessary".[9]

Chibi-Robo! was not a significant commercial success.[32][33] According to Media Create, the GameCube version was the fourth best-selling game in Japan for its week ending June 26, 2005 with nearly 29,000 copies sold.[34] The game managed to sell 97,879 units in Japan alone by the end of 2005.[35] The Wii port of the game did not fare as well; it only sold 11,000 copies in Japan for the week ending June 14, 2009 and a total of 38,573 copies throughout the remainder of that year.[36][37]

Legacy

Chibi-Robo! received a sequel in 2007 for the Nintendo DS called Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol, which follows a different Chibi-Robo as it attempts to revitalize a park. Nintendo established a deal with Wal-Mart for the exclusive rights to sell it in the United States.[38] A second sequel for the DS, titled Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!, saw a Japanese release in 2009. It involves yet another Chibi-Robo vacuuming dirt for money within the home of an adult Jenny.[39] The original Chibi-Robo! was re-released as part of New Play Control!, a selection of Wii remakes of GameCube games.[40] The remake features special Wii Remote controls for the game's tools. Aiming the remote allows the player to change perspective, while pointing it at interactive objects with will be identified with a sound.[41] The remake was released in Japan on June 11, 2009, but Nintendo of America did not permit an English release.[4][32] A fourth game in the series, Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder, was released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS.[42] The fifth game in the series, titled Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash was released in October 2015 for the Nintendo 3DS.[43][44]

Notes

  1. ^ ちびロボ (lit. "Mini-Robo!") in Japanese, and fully titled Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure! in English

References

  1. ^ Adams, David (February 8, 2006). "Chibi Robo Marches into Stores". IGN. Retrieved October 15, 2009.
  2. ^ Famitsu staff (June 17, 2005). 『ちびロボ！』がプラチナ殿堂入り！. Famitsu (in Japanese). Enterbrain. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  3. ^ Riley, Adam (February 28, 2006). "Chibi-Robo Set to Clean Up Europe". Cubed3. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  4. ^ a b Spencer (April 16, 2009). "New Play Control Closes In June With Chibi-Robo And Metroid Prime 2". Siliconera. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  5. ^ a b c Nintendo staff. プラグをかついで プレイレポート (in Japanese). Nintendo. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Hoffman, Chris (March 2006). "Breaking the Mold: Chibi-Robo". Nintendo Power. No. 201. Redmond Washington: Nintendo of America. pp. 28–33. ISSN 1041-9551.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Nintendo staff, ed. (2006). Chibi-Robo!: Plug Into Adventure! instruction booklet. Nintendo of America Inc. pp. 6–22. DL-DOL-GGTE-USA.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mueller, Greg (February 6, 2006). "Chibi-Robo! Review for GameCube". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kumar, Mathew (March 15, 2006). "Chibi-Robo! GameCube Review". Eurogamer. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  10. ^ Skip Ltd. (February 8, 2006). Chibi-Robo! (GameCube). Nintendo. Telly: He started a trend known as Giga Robo Fever a long time ago. But his energy consumption was too high and his popularity plummeted.
  11. ^ Skip Ltd. (February 8, 2006). Chibi-Robo! (GameCube). Nintendo. Mrs. Sanderson: I'm sorry, but you've pushed me to the edge. The only option I've got left is... divorce.
  12. ^ Skip Ltd. (February 8, 2006). Chibi-Robo! (GameCube). Nintendo. Mr. Sanderson: I designed the Spydorz to be your friends, Chibi-Robo. But then the company reprogrammed them to be hostile and cruel. And that's why I quit Macrowave Robotics Inc.!
  13. ^ Skip Ltd. (February 8, 2006). Chibi-Robo! (GameCube). Nintendo. Aliens: Friend second wish... 'For Sandersons and Giga-Robos in the world... Give body that does not need energy.' But... no more balls of light in spaceship... No more balls of light in spaceship! We return to our home. And... we bring back ball of light again!
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Williams, Bryn (February 7, 2006). "Reviews: Chibi-Robo". GameSpy. IGN. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  15. ^ a b c IGN Staff (April 17, 2003). "Chibi Robo - GameCube Preview". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  16. ^ IGN Staff (February 19, 2004). "Chibi Robo in Limbo". IGN. Retrieved May 26, 2008.
  17. ^ Gantayat, Anoop (October 29, 2004). "Nintendo Picks Up Chibi Robo!". IGN. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  18. ^ IGN Staff (November 29, 2004). "Nintendo Supports Cube". IGN. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  19. ^ Parkin, Simon (October 13, 2010). "JRPG Producer Looks To Twitter To Help Secure A Publisher". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  20. ^ GamesTM staff (2010). "Behind the Scenes LOL: Lack of Love". GamesTM. The Ultimate Retro Companion. Imagine Publishing (3): 117. ISSN 1448-2606. OCLC 173412381.
  21. ^ ちびロボ! (ワンダーライフスペシャル―任天堂公式ガイドブック) [単行本] (in Japanese). ASIN 4091062520.
  22. ^ a b "Chibi-Robo!". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2017.
  23. ^ a b c d Mielke, James (February 7, 2006). . 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  24. ^ "Chibi-Robo! (review)". Edge. No. 153. Future Publishing. September 2005. p. 86. ISSN 1350-1593.
  25. ^ Arc (June 17, 2005). . N-Europe. Archived from the original on December 9, 2006. Retrieved December 18, 2010.
  26. ^ a b c d e f g h i Satterfield, Shane (March 7, 2006). "Chibi-Robo Review for GC". G4. Retrieved March 29, 2011.
  27. ^ a b c Zoss, Jeremy (February 2006). . Game Informer. No. 154. GameStop. p. 108. ISSN 1067-6392. Archived from the original on June 14, 2006.
  28. ^ a b c d e f g h i Cassamassina, Matt (4 February 2006). "Chibi-Robo - GameCube Review". IGN. Retrieved July 17, 2010.
  29. ^ East, Tom (2009-02-17). . Official Nintendo Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2013-12-05.
  30. ^ Gudmundsen, Jinny (February 24, 2006). "Adult issues mar what could have been charming game". USA Today. Gannett Company. ISSN 0734-7456. Retrieved April 2, 2011.
  31. ^ Computer Games Magazine staff (October 2006). "Saving the Family". Computer Games Magazine. No. 190. TheGlobe.com. ISSN 1095-1385.
  32. ^ a b Thomas, Lucas M. (October 27, 2010). "The GameCube's Rise from the Grave". IGN. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  33. ^ Edge Staff (September 18, 2008). "Captain Rainbow: Absurd Nintendo Nostalgia". Edge. Future plc. Archived from the original on September 8, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  34. ^ Jenkins, David (July 1, 2005). "Japanese Sales Charts, Week Ending June 26th". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
  35. ^ (in Japanese). Geimin.net. Archived from the original on October 9, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  36. ^ Graft, Kris (June 19, 2009). "Japanese Charts: Sega's Infinite Space Topples Kingdom Hearts DS". Gamasutra. UBM plc. Retrieved June 19, 2009.
  37. ^ "2009年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP1000（ファミ通版）" (in Japanese). Geimin.net. Retrieved March 26, 2011.
  38. ^ Klepek, Patrick (October 4, 2007). "Why is Chibi-Robo DS Only at Wal-Mart?". 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2008.
  39. ^ Ishaan (June 30, 2009). "Chibi-Robo Vacuums Riches On The DS". Siliconera. Retrieved June 29, 2006.
  40. ^ Tanaka, John (October 2, 2008). . IGN. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
  41. ^ IGN Staff (April 8, 2009). . IGN. Archived from the original on April 11, 2009. Retrieved April 12, 2009.
  42. ^ Goldfarb, Andrew (18 December 2013). "Chibi-Robo: Photo Finder Gets Western Release Date". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved 2 July 2014.
  43. ^ G. Macy, Seth (May 31, 2015). "Nintendo Announces New Chibi Robo Game and Amiibo". IGN. Retrieved May 31, 2015.
  44. ^ Kuchera, Ben (June 1, 2015). "A new Chibi-Robo! game, complete with amiibo, is coming to the 3DS". Polygon. Retrieved June 1, 2015.

External links

  • Official GameCube version website (in Japanese)
  • Official Wii version website (in Japanese)

May 05, 2023
chibi, robo, video, game, game, series, chibi, robo, series, chibi, robo, platform, adventure, video, game, developed, bandai, skip, published, nintendo, gamecube, console, released, japan, 2005, north, america, europe, following, year, originally, conceived, . For the game series see Chibi Robo series Chibi Robo a is a platform adventure video game developed by Bandai and Skip Ltd and published by Nintendo for the GameCube console It was released in Japan in 2005 and in North America and Europe the following year Originally conceived as a point and click adventure game it was put on developmental hold until Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto gained interest in the title and overhauled its production Chibi Robo North American GameCube cover artDeveloper s Skip Ltd BandaiPublisher s NintendoDirector s Kenichi NishiHiroshi MoriyamaProducer s Kensuke TanabeHiroshi SuzukiDesigner s Sayoko YokoteRyosuke SumidaHiroyuki TakanabeAlberto GonzalezProgrammer s Masaru HoriShunsuke YoshidaJunko MuroyamaComposer s Hirofumi TaniguchiSeriesChibi Robo Platform s GameCube WiiReleaseGameCubeJP June 23 2005 2 NA February 8 2006 1 EU May 26 2006 3 WiiJP June 11 2009 4 Genre s Platform adventureMode s Single playerThe player takes on the role of the eponymous Chibi Robo a 10 centimeter tall robot owned by the Sanderson family Gameplay revolves around navigating a household and collecting Happy Points by completing various tasks from housework to helping solve the dilemmas of the Sanderson family and the numerous living toys that inhabit their household Every action consumes energy requiring the player to recharge using electrical outlets Chibi Robo was generally well received with praise for the premise the charming storyline and sound design However some gameplay mechanics and the quality of the graphics drew some criticism Sales of Chibi Robo were modest It spawned several sequels For the Nintendo DS Chibi Robo Park Patrol was released in 2007 and Okaeri Chibi Robo Happy Richie Ōsōji was released in 2009 the latter being a Japan exclusive For the Nintendo 3DS Chibi Robo Photo Finder was released in Japan in 2013 and in North America in 2014 and Chibi Robo Zip Lash was released in 2015 The original Chibi Robo saw a Japanese re release in 2009 for the Wii as part of the New Play Control series Contents 1 Plot 2 Gameplay 3 Development 4 Reception 5 Legacy 6 Notes 7 References 8 External linksPlot EditChibi Robo takes place in a 1960s style American home and revolves around a tiny highly advanced house cleaning robot of the same name 5 6 given as a birthday gift to the socially withdrawn eight year old Jenny Sanderson by her father George This is much to the dismay of Jenny s mother Helen a homemaker who is constantly stressed over how much money her husband spends on toys despite his unemployment he originally worked at a toy company called Macroware Robotics Inc 7 Chibi Robo is packaged with a small Chibi House and an assistant named Telly Vision who speaks on his behalf 8 Each of the one million Chibi Robos in the world is supposed to collect Happy Points by doing good deeds for their owners and must occasionally charge their batteries at electrical outlets 6 9 During the night or when humans are not around in the Sandersons house several toys come to life 9 a superhero action figure named Drake Redcrest a toy caterpillar named Sophie a group of egg shaped army men called the Free Rangers a wooden pirate named Plankbeard a teddy bear named Sunshine a toy fortune teller named The Great Peekoe a brick made T rex named Dinah a toy mummy named Mort a toy princess named Princess Pitts a toy potted flower named Funky Phil and a black and white toy named Primopuel 6 8 Chibi Robo also meets several animals and creatures consisting of two frogs named Freida and Fred a plug headed being named Mr Prongs a bluebird a eggplant like creature called Kid Eggplant and the Sandersons pet dog Tao Chibi Robo eventually finds a large robot in the basement called Giga Robo who was once a companion of the Sandersons but had to be deactivated due to its high electricity consumption 6 10 Chibi Robo attempts to revive Giga Robo by fully charging its massive battery using the Giga charger and makes it a goal to find Giga Robo s missing leg but is attacked by spider like robots called Spydorz When George purchases yet another toy Helen locks herself in her room and tells him that she wants a divorce prompting the rest of the family to do housework in an attempt to make up for it 11 Meanwhile Chibi Robo finds a strange pattern in the backyard and uses his radar to contact an alien species Once the aliens land and greet him Chibi Robo uses a time machine made by the visitors to go into the past to find a code to enter a safe in the master bedroom containing Giga Robo s leg He returns to the present to open the safe but several larger Spydorz are released and capture the Sandersons It is revealed that George originally created the Spydorz to be friends with the Chibi Robos but his toy company reprogrammed them to be hostile it is unknown why causing George to quit his job 12 George upgrades Chibi Robo s blaster weapon allowing the small robot to defeat the Queen Spydor recover Giga Robo s missing leg and rescue the Sandersons Chibi Robo reactivates Giga Robo and the aliens meet them in the backyard The aliens explain that the toys are able to walk and talk due to a request from Giga Robo to give them life and to give all Giga Robos infinite battery power to prevent their energy consumption The aliens could not do the latter at the time and returned to their own planet to obtain the item necessary to grant Giga Robo s wish 13 They then give Giga Robo this ability who shares it with Chibi Robo and the rest of the robots in the world as well eliminating the energy problem Gameplay Edit Cleaning pawprints from the floor using the toothbrush is just one way for the player to earn Happy Points The game s HUD shows the player s remaining time upper left and battery life lower right Chibi Robo is a platform adventure game that puts the player in direct control of a tiny battery powered robot that does housework for humans The objective of the game is to become the top ranked Super Chibi Robo in the world by accumulating Happy Points a collectible gained by doing good deeds for the family and for various toys in the Sandersons home 6 7 8 9 14 In order to do this the player must control Chibi Robo and explore the Sandersons home During exploration Chibi Robo can find a wide variety of things to collect including Moolah the currency of Chibi Robo An important task in gaining Happy Points is to clean up messes around the house such as disposing of trash or scrubbing dirty footprints 7 The player can also interact with and help with the personal problems of the Sandersons and the toys This ranges from solving a plot driving crisis or completing a subquest of simply locating a lost object as a favor 6 8 9 With Chibi Robo s assistant Telly Vision as his speaker the player is often prompted to give either a positive or negative response to each question or request 8 The player loses battery power with every step and action If his battery is not charged before it empties Chibi Robo will collapse and re emerge in the Chibi House having lost half of his Moolah 8 Throughout the house are electrical outlets which the player can plug into to recharge his battery or save his progress 7 14 The player s exploration is limited by a timer representing a full day or full night Once the timer expires Chibi Robo automatically returns to the Chibi House 9 There are three collectibles in the game One is the stickers which can be obtained throughout the game either by completing the game completing quests playing mini games or doing simple tasks for other non player characters The Second is the Frog Rings which can be collected and given to Jenny the daughter of the Sanderson household for Happy Points and a sticker The third is the crayons found throughout the house which can be deposited in a crayon box for Happy Points At the start of both day and night the player begins in the Chibi House where they can charge Chibi Robo s battery save at the electrical outlet or connect to the Citrusoft Chibi PC to purchase a variety of items and power ups with Moolah and use scrap metal to build Utilibots robotic helpers that ease the navigation of the Sandersons home 7 14 The gear available from Citrusoft includes the Chibi Copter used to reach far off points or fly down from a high place safely the Chibi Blaster used to eliminate obstacles and fend off the hostile Spydorz and the Chibi Radar used to detect hidden objects 6 8 There are several other items of the Sandersons that Chibi Robo can find and use These include the toothbrush used to clean up stains the coffee mug used for protection the spoon used to dig holes and the squirter used to hold fluids and squirt them 6 8 Chibi Robo can also gain special costumes throughout the game each of which has its own function 7 For instance if the player poses for Mr Sanderson while wearing The Drake Redcrest costume he will give Chibi Robo Happy Points As more Happy Points are acquired the player s rank increases among all the Chibi Robos in the world At certain ranks Citrusoft will send the player bonus batteries allowing Chibi Robo to roam longer without having to recharge until they earn the status of Super Chibi Robo which earns the player unlimited battery life 14 Development EditChibi Robo was developed by Skip Ltd 6 Chibi Robo was announced in early 2003 with publishing rights held by Bandai Its original projected release date was June 2003 in Japan and spring 2004 in North America 15 Unlike the released version of Chibi Robo the beta version entailed the player training Chibi Robo to defend the home of his inventor from a pair of burglars The gameplay was different as well instead of a platform adventure game it played like a point and click adventure title where the player was not in direct control of Chibi Robo but was rather conveying commands to him by clicking a cursor around the area 5 15 The protagonist was also to learn and develop depending on the choices the player made for him 15 This incarnation of Chibi Robo was ultimately put on indefinite hold and disappeared from the media 16 Shigeru Miyamoto was eventually introduced to the game by fellow Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe 6 Miyamoto took a personal interest in the character of Chibi Robo and signed on as the game s senior producer The development of Chibi Robo was revamped with Nintendo acting as its new publisher 6 17 18 Chibi Robo was in development for four years from start to finish 5 Director Kenichi Nishi had previous development credits such as Chrono Trigger Moon Remix RPG Adventure and Incredible Crisis 19 Nishi s approach to game design even with Chibi Robo was to always take a standard orthodox method and crash it twist it or create a totally different direction 6 The reason Nishi chose to make the majority of the cast toys is because humans are too big to interact with Chibi Robo and create all the drama and that it added a sense of fantasy to the experience 6 The family dog Tao had appeared in Nishi s previous games Moon Remix RPG Adventure and L O L Lack of Love The director based the dog on his own pet because he felt that the black and white color is very simple and universal 20 Despite the game s overall happy attitude the game designers put some emphasis on serious topics such as divorce loneliness pollution and loss in which Nishi said If we only concentrate on cheerful fun we ll lose depth There s nothing surprising for people if the game looks cheerful and the experience is cheerful There are no surprises or unexpected things Still rather than use these topics as major themes for the player Nishi felt it would be more effective to bring them in as ordinary things to enhance the adventure of daily life 6 The music and sound in Chibi Robo were composed by Hirofumi Taniguchi He wanted to make unique sound patterns and motifs for each character and even used human voices to create the system sounds such as on the menu selections 6 All of the noises made by Chibi Robo s actions were phrased Taniguchi used both woodwind and electronic instruments for the character s actions the former because Chibi s actions are not ordinary robotlike actions and the latter because he did not want to totally eliminate his mechanical characteristics 6 Different background music is played for the day and night cycles but they lack melody because Chibi Robo s footsteps create a melody at random The tempo of his footsteps was designed to match the background music if he picks up his plug to walk faster the music speeds up 6 All of the game s music was compiled on the Chibi Robo Limited Soundtrack a CD released alongside an official 142 page guidebook and published by Shogakukan in Japan in August 2005 21 Reception EditReceptionAggregate scoreAggregatorScoreMetacritic75 out of 100 22 Review scoresPublicationScore1Up comB 23 Edge8 out of 10 24 Eurogamer8 out of 10 9 Famitsu35 out of 40 25 G4 26 Game Informer5 out of 10 27 GameSpot7 1 out of 10 8 GameSpy 14 IGN8 2 out of 10 28 Chibi Robo has enjoyed a generally favorable critical reception 22 Official Nintendo Magazine ranked it the 88th best game available on Nintendo platforms The staff felt that it was the GameCube s last classic 29 Critics Greg Mueller of GameSpot Mathew Kumar of Eurogamer Bryn Williams of GameSpy Shane Satterfield of G4 and Matt Casamassina of IGN all applauded the game s charming setting compelling storyline and complex characters 8 9 14 26 28 Casamassina found that the fashion in which the main plot and objectives are sewn together is part of the reason the game is enjoyable 28 Mueller Kumar and Satterfield noted endearing charismatic qualities among the various toy characters 8 9 26 Kumar heeded Chibi Robo as honestly one of the most touching games I ve played in ages in which the player often becomes engrossed in events that pan out like miniature plays with love triangles nay love dodecahedrons between toys and some scenes with a real pathos behind them 9 Considering the joyous atmosphere of Chibi Robo Satterfield was pleasantly surprised at its inclusion of controversial topics like divorce and its possible distortion of a target audience 26 This attribute was criticized by Jinny Gudmundsen a columnist for USA Today who thought that the interpersonal issues negate the game s overall charm and render it inappropriate for younger children 30 Writers for Computer Games Magazine praised Chibi Robo by interpreting deep symbolic meaning in its more subtle aspects The publication found the game to use overarching narrative arcs and stock melodramatic devices among the Sandersons dysfunctional interactions emotional crisis points downtime and rhythms and cycles of action between its day and night events and evocative music as a way for characters to communicate their feelings 31 Opinions on the gameplay of Chibi Robo have been mixed Among the more positive reactions Casamassina assessed the cleaning mechanics as very fun and very rewarding while Kumar compared the game to the Story of Seasons series due to both entities convert seemingly boring tasks into something fun 9 28 James Mielke of 1UP com similarly enjoyed the near constant sense of discovery and the tiny details included by Skip with earning Happy Points and Moolah 23 Casamassina Mielke and Williamson were satisfied that they had to frequently recharge Chibi Robo but Mueller was dismayed to have to stop one s current task in order to find an outlet 8 9 14 28 The GameSpot contributor was also aggravated with the mere five minute intervals for the day and night cycles which he considered a major interruption of the game s pacing 14 Contrarily Kumar felt the pacing was appropriate and Williamson viewed the feature as a flexible difficulty level setting 9 14 Satterfield proclaimed that although the gameplay is somewhat varied most of it is constituted by the tedious location and collection of objects for the non player characters 26 Jeremy Zoss of Game Informer was displeased with the game as whole and wrote that it was not a platformer but more of a 3D adventure game composed entirely of fetch quests and repetitive menial labor 27 The audio design of Chibi Robo particularly its integration of different instrumental tones for the hero s various actions was lauded by the press 8 23 26 Kumar felt that its utilization of sound could be the seed of a new way of using music in games 9 Casamassina commented Few developers would be brave enough to create a title whose main character generates varying musical notes whenever he takes a step but this is exactly what Chibi does and it s actually very whimsical and cute 28 Although many critics appreciated the bright and colorful features of the accompanying aesthetics they also judged the graphical presentation as dated 8 14 23 27 Casamassina encountered low polygon 3D models and a below average frame rate Satterfield stated the game operated at Dreamcast level 26 28 Other portions of Chibi Robo were assessed as unpolished as well Several sources noted the game s default camera system to be unwieldy combersome or frustrating at times 9 14 26 28 However Mueller noted that switching to the top down or first person viewpoints and the ability to center the camera behind Chibi Robo alleviates most of its problems 8 Satterfield and Casamassina regarded the cutscenes as awkward and repetitive the former of the two claimed that they amount to ugly characters recycling the same animation routine over and over while gibberish comes from their gaping maws 26 28 Kumar perceived the game s combat to be messy uninteresting and entirely unnecessary 9 Chibi Robo was not a significant commercial success 32 33 According to Media Create the GameCube version was the fourth best selling game in Japan for its week ending June 26 2005 with nearly 29 000 copies sold 34 The game managed to sell 97 879 units in Japan alone by the end of 2005 35 The Wii port of the game did not fare as well it only sold 11 000 copies in Japan for the week ending June 14 2009 and a total of 38 573 copies throughout the remainder of that year 36 37 Legacy EditChibi Robo received a sequel in 2007 for the Nintendo DS called Chibi Robo Park Patrol which follows a different Chibi Robo as it attempts to revitalize a park Nintendo established a deal with Wal Mart for the exclusive rights to sell it in the United States 38 A second sequel for the DS titled Okaeri Chibi Robo Happy Richie Ōsōji saw a Japanese release in 2009 It involves yet another Chibi Robo vacuuming dirt for money within the home of an adult Jenny 39 The original Chibi Robo was re released as part of New Play Control a selection of Wii remakes of GameCube games 40 The remake features special Wii Remote controls for the game s tools Aiming the remote allows the player to change perspective while pointing it at interactive objects with will be identified with a sound 41 The remake was released in Japan on June 11 2009 but Nintendo of America did not permit an English release 4 32 A fourth game in the series Chibi Robo Photo Finder was released in 2013 for the Nintendo 3DS 42 The fifth game in the series titled Chibi Robo Zip Lash was released in October 2015 for the Nintendo 3DS 43 44 Notes Edit ちびロボ lit Mini Robo in Japanese and fully titled Chibi Robo Plug Into Adventure in EnglishReferences Edit Adams David February 8 2006 Chibi Robo Marches into Stores IGN Retrieved October 15 2009 Famitsu staff June 17 2005 ちびロボ がプラチナ殿堂入り Famitsu in Japanese Enterbrain Retrieved March 26 2011 Riley Adam February 28 2006 Chibi Robo Set to Clean Up Europe Cubed3 Retrieved March 26 2011 a b Spencer April 16 2009 New Play Control Closes In June With Chibi Robo And Metroid Prime 2 Siliconera Retrieved May 12 2009 a b c Nintendo staff プラグをかついで プレイレポート in Japanese Nintendo Retrieved March 26 2011 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Hoffman Chris March 2006 Breaking the Mold Chibi Robo Nintendo Power No 201 Redmond Washington Nintendo of America pp 28 33 ISSN 1041 9551 a b c d e f Nintendo staff ed 2006 Chibi Robo Plug Into Adventure instruction booklet Nintendo of America Inc pp 6 22 DL DOL GGTE USA a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Mueller Greg February 6 2006 Chibi Robo Review for GameCube GameSpot CBS Interactive Retrieved July 16 2010 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Kumar Mathew March 15 2006 Chibi Robo GameCube Review Eurogamer Retrieved March 26 2011 Skip Ltd February 8 2006 Chibi Robo GameCube Nintendo Telly He started a trend known as Giga Robo Fever a long time ago But his energy consumption was too high and his popularity plummeted Skip Ltd February 8 2006 Chibi Robo GameCube Nintendo Mrs Sanderson I m sorry but you ve pushed me to the edge The only option I ve got left is divorce Skip Ltd February 8 2006 Chibi Robo GameCube Nintendo Mr Sanderson I designed the Spydorz to be your friends Chibi Robo But then the company reprogrammed them to be hostile and cruel And that s why I quit Macrowave Robotics Inc Skip Ltd February 8 2006 Chibi Robo GameCube Nintendo Aliens Friend second wish For Sandersons and Giga Robos in the world Give body that does not need energy But no more balls of light in spaceship No more balls of light in spaceship We return to our home And we bring back ball of light again a b c d e f g h i j k Williams Bryn February 7 2006 Reviews Chibi Robo GameSpy IGN Retrieved March 26 2011 a b c IGN Staff April 17 2003 Chibi Robo GameCube Preview IGN Retrieved May 26 2008 IGN Staff February 19 2004 Chibi Robo in Limbo IGN Retrieved May 26 2008 Gantayat Anoop October 29 2004 Nintendo Picks Up Chibi Robo IGN Retrieved March 26 2011 IGN Staff November 29 2004 Nintendo Supports Cube IGN Retrieved March 26 2011 Parkin Simon October 13 2010 JRPG Producer Looks To Twitter To Help Secure A Publisher Gamasutra UBM plc Retrieved March 26 2011 GamesTM staff 2010 Behind the Scenes LOL Lack of Love GamesTM The Ultimate Retro Companion Imagine Publishing 3 117 ISSN 1448 2606 OCLC 173412381 ちびロボ ワンダーライフスペシャル 任天堂公式ガイドブック 単行本 in Japanese ASIN 4091062520 a b Chibi Robo Metacritic Retrieved February 26 2017 a b c d Mielke James February 7 2006 Chibi Robo Review for GC 1UP com Ziff Davis Archived from the original on October 18 2012 Retrieved March 26 2011 Chibi Robo review Edge No 153 Future Publishing September 2005 p 86 ISSN 1350 1593 Arc June 17 2005 News Famitsu Review Scores N Europe Archived from the original on December 9 2006 Retrieved December 18 2010 a b c d e f g h i Satterfield Shane March 7 2006 Chibi Robo Review for GC G4 Retrieved March 29 2011 a b c Zoss Jeremy February 2006 Reviews Chibi Robo Game Informer No 154 GameStop p 108 ISSN 1067 6392 Archived from the original on June 14 2006 a b c d e f g h i Cassamassina Matt 4 February 2006 Chibi Robo GameCube Review IGN Retrieved July 17 2010 East Tom 2009 02 17 Nintendo Feature 100 Best Nintendo Games Part One Official Nintendo Magazine Archived from the original on 2012 04 14 Retrieved 2013 12 05 Gudmundsen Jinny February 24 2006 Adult issues mar what could have been charming game USA Today Gannett Company ISSN 0734 7456 Retrieved April 2 2011 Computer Games Magazine staff October 2006 Saving the Family Computer Games Magazine No 190 TheGlobe com ISSN 1095 1385 a b Thomas Lucas M October 27 2010 The GameCube s Rise from the Grave IGN Retrieved March 26 2011 Edge Staff September 18 2008 Captain Rainbow Absurd Nintendo Nostalgia Edge Future plc Archived from the original on September 8 2012 Retrieved March 26 2011 Jenkins David July 1 2005 Japanese Sales Charts Week Ending June 26th Gamasutra UBM plc Retrieved September 2 2008 2005年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP500 ファミ通版 in Japanese Geimin net Archived from the original on October 9 2014 Retrieved March 26 2011 Graft Kris June 19 2009 Japanese Charts Sega s Infinite Space Topples Kingdom Hearts DS Gamasutra UBM plc Retrieved June 19 2009 2009年テレビゲームソフト売り上げTOP1000 ファミ通版 in Japanese Geimin net Retrieved March 26 2011 Klepek Patrick October 4 2007 Why is Chibi Robo DS Only at Wal Mart 1UP com Ziff Davis Archived from the original on September 4 2012 Retrieved March 26 2008 Ishaan June 30 2009 Chibi Robo Vacuums Riches On The DS Siliconera Retrieved June 29 2006 Tanaka John October 2 2008 First Look Wii de Asobu Pikmin IGN Archived from the original on October 5 2008 Retrieved October 5 2008 IGN Staff April 8 2009 Chibi Robo Detailed IGN Archived from the original on April 11 2009 Retrieved April 12 2009 Goldfarb Andrew 18 December 2013 Chibi Robo Photo Finder Gets Western Release Date IGN Ziff Davis Retrieved 2 July 2014 G Macy Seth May 31 2015 Nintendo Announces New Chibi Robo Game and Amiibo IGN Retrieved May 31 2015 Kuchera Ben June 1 2015 A new Chibi Robo game complete with amiibo is coming to the 3DS Polygon Retrieved June 1 2015 External links EditOfficial GameCube version website in Japanese Official Wii version website in Japanese Portal Video games Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Chibi Robo video game amp oldid 1129418707, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, 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