Underground Games: Chibi Robo

This week’s underground game is a perfect example as to why some publishers are afraid of taking a chance on a new IP. Take Nintendo for instance. I’ll never forget one of my first E3s, when I walked out of my first Nintendo conference only to hear most of my colleagues muttering, “they’re just releasing a bunch of Mario games” like it was a bad thing. But when I thought about it, I instantly thought of Chibi Robo and wondered if we could really blame them for leaning on the Mario and Zelda franchises. Chibi Robo had everything you would expect from a first party Nintendo game. While a little weak on the graphics side, it featured colorful environments, tons of charm, witty, yet adorable dialogue spoken in Animal Crossing-esque gibberish, a hilarious cast of characters and innovative, fun game play. I don’t know if it was because it was released at the end of the Gamecube’s life span or if it was simply because the lead character wasn’t wearing a bright red cap, but Chibi Robo was a fantastic game that too many people missed out on.

What could have been described as part housekeeper sim and part Toy Story, players took control of Chibi Robo, one of the newest, top of the line housekeeper robots that are all the rage. Your new owner, known only as “Dad”, spent every last dime on you despite the fact that he’s a lazy good for nothing who hasn’t had a job in months. His wife is getting fed up with his irresponsible behavior and isn’t the happiest to see you. That’s bound to change, since it’s every Chibi Robo’s job to spread happiness to its household. Your manufacturer ranks each robo based on how much happiness it spreads, and it’s your job to become the number one robo and bring peace to your new home.

The game cycles a day and night system, somewhat like Nintendo’s other newer IP: Pikmin. During the day, Chibi explores the house, looking for chores to perform, earning happy points in the process. The home is an open world, somewhat like games such as GTA. Unlike GTA, the only killing you’ll do is with kindness. Players had the choice to either approach family members and accept missions from them, or search for hidden areas that might hold power ups, upgrades or the occasional spot to clean on the floor.

When night time hits and the family falls asleep, all of the toys in the house come to life and need help from the tiny robo as well. Being the good robot he is, Chibi can tackle a whole new set of missions to spread happiness to the forgotten toys of the house, and some of these are ridiculous in concept. Setting up love connections, assembling an army of egg men… it’s all in a day’s work for Chibi Robo.

So what could make a game essentially about cleaning be so great? For one, the sense of progression rivals Metroid in its balancing. Chibi’s health is represented by his battery, so for every action he takes and every time he takes damage, his battery drains a little bit more (which you want to avoid since dying forces you to lose your happy points and the rest of that cycle in the day). You’ll have to stay close to a wall socket in the beginning, but once upgrades like larger batteries, the blaster and propeller are unlocked, Chibi can venture farther into the house, finding more mysteries to solve, more people to help and more mysteries to discover.

And I can’t talk about Chibi Robo without talking about the small charms that make it so fun to play. From the interactive music that plays with every unique action, to his awesome facial expressions. His sidekick, Telly Vision, is a tiny bug eyed squack box who talks a little too much, but it’s usually for the better. The game is pure craziness, with a silly sub plot about evil robots who are determined to stop the Chibi Robo’s from spreading happiness (who can be blown away for extra parts), a daughter that only speaks in frog, and downright marital distress. It’s easily one of Nintendo’s more ridiculous concepts, but it worked so well.

So throughout the course of a game about cleaning, you will hopefully save a marriage, destroy otherworldly robots, become a wingman for some toy on toy action and maybe even save a life or two. The game’s only low point was after Chibi gets into the top 10, much of the open world aspect is taken away and you’re forced to stick to a strict story path with little direction in the final stretch. Still, the path getting there is such a joy.

If Chibi’s job was to spread positivity through the world, it worked for everyone who gave the game a chance. A Walmart exclusive sequel titled Chibi Robo: Park Patrol was released on the Nintendo DS. A New Play Control version of Chibi Robo and a third, official sequel to the first game’s narrative was released for Japanese Wii’s, but after poor sales of two titles, the big N never brought these over to the States, which is a damn shame (I blame all of you). Nonetheless, Chibi’s legacy lives on, with many of his friends appearing as stickers and Chibi himself showing up as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the little guy isn’t completely forgotten in a stable full of legendary franchises. He may not be Mario or Link, but if you still have a Gamecube or Wii laying around and want to try something new, head over to your nearest bargain bin and give Chibi Robo a try. And no, he won’t dust your Wii off. You’ll have to do that yourself.