Cleril
12-31-2009, 08:06 PM
Chibi-Robo (Robo from now on) is a game by Nintendo that actually takes a chance with something a bit new. Rather than have a game like Shadow of The Colossus where you are a tiny thing fighting a big thing, Robo instead has you become a servant for a lazy family with a dirty house. It's a mix of adventure, puzzle, platforming, and action games. Yes, I said action...this is not entirely a kiddie game. Your job is to clean, scrub, and...talk to toys. It may sound dull but it actually can be defined as, fun.
http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/gcn/4287/box-l.jpg
Let's get this out of the way now, the plot is crap. Did you expect something more? Probably not but if you did, there you go. You are bought by a family (whom I forgot the name of) and then sent to clean there house. Soon enough though you learn that there was a model of robot before you, that was like you in every way except that it was bigger and in turn used more electricity to run than you, which is why it has been abandoned. Your goal is to recharge this broken hunk of metal to get it fixed, while dealing with an outbreak of odd creatures the size of well, you. That's not the only part of the story though, the family is slowly falling part. The man of the house is obsessed with toys, the wife does all of the work, and their daughter wears a frog hat while their dog sleeps. Your atypical dysfunctional family.
How does one clean a house when you are just bigger than Captain Olimar? With just a tooth brush, a lazer, and a squirt gun, you too can make the house whole again, by being a maid. With each stain you clean or piece of garbage you throw out you earn points which make you a better Chibi than every other Chibi out there. The more points, the more upgrades and items available from the Chibi Shop. Surprisingly, you get paid by the family and spend this money to buy upgrades such as a bigger battery or a better gun, even something for your sleepy old model. This adds some RPG elements to the game but you generally need everything from the store in order to advance around the house and in turn, the game. Slowly you unlock new rooms, side activities, and find collectibles for those completionists out there. There's a lot to do, besides cleaning that is.
Where's the difficulty you say? Well, instead of a health meter you have a battery, which is constantly going down every millisecond. At first you only get a 80 charge battery but when you reach Chibi Rank 1 you unlock a special outfit and get an infinite battery. How do you get those ranks? By happy points which you get my cleaning the house up. It does take some time to get to rank one and in fact you'll likely beat the game before you do so. But hey, who doesn't want to be a Super Chibi-Robo?
http://i.testfreaks.com/images/products/600x400/91/chibi-robo-plug-into-adventure.416603.jpg
What you see is what you get. This is on the gamecube anyway so what do you expect from the graphics? They aren't terrible but they don't exactly hold up to todays standard. I must say that I do like how everything reflects off the floor and such. Also, isn't that little robot just plain shiny? I think it's cute actually.
The sound is....ugly. Everybody (toys included) speak in an even crappier version of simish while subtitles appear below. Although, if they used actual voice acting for this game....well, do you want to know what something called "Drake Redcrest" would sound like? I know I wouldn't. Chibi makes the typical robots sounds save for how with every step or movement he makes comes a little music sound rather than a rusty squeak. It's a nice touch and doesn't get annoying at all.
Okay, so do I get it?
While the game may seem a bit childish you do have to have some skill to navigate and clean the house. The game is for both casual and hardcore players, don't let those cutesy graphics trick you. There's plenty to collect, buy, upgrade, and find in the house and it doesn't feel like a grind-fest. The story moves at your own pace and even then it's a bit slow to start up and make sense. However when the story ends the game is not over. You are never truly "done" in Robo so your free to always collect more happy points or buy that upgrade. It's an open-ended game that some will like, some will not.
Cleril sometimes wishes Chibi-Robots were real. Just imagine how well they could clean discs!
Cleril Reviews: Afrika - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Afrika (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.158575#3957070)
Cleril Reviews: His Own Game? - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: His Own Game? (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.157375)
Cleril Reviews: Dragon Age: Origins (Xbox 360) - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Dragon Age: Origins Xbox 360 Version (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.154538)
Cleril Reviews: Frequency - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews Frequency (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.150024)
Cleril Reviews: Dead Space: Extraction - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews Dead Space: Extraction (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.151730)
Cleril Reviews: Cursed Mountain - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril's Cursed Mountain Review (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.146561)
Cleril Reviews: World of Goo (Wii) - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : World of Goo: Wii Version (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.121056)
Cleril Reviews: Trauma Center: New Blood -http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.156349
Cleril Reviews: Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.161368)
Cleril Reviews: Shadow of The Colossus - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Shadow of The Colossus (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.162828)
Cleril Reviews: Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit PS2 Version (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.162843#4191018)
Oh, if you want to read a review not written by me but about me check this out: The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Pimpin Reviews: Cleril's Haven (A game created by an Escapist User) (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.164259)
At least, it's mostly about me.
A rating...if you care: 8/10.
http://www.gametab.com/images/ss/gcn/4287/box-l.jpg
Let's get this out of the way now, the plot is crap. Did you expect something more? Probably not but if you did, there you go. You are bought by a family (whom I forgot the name of) and then sent to clean there house. Soon enough though you learn that there was a model of robot before you, that was like you in every way except that it was bigger and in turn used more electricity to run than you, which is why it has been abandoned. Your goal is to recharge this broken hunk of metal to get it fixed, while dealing with an outbreak of odd creatures the size of well, you. That's not the only part of the story though, the family is slowly falling part. The man of the house is obsessed with toys, the wife does all of the work, and their daughter wears a frog hat while their dog sleeps. Your atypical dysfunctional family.
How does one clean a house when you are just bigger than Captain Olimar? With just a tooth brush, a lazer, and a squirt gun, you too can make the house whole again, by being a maid. With each stain you clean or piece of garbage you throw out you earn points which make you a better Chibi than every other Chibi out there. The more points, the more upgrades and items available from the Chibi Shop. Surprisingly, you get paid by the family and spend this money to buy upgrades such as a bigger battery or a better gun, even something for your sleepy old model. This adds some RPG elements to the game but you generally need everything from the store in order to advance around the house and in turn, the game. Slowly you unlock new rooms, side activities, and find collectibles for those completionists out there. There's a lot to do, besides cleaning that is.
Where's the difficulty you say? Well, instead of a health meter you have a battery, which is constantly going down every millisecond. At first you only get a 80 charge battery but when you reach Chibi Rank 1 you unlock a special outfit and get an infinite battery. How do you get those ranks? By happy points which you get my cleaning the house up. It does take some time to get to rank one and in fact you'll likely beat the game before you do so. But hey, who doesn't want to be a Super Chibi-Robo?
http://i.testfreaks.com/images/products/600x400/91/chibi-robo-plug-into-adventure.416603.jpg
What you see is what you get. This is on the gamecube anyway so what do you expect from the graphics? They aren't terrible but they don't exactly hold up to todays standard. I must say that I do like how everything reflects off the floor and such. Also, isn't that little robot just plain shiny? I think it's cute actually.
The sound is....ugly. Everybody (toys included) speak in an even crappier version of simish while subtitles appear below. Although, if they used actual voice acting for this game....well, do you want to know what something called "Drake Redcrest" would sound like? I know I wouldn't. Chibi makes the typical robots sounds save for how with every step or movement he makes comes a little music sound rather than a rusty squeak. It's a nice touch and doesn't get annoying at all.
Okay, so do I get it?
While the game may seem a bit childish you do have to have some skill to navigate and clean the house. The game is for both casual and hardcore players, don't let those cutesy graphics trick you. There's plenty to collect, buy, upgrade, and find in the house and it doesn't feel like a grind-fest. The story moves at your own pace and even then it's a bit slow to start up and make sense. However when the story ends the game is not over. You are never truly "done" in Robo so your free to always collect more happy points or buy that upgrade. It's an open-ended game that some will like, some will not.
Cleril sometimes wishes Chibi-Robots were real. Just imagine how well they could clean discs!
Cleril Reviews: Afrika - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Afrika (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.158575#3957070)
Cleril Reviews: His Own Game? - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: His Own Game? (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.157375)
Cleril Reviews: Dragon Age: Origins (Xbox 360) - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Dragon Age: Origins Xbox 360 Version (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.154538)
Cleril Reviews: Frequency - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews Frequency (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.150024)
Cleril Reviews: Dead Space: Extraction - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews Dead Space: Extraction (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.151730)
Cleril Reviews: Cursed Mountain - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril's Cursed Mountain Review (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.146561)
Cleril Reviews: World of Goo (Wii) - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : World of Goo: Wii Version (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.121056)
Cleril Reviews: Trauma Center: New Blood -http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/jump/326.156349
Cleril Reviews: Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Harvest Moon Sunshine Islands (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.161368)
Cleril Reviews: Shadow of The Colossus - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Shadow of The Colossus (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.162828)
Cleril Reviews: Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit - The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Cleril Reviews: Indigo Prophecy/Fahrenheit PS2 Version (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.162843#4191018)
Oh, if you want to read a review not written by me but about me check this out: The Escapist : Forums : User Reviews : Pimpin Reviews: Cleril's Haven (A game created by an Escapist User) (http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/326.164259)
At least, it's mostly about me.
A rating...if you care: 8/10.