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Battery Powered
By Mayhem
Housework. Boring, tedious, a necessary evil. First thing I'd have up against the wall should I be king. And yet after playing this game, everyone needs a Chibi Robo. Small, efficient, never gets tired, always there to help you.
But enough about that. Chibi Robo is, for terrible want of using the s-word, a pseudo sandbox game. There is a main plot running through with tasks required to progress it along, but it is about as predictable as the weather; just when you think it's starting to make sense, another bizarre thing occurs. If you don't want to do something during the game day, then you can go clean up some footprints, or pick up litter, or clean the walls, feed the fish and so on. There is a lot to do in the house to just pass the time if so desired.
This isn’t really surprising considering poor Chibi Robo has been landed in America’s second most dysfunctional family. Dad is an unemployed tinkerer of robotics, mum does just about everything around the house, the daughter thinks she's a frog and the dog plain hates you. A sure-fire winning combination there. And yet by the end you've managed to not only keep the house clean, but transformed the family and brought them back together. It's the journey to reach that point that makes playing Chibi Robo so enjoyable.
That part is down to the game being heavily character driven. Characterisation, plot, emotion and feeling are all evident in the conversations between each person you meet, which is a big credit to the writing and translation team responsible. I say person here, but it covers a broad spectrum of "things". For some strange reason (only explained towards the end of the game), all the toys in the house are alive but stay still when anyone is around, in a very Toy Story like manner. So many of the side quests that can be done involved helping many of these wacky individuals out, be it the con-artist that looks like a teapot, the Lego dinosaur, a funky dancing pot plant or the love-shy caterpillar. It can only really be the product of some crazed Japanese thinking.
Most people's favourite character is likely to be Drake Redcrest, a space ranger with delusions of grandeur and prone to espousing random soundbites of philosophy on the side. Not only is his pomposity and naivety at times incredibly funny, many of his mutterings are equally obtuse in a Monty Python like way. And then there's the pose...
Unlike many games, the whole playing area is open from the start. However Chibi Robo is limited in his range by virtue of his battery charge. In the beginning, it's quite low and admittedly it is a pain to have to recharge fairly often. Once you start helping people and gaining "happy points", you are rewarded with battery upgrades so further travel can be made away from a plug socket. It's an ingenious play device because it doesn't automatically feel like a restriction.
The other plus point is the general lack of directorial help provided. So many games today spoon-feed or lead you in the direction of the next port of call or puzzle solution that it's refreshing to see a game that does not. Sure you may either be told what needs to be done or deduce the next action required, but actually working out how to do it or get there is, for the most part, entirely left on your shoulders. There is always room to experiment, and many times there is often more than one way to achieve a goal.
Stripping away all the secondary parts to the game, the main quest isn't that long. But you'll have so much fun trying out everything and making everyone happy that you won't care about that. Chibi Robo is a delight from start to finish, a game that can be played in bursts or over long periods if the desire to "just complete the next puzzle" comes into effect. Just a pity coming so late in the Cube's life, it'll probably hardly sell.
A caption, yesterday
April 2006
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