Ah, the Sandersons. This small family is definitely having some problems. The Dad is out of a job and loafs around the house all day. The Mom is trying to figure out the finances and has kicked the hubby out of the bedroom. The daughter, Jenny, is dressed up like a frog and not only refuses to take off the costume, but also only speaks in some bizarre “ribbit ribbit” language. Then there’s the dog, Tao, who likes to chew on toys and just might come after poor little Chibi-Robo. The game begins with Jenny having a birthday. Her dad gives her a Chibi-Robo as a gift, which ticks Mom off because they don’t have the money to afford such an expensive toy. Chibi-Robo comes with his helicopter friend, Telly-Vision, who offers advice throughout the game. From the very start, the game exhibits a strange humor that permeates throughout the entire game. Strange things will happen, for apparently no reason, and you just have to resign yourself to go with the flow.

So, what is the object of Chibi-Robo? You begin the game with only 5 minutes allowed for the day. In this time, Chibi can explore the living room area. Being only 4 inches tall, simple items like a wastebasket tower over his head. In the corner of the screen is a battery meter that is constantly draining. Walking and running deplete the meter faster. Climbing really drains the old battery. Chibi-Robo drags behind him a plug-in. To reenergize his power simply find a wall outlet and plug him in. Scattered throughout the living room are pieces of trash. Chibi-Robo can earn some Happy Points by collecting the trash and depositing it in the trashcan. There are also coins that can be collected. These are affectionately called “Moolah”. Saving up moolah will allow Chibi to outfit himself with new accessories. Early on in the game he will come across Mr. Sanderson’s toothbrush on the floor. This tool will allow him to clean up the dirty footprints and spills found all around the floor. This earns more Happy Points. These points translate into upgraded battery life, which is necessary to explore more rooms of the house.

After the short 5 minutes are over, Chibi is transported back to his little house where he can save, purchase upgrades, and see how many Happy Points he’s collected thus far. Upon exiting the house it’s now nighttime and another 5 minutes is on the clock. As you can probably imagine, 5 minutes isn’t a whole lot of time to explore. Luckily, for very little moolah, Chibi can purchase 10 or 15-minute timers that give him plenty of time to analyze his surroundings. Immediately noticeable at night is that the toys come alive. Throughout the game Chibi will encounter many different toys, each often having a dilemma that needs to be solved.

The game plays like any typical action-platform game. Chibi can run, walk, and climb around the surroundings. He also has a built-in “Go-Go-Gadget” helicopter inside his head that can be used to hover greater distances. He will obtain new gadgets throughout the game that will aid in solving puzzles and finding ways to gain even more coveted Happy Points. Since his battery is always draining, it’s very important to keep a close eye on his energy levels. Luckily, each area has a map that shows where the outlets are, so it’s usually not too difficult to get back in time to plug him in. If for some reason he does reach zero battery life, then he’s warped back to the Chibi-House and he loses some moolah to pay for his mistake.

When I first played Chibi-Robo and explored the vast living room I immediately thought of Toy Commander on Dreamcast. The game has a very similar graphical style to that one, but this one focuses more on exploration and platforming instead of vehicles. The graphics are pretty plain. There are some nice reflections and the rooms can be quite big, but there’s really nothing special going on that couldn’t have been done even on a Dreamcast. The game is progressive scan though, which is nice if you have the cables and the TV to support it. The sound effects and music are very unique to the game. As Chibi walks around his footsteps create musical notes. These change depending on the surface, so walking on carpet sounds different from walking on tile. Using the helicopter or climbing all sound different and really add to the odd flavor already present. The music is simply “there”. I can’t really say it was bad or good, but the sound effects seem to take priority. I never tired of the unique sound style of the game, but I could see how some would find it annoying after extended periods of play.

Chibi-Robo is one of the most unique games I’ve played. It combines traditional gameplay with a strange story, zany characters, and lots of charm. Many times during the game I’d simply smile or chuckle at what I had to do next. It’s clearly not a game for everyone, but those that are open minded and looking for a fun time will find Chibi-Robo delivers. Really the only nagging problems with the game are the simplistic graphics and the camera, which sometimes refuses to go where you want it. If you’re looking for something different from the norm, I highly suggest giving Chibi-Robo a try.