A Look at Chibi-Robo Plug Into Adventure (No Spoilers)

In February of 2006, Chibi-Robo was released in North America for the Nintendo Gamecube. 

Unfortunately, I didn't get to play this game until recently, but I loved it.

"Chibi-Robo Plug into Adventure" has a lot to offer, but one of it's strongest offerings is its charm.

I can't explain the sense of simple joy I had while playing this game. I never played this game as a kid or watched a let's play, but it still felt nostalgic. Perhaps it's that I grew up in the early 2000s and the game is making me nostalgic for that time period.

The game has a cast of colorful, eccentric characters. You have the goofy dad who is presently unemployed and seems to be lazy coupled with childish, but as the game goes on, you learn that there is a lot more to his character. You have the stay at home mom who doesn't like you at first. And finally you have their daughter Jenny who thinks she's a frog.

There are many more characters than just the Sanderson family. There's the family dog, Tao, your sidekick, Telly Vision, plus there is a plethora of toys that have their own personalities and sub plots.

You play as Chibi-Robo, a small toy robot who is purchased for Jenny's birthday. Your goal is to make the family and the other characters in the Sanderson's home happy. As a reward from fixing the NPC's problems and cleaning up messes, you will earn happiness points and in-game currency, which you will use to get items and upgrades. Throughout the game you will meet various NPCs who need your help. Once you complete their arcs you will receive a sticker as a reward. 

Playing as a tiny robot in a normal house can be difficult. Much of the gameplay involves trying to unlock the other rooms in the house. This creates lots of puzzles and the experience of going on an adventure in a seemingly boring place, i.e. a suburban home.

Chibi-Robo has a limited power supply that drains constantly, and drains even more when you use items. Fortunately, there are plugs all over the house that will charge Chibi almost instantly and give you a chance to save your game.

To get around the house you will need to use items like your helicopter blade to glide from platform to platform. I don't want to spoil any of the items you will find, but one of my favorites is the Chibi-Blaster, which you will use to access certain areas. You will also use it to fight rogue robots. When you have defeated the enemy robots you will earn some pieces of scrap which you can use to build a Utilibot.

The Utilibots are robots that can be used to get Chibi to places that it can't get to on its own. They can also be used as teleporters to speed up travel. But keep in mind, that they use Chibi's power supply to run.

Time is an important mechanic of the game. After a certain amount of time, the game will switch from day to night or vice versa. Some NPCs and plot events are time sensitive and can only occur or be interacted with during the day or the night. So thankfully, you can also just switch the time of day so you don't have to wait. You can also pay in-game currency to get more time added to the day and night cycles.

Over all I really enjoyed the game. My only real complaint is that sometimes it wasn't clear on what I was suppose to do and I got stuck . Other than that I loved the game. The story and zany characters were great. I really enjoyed helping out and learning about the Sandersons. 

The game is pretty easy. None of the puzzles or platforming task are all that difficult, but they are still fun to do.

I just wish they would make a sequel. They did release a game for the Nintendo DS called "Chibi-Robo Park Patrol" in 2007 and then "Chibi-Robo Zip Lash" in 2015 for the 3DS, but both of these games are side scrolling platformers and not the kind of games fans have been hoping for.

Maybe we will see a proper sequel in the not to distant future. Until then, we still have the original Chibi-Robo and I would recommend it to any one who enjoys fun.