Chibi-Robo! Plug into Adventure!

aka: Chibi-Robo!
Moby ID: 21513
GameCube Specs
Note: We may earn an affiliate commission on purchases made via eBay or Amazon links (prices updated 3/26 6:05 PM )

Description official descriptions

Chibi-Robo is a four-inch-tall rechargeable robot whose sole purpose is to make its owners happy. Accompanied by its talkative guide Telly Vision, Chibi-Robo makes its way through the dysfunctional Sanderson household, trying its best to make the family members happy. It won't be easy though - their daughter thinks she's a frog, the wife is furious at the husband for wasting money and makes him sleep on the couch, and, if that wasn't enough, there are reports of spider-like robots out to destroy Chibi-Robo!

Chibi-Robo!: Plug into Adventure! is a platform adventure with a difference - players control a small robot, whose short size means that regular objects like furniture and stairs become gargantuan obstacles for it to overcome. Its battery is consistently draining while not plugged into a wall outlet, and its power consumption increases when it uses tools like its blaster, copter, or radar. Because of this, players must keep an eye on their remaining power and regularly recharge.

The aim of the game is to earn Happy Points to increase Chibi-Robo's rank and become Super Chibi-Robo. This can be achieved by performing simple tasks (such as throwing away trash or cleaning floor stains like muddy footprints) or by making its owners happy, for example by giving a rose as a gift to Jenny, the frog-obsessed daughter. This role-playing aspect of the game is similar to the gathering of "love points" in Moon: Remix RPG Adventure.

Also similarly to Moon and some of its spiritual followers (such as Giftpia), the game world is populated by rather exotic characters, all of which talk in a mysterious gibberish language, with subtitles displayed on the screen.

Spellings

  • Wiiであそぶ ちびロボ! - Japanese spelling of Wii edition
  • ちびロボ! - Japanese GameCube spelling
  • 小小機器人! - Traditional Chinese spelling

Groups +

Screenshots

Promos

Credits (GameCube version)

71 People (60 developers, 11 thanks) · View all

Directors
Game Design
Main System Programming
Programming
Chibi-Robo Animation
Character Animation
Main Map Character Designer
  • hikarin
Map Design
Script & Progress Management
Music
SE
Sound Director
Vocals (Drake Redcrest Forever)
Audio Support (Drake Redcrest Forever)
North American Localization Management
North American Localization
[ full credits ]

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 75% (based on 38 ratings)

Players

Average score: 4.0 out of 5 (based on 25 ratings with 1 reviews)

Another Unique game from the masters at Nintendo!

The Good
I love that Nintendo is willing to "push the envelope " and make unusual and odd games, like Pikmin (1 and 2) and this odd game. It is refreshing to play something other than a super hero, monster, wizard, or sword swinging rogue. I can't recall the last time I ever played a tiny (4 inch) cleaning, happiness generating robot! The game is cute, as are the characters and the game is simple. I love the way, while mute, Chibi-Robo makes cute musical notes with every step and sweet music while using his various tools to clean or accomplish tasks. Just when you think this is some kind of "Sim" game with endless cleaning, it begins to open up into much more. There is a definite story line and you are given specific tasks to move the game along. You must explore a HUGE world that encompasses most of the house, and along the way meet other odd characters, like the toys which only come alive at night when the humans are asleep! They too give you tasks to perform to not only move the story along, but to earn "Happiness Points" which are your reward for making others happy. You also must collect coins to use at your private store and when accumulated to move the story into it's SECOND phase. Without giving too much away, anyone who has played Pikmin 2 will know that hidden attribute. It is a similar ploy used in both these games! Some of the side stories and tasks are so bizarre and so crazy, it is sure to make you laugh, and is great for the kids. There are, as in most games these days, mini games like drag racing, flying, and "training" games for the egg army. Chibi-Robo is great in it's approach, and has lots of gameplay and puzzles to keep you involved. Because of it's unique story and characters, it keeps you on your toes and you never know where it's going and everything is a surprise!

The Bad
At times, especially while collecting coins, cleaning etc. it does get bogged down and tedious. When most of the earlier tasks are done, there seems to be a large stretch of the mid point that most of what you do is clean, collect points/coins/happiness etc. It does get quite boring until you "unlock" the second half.
Some of the characters are odd acting, and one might be considered a mildly racist stereotype (when you see it, you decide).
Perhaps it is the Japanese "translation" of the characters "personalities" and the Japanese take on western/USA characters. The Sandersons seem almost to be a Japanese stereotype or caricature of an American marriage/relationship. While I don't believe it is intentional, but it does seem like the games characters are overblown to make it feel more western. What it does is make them odd and mildly irritating at times.
When dealing with the characters there is no way to speed up or even stop the interaction when started, meaning you must sit through the whole speech/cinematic till it is ended. This bogs down the game is very irritating when you make a mistake and talk to a character when not meaning to, and some of them have VERY long speeches! This is easier to do than you'd expect, because if you are in their proximity, it will launch the character if you press the button, and you either may not notice how close you are to them or some other action may be dangerously close to the character and makes it harder to discriminate the difference.
There really isn't much of a help system, while your pal, Tele Vision does help at times, he too becomes repetitious and unless you revisit some characters/locations, you might miss something that is important to the game. This too is easy to do, as when you do a task for the character, it seems that your interaction with that character is now complete, and you are not aware it is not the case. Again, I think some of this is due to the "Japanese translation" of not just the dialogue, but the game play/action sequences. They SEEM finished and over. There seems to be no reason you need to approach the character again, which is a mistake, and makes you run around in circles trying to figure out what to do next. Again, a unique game like the Pikmin series, but not quite as lush, deep or fulfilling. This isn't as sophisticated as Pikmin. It seems rushed and has an unfinished feel to it. While the worlds are huge and seem detailed, they actually have very little that is truly interactive. Most of the scenery is simply scenery.

The Bottom Line
A fun time waster, it will hold your attention.
Lots of "size puzzles" in that you must figure out how to get to things in a giant world, i.e. climb here, jump there, climb again over here etc. It is fun to try and figure out. You gotta think small!
Some of the tasks and characters are very weird and unexpected. That makes Chibi-Robo fresh and unique. It is an OK game to have in a collection, and is mildly addictive. Fun for everyone, as is no gore of any kind, and is mild enough for any child. The puzzle solving is more for 10 and up, but the cute factor makes if fun for small kids as well. They will like making Robo run around and make his little musical footsteps! Good, not a great game but solid and fun.

GameCube · by Oblio (97) · 2006

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Chibi-Robo! appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

References

The family dog Tao in the game is in fact Kenichi Nishi's own dog (who passed away in 2009). Tao appears in many games designed by Nishi; his first appearance is as Grandma's dog in Moon: Remix RPG Adventure.

Awards

  • 4Players
    • 2006 – #2 Best GameCube Game of the Year

Analytics

MobyPro Early Access

Upgrade to MobyPro to view research rankings!

Related Games

Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder
Released 2013 on Nintendo 3DS
Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol
Released 2007 on Nintendo DS
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash
Released 2015 on Nintendo 3DS
Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!
Released 2009 on Nintendo DS
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash (Amiibo Bundle)
Released 2015 on Nintendo 3DS
Hopper Robo
Released 1983 on Arcade
Robo Pit
Released 1996 on PlayStation, SEGA Saturn
Robo Army
Released 1991 on Neo Geo, 1995 on Neo Geo CD, 2022 on iPhone...
Chibi Maruko-chan: Quiz de Piihyara
Released 1992 on TurboGrafx-16

Related Sites +

  • Chibi-Robo
    Official game web site by Nintendo of America.

Identifiers +

  • MobyGames ID: 21513
  • [ Please login / register to view all identifiers ]

Contribute

Are you familiar with this game? Help document and preserve this entry in video game history! If your contribution is approved, you will earn points and be credited as a contributor.

Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Ben K.

Additional contributors: Unicorn Lynx, chirinea, gamewarrior, Ms. Tea, Patrick Bregger, FatherJack, gbcat.

Game added March 4, 2006. Last modified June 29, 2023.