Chibi-Robo!

About

Chibi-Robo! is a platforming video game developed by Skip Ltd. and published by Nintendo. In the game, the player plays as the titular character Chibi-Robo, a small robot for the Sanderson family, who collects "happy points" by solving dilemmas for the family and other living toys and objects in the household. Each action by Chibi-Robo uses its battery life, requiring the player to charge at one of the household's electrical outlets.

History

Chibi-Robo! was initially conceived as a point-and-click game in 2003.^[1] When the game was put on hold, Nintendo prorducer Shigeru Miyamoto took interest in the character and signed on as senior producer for Chibi-Robo!, and the core gameplay was changed. Chibi Robo! was released on June 23rd, 2005 in Japan and in North America on February 8th, 2006.

The game had several sequels, including _Chibi-Robo!: Park Patrol (2007) and Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji! released for the Nintendo DS, and Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder (2013) and Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash (2015) for the Nintendo 3DS. A remake of the original was released for the Wii in January of 2009.

Reception

The game received generally positive reviews upon release, compiling a score of 75/100 on review-aggregate site Metacritic.^[2] Critics praised the game's charming presentation and characters as well as the intricate plot which featured some surprisingly adult themes such as divorce. They were more divided on gameplay, as some found the charging feature to be frustrating while others felt it added to the experience. The game's graphical presentation was also criticized.

Online Presence

Online, Chibi-Robo! has a small but devoted following. There is a small subreddit for the game with 238 readers.^[3] On YouTube, the game is discussed as one of Nintendo's lesser-known and imperfect but beloved titled. For example, YouTuber yakkocmn posted a video introducing the game to his audience in April of 2017, gaining over 47,000 views (shown below, left). YouTuber Haedox reviewed the game's history in October of 2015, gaining over 60,000 views (shown below, right).

Nintendo's Chibi-Robo On Fire Tweet

On January 10th, 2018, Nintendo tweeted an image of Chibi-Robo on fire, gaining over 15,000 retweets and 48,000 likes (shown below).^[4]

The tweet came after several tweets in which it appeared as though Nintendo were teasing something coming, making fans expect a Nintendo Direct announcement, a semi-regular practice by Nintendo in which they announce upcoming games and surprises.^[5] Though there were several tweets by Nintendo in which they seemed to be toying with their audience's expectations, the image of Chibi-Robo on fire gained the most attention. On /r/Nintendo, a thread about the image gained over 7,700 upvotes.^[6] A thread on ResetEra^[7] speculating about the Nintendo Direct announcement generated over 600 pages and several photoshops inserting Chibi-Robo on fire into various images (shown below).

Meanwhile, other video game brands tweeted back at Nintendo's Chibi-Robo on fire tweet with several of their own characters on fire. For example, the Sonic the Hedgehog Twitter account tweeted to Nintendo a picture of Blaze the Cat, gaining over 2,400 retweets and 12,000 likes (shown below, left). The Mega Man twitter account tweeted a picture of the character Heat Man, gaining similar numbers (shown below, right). When the Nintendo Direct announcement did occur, there was no mention of Chibi-Robo.^[8]

Search Interest

External References