Portal:Toys/Selected article/11

Chibi-Robo! (ちびロボ！, lit. "Mini-Robo!"), fully titled Chibi-Robo! Plug Into Adventure!, is a platform-adventure video game for the Nintendo GameCube console. It was developed by Skip Ltd. with collaboration from Nintendo. The game was first released in Japan on June 23, 2005, in North America on February 6, 2006, and in Europe on May 26, 2006. Chibi-Robo! puts the player in the role of the titular character, a 10-centimeter-tall robot owned by the Sanderson family. Gameplay revolves around navigating a household and collecting "Happy Points". These points are accumulated by completing various tasks from housework to helping solve the dilemmas of the Sanderson family and the numerous living toys that inhabit their household. Every action by the game's battery-powered protagonist consumes energy, requiring the player to recharge using the home's electrical outlets. Originally conceived as a point-and-click adventure game, Chibi-Robo! was put on developmental hold until Nintendo producer Shigeru Miyamoto gained interest in the title and overhauled its production. Chibi-Robo! was generally well received by critics, with most reviewers finding the game to have an interesting premise, a charming storyline, and excellent sound design. However, reactions to its various gameplay mechanics were decidedly mixed between those that found them unique and rewarding and those who found them boring and tedious.