Chibi-Robo! Review

From Mario’s candy-coloured platformers that saw the chubby hero growing and shrinking in rapid succession, to the traps in Pokémon that could capture anything from a rat to beasts the size of a whale, Nintendo titles are well-known for toying with gamers’ sense of scale. And in putting players in charge of a robot no taller than a Visa card, Chibi-Robo! continues the Japanese behemoth’s obsession with size. Playing as said automaton, you’re thrust into an outsized home to tidy the clutter left by a dysfunctional family, these chores increasing the happiness of the household and rewarding your shiny hero with domestic upgrades. But even though Chibi-Robo!’s primitive graphics and unresponsive controls let the side down, its surreal set-pieces and quirky characters boast a rare, indisputable charm.