I’ve always been cautious about agreeing to review 2DS/3DS games for Nintendo because the 3DS doesn’t get a huge amount of use in our house. We adore our Wii U, and play with it a lot, but the 3DS hasn’t (yet) been as much of a hit. The kids have had the odd play with it, but it generally doesn’t hold their interest for long before they’re back to their iPads. However, when Nintendo offered me a review copy of Chibi-Robo Zip Lash with its robot hero I had to say yes because, well, robots.
The geekson loves robots. He has a cuddly R2D2 beside his bed, and is completely in love with the BB-8 we got him for Christmas. So I had a feeling that if any game was going to draw him into the 3DS it would be one starring a cute little robot!
Chibi-Robo Zip Lash is a 2D, sideways scrolling platform game, where the little robot hero (who apparently debuted in a Nintendo GameCube game) has to jump from level to level and use his power lead (the “zip lash” of the title) to swing across gaps. It also doubles as a whip-like weapon which can be used to defeat enemies. There is some story arc around him having to save resources from miniature invading aliens, and collect rubbish that he comes across on his way, but I must confess I’m not one for the stories, I am all about the gameplay. And I have to say the gameplay is really good. I found it instantly appealing, and played it for longer than I generally would play a game of this type. I wasn’t wrong about the geekson’s reaction to it either. I only had to show him how to make the little robot walk around and jump, and then he took the 3DS off me and played it until the battery went flat! Since then he has consistently gone back to the 3DS to play this game.
I knew there would come a time when my kids were better than me at video games, but I thought I would have a bit longer yet. But no, whilst researching for this review I reached a part of the game where I couldn’t figure out what to do next. I took the 3DS to my five year old son, who took it off me, completed the bit I was finding tricky, showed me a couple of moves I hadn’t discovered yet and handed it back. So Chibi-Robo Zp Lash is officially the first game I had to get my son to help me with! It’s all downhill from here, I am sure.
Chibi-Robo Zip Lash is available in the Nintendo e-Store for £24.99, where you can also find a free downloadable demo which allows you to try the game out before you buy. You can access the e-Store by pressing the little orange shopping bag icon on your 2DS or 3DS. You can buy a physical copy of Chibi-Robo Zip Lash from Amazon for £15.98, or you can buy a copy of the game bundled with the very cute little Chibi-Robo amiibo for £26.98. The game is rated as PEGI 7, which means it is suitable for ages 7 and older and may contain mild or unrealistic violence (e.g. violence in a cartoon context), or elements that can be frightening to younger children. To be honest we haven’t found anything in the game to upset the five-year-old geekson, and I have no issues with him playing it. He and I both think it is a fun little platformer with a cute hero, and we’ve spent a lot of time playing it so far, with still more to come! We give it 5 stars.
Disclosure: I was provided with a free copy of Chibi-Robo Zip Lash for review purposes. All words and opinions are my own. The Amazon links within this review contain my affiliate ID – if you make a purchase after clicking I will receive a very small commission payment at no additional cost to you. I recommend Amazon because I use them personally.
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