Zip it good
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash for the 3DS seemingly came out of nowhere and captured our hearts, or at the very least mine.
Nintendo describes it as a “whipping platformer,” which is a phrase I’m not familiar with. But after playing, I assume it means games like Castlevania and Bionic Commando. Chibi-Robo uses his plug much like the whip in Castlevania to take out enemies, and also to attach to certain surfaces much like the bionic arm in Bionic Commando.
Most of the time Chibi will be exploring levels looking for a plethora of hidden items, be them collectibles or upgrades that power up or extend his plug whilst solving platforming puzzles. Occasionally you’ll be fighting bosses, whipping them to their demise.
The Chibi-Robo amiibo included with the game can be used to power up the character and make it a bit easier. There are also other purposes Nintendo isn’t letting us know yet, or so its Treehouse stream seems to allude to. While the game runs on both the 3DS and New 3DS hardware, currently amiibo can only be used on the N3DS as the adapter for the original 3DS line is still missing in action — but it’s expected to arrive sometime this year.
Fans of both Metroid and platformers will want to pick up Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash. It may be linear, but it is the closest thing to Metroid Nintendo is releasing this year and the platforming is great. Nintendo has promised a great deal of collectibles that will take some time to 100%, so maybe by the time you’re finished there will be a new proper Metroid game announced. As if.
