A long, long time ago, there was a little purple video game machine known as the GameCube. It was home to may a whimsical game, but none quite as lovable and absurd as Chibi-Robo!, a game about doing chores as 10-centimeter-tall robot.
~ Chibi-Robo ~
I’ll put this right up front: Chibi-Robo is my number one most wanted Smash Bros character. I know that I’m coming up with all sorts of wacky ideas in the coming weeks about characters I’d like to see included as playable fighters, but if Chibi-Robo made it in to the mix I’d never ask for anything again.
Like I said, Chibi-Robo is a 10-centimeter-tall robot. He also has a (comparatively) massive plug hanging out of his butt. This may not seem like an ideal fighter. But things are not always as they seem in Smash, and I don’t think anyone’s heart would be broken if Cheebo was scaled up so that he would stand a chance against the rest of the brawlers.
The cord, though? That’s going to be a big part of the character. A handful of fighters have their own weird gimmicks; in fact, most of the Smash Bros 4 newcomers have a unique element to them. Cheebo’s is his plug. First and foremost, it’s going to add some weight to the otherwise lightweight robot. This is important, because he’s going to look like a light character (he’s made out of recycled aluminum, after all), but move a little slower and have a little more knockback resistance than you’d expect.
I have more to say about the plug, but smash attacks come first, yes? Forward smash is going to be the Chibi-Blaster, which I thought might be a special, but putting it on a smash instead allows for more creativity with those special moves. Chibi-Blaster works exactly the way you’d think. Up smash will have Chibi-Robo flip open his head and shoot out a little firework. Down smash can just have Cheebo spin around and sweep his opponents’ legs with his plug.
As for special attacks, Cheebo’s down special will be somewhat of a variable attack. Executing down special once will have Chibi-Robo hoist up his plug. From there, he can throw it forward or upward a short distance, and then it’ll snap back behind him. If you do down special again while holding the plug, Cheebo will plug it into the ground (a socket will appear from nowhere) and power up. Over time, Cheebo’s attack power will slowly diminish, and plugging in will fill his batteries. You could probably even use it to get a temporary boost if he’s already full. The stamina drain is essentially the same as the way that Pokémon Trainer had to cycle his Pokémon in Brawl, but it’ll be unique now that Pokémon Trainer no longer exists.
Cheebo’s neutral special would shoot his little buddy Telly Vision out in front of him. Telly could have multiple effects, to make him more than just another projectile attack. Telly might rush forward and attack, for example, or maybe he’d grab a fighter and suspend them in the air, rendering them unable to do anything for a moment. Maybe sometimes a Chibi-Tot would pop out instead and run around in circles, causing damage to anyone it touches, or actively chase another fighter. I’m sure there are other things that could happen, but I’m at a loss at the moment.
Side special would have Chibi-Robo Pull out his spoon and give his opponent a good whack. There isn’t a lot to this attack other than causing more damage and stronger knockback. In comparison, most of Chibi-Robo’s normal attacks would employ use his toothbrush. It makes a certain amount of sense, as the toothbrush has the softer bristles for light attacks, and the spoon is harder metal for knocking foes away.
Up special really couldn’t be anything but the Chibi-Copter. And it’s just what you think it is. The copter pops out of Cheebo’s head, and propels him straight up into the sky. Then it slows down and makes Cheebo float back down to the ground. Hitting anyone with the blades on the way up will cause damage, but on the way back down, contact would cause the blades to retract and make Chibi-Robo fall at normal speed again.
Chibi-Robo could also have a unique blocking animation, using his mug for protection instead of the usual bubble shield. It might be a little too hard to animate smoothly though, so I’m not too sure if that’s a good idea or not. It’d be pretty cute though. Maybe it would just be a taunt, like Snake’s cardboard box.
To be honest, I haven’t come up with a final smash for Cheebo that I like yet. I was thinking that he could summon a bunch of his friends, or perhaps Giga-Robo? Maybe Drake Redcrest flies in and shoots up the place? That might actually be better for an assist trophy though. I kinda like the idea of Cheebo flying up to the top of the screen as Spydors invade and attack the other fighters, then Chibi-Robo just lets loose with the Chibi-Blaster, damaging anyone he hits and clearing out the spydorz. Yeah, you know what? I like that. Let’s go with that.
I feel like I should be elaborating a little more on Chibi-Robo, since he’s my number one wanted Smash character, but what I’ve already written should be enough to give you a pretty clear picture of the fighter that I’m envisioning. I really don’t see Cheebo being included as a fighter, but weirder things have happened (ROB, Wii Fit Trainer), so I won’t lose hope until the game is finally released and I’ve unlocked every playable character.