Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is an adorable and charming puzzle-platformer, but it suffers from a lack of focus and poorly executed ideas. It introduces concepts but does little with them, and the interesting ideas are underused. I did enjoy little victories like finding a snack collectible or the rare exciting platforming moment, but otherwise, it’s sluggish and not especially fun to play.

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Zip Lash mixes puzzle-platforming with action, but it doesn’t do either particularly well. The titular zip lash itself, a sort of hookshot using Chibi-Robo’s power cord with the ability to rebound off walls, is a really interesting concept for platforming and was sometimes fun to use. However, there’s nothing to the “puzzles” that present themselves that ever made me stop and think about how to solve them. They’re more like obstacles, and the platforming itself isn’t challenging as a result. The most difficult part about them is angling the zip lash, but that’s a control issue — the circle pad controls weren’t as precise as I would have liked, and it often screwed up my aim. Figuring out where to aim to get the right angle on the rebound, which is the most puzzle-like aspect, was never very hard.

“ There's nothing to the puzzles, and the platforming itself isn't challenging.

The action is equally disappointing. The whip lash is your main weapon, a standard ranged melee attack with Chibi-Robo’s power cord. Everything moves at a slow pace, so it’s easy to take down even a wave of enemies with minimal damage, and bosses are similarly simple. That lack of action combined with the simple platforming meant most levels were pretty boring to get through. I only enjoyed trying to get the various collectibles in each level mostly just as a completionism thing, and Chibi-Robo does a cute victory dance that made me smile. But some of those collectibles only become available after you beat a level once, and I don’t see myself replaying those tedious courses just for that.

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“ Some concepts are cool, but most don't go anywhere.

Even getting to the next stage is a needless hassle. For some reason, after completing a level, you have to spin a “Destination Wheel” that’s sort of like advancement in a board game, except here the levels are the spaces. Before I figured out how it worked, I got an unlucky spin and landed on one of the unexciting levels I’d already completed. Later I learned I could’ve avoided replaying the same dull stages again using the coins you collect in each level to change the numbers on the wheel... which means there’s no point to having this cumbersome wheel at all.

This is kind of a theme in Zip Lash. Concepts are introduced that don’t really go anywhere. Some of those concepts are actually pretty cool, like putting Chibi-Robo on a skateboard (my favorite level). That level in particular is much faster than most others, so whip-lashing obstacles out of my way just in time was actually exciting and fun — the best use of that whip lash attack. Unfortunately, Zip Lash ditched this concept for something new and far less exciting in the next level and doesn’t develop it further. I felt like I was learning new gameplay each level for no real reason.

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“ Only Chibi-Robo's cuteness kept me from getting too irritated with Zip Lash's problems.

For example, there are a few other vehicle levels, but they’re inconsistent. I especially disliked one in which I had to pilot the slowest submarine in the world, as well as the equally irritating submarine boss fight. Instead of taking the fun obstacle-dodging idea in the skateboard level and adapting it for underwater (a fast current, for example), I had to learn completely new, painfully slow submarine controls just to beat a couple of tedious levels. It made playing a chore.

Only Chibi-Robo’s robotic cuteness kept me from getting too irritated by Zip Lash’s problems. Finding hidden snacks for an adorable talking plane, for example, made me feel more accomplished than actually playing. Zip Lash is filled with charming little details and sound effects — even though it wasn’t really exciting to play, it was at least endearing.