Former developers of Chibi-Robo! announce robot action-adventure game koROBO for consoles and PC

■ About

koROBO is an action-adventure game that tells the story of a tiny robot named “koROBO” and its owner Tom, a little boy who receives koROBO as a gift from his father for his 10th birthday. Players step into koROBO’s tiny but mighty shoes and embark on an exciting and emotional journey that begins in Tom’s room and develops into a world-changing adventure.

■ History

Sometimes it takes the smallest hero to fulfill the greatest destiny!

Somewhere in the Brooklyn neighborhood, nestled in the urban jungle of New York City, Tom and his mother are celebrating his 10th birthday. When a wrapped gift arrives from his estranged father, Tom rips it open and is excited to see what’s inside.

What he finds is not the coolest and latest robot technology for small households, but a cheap knock-off model.”koROBO?”

But soon koROBO is cleaning the house, helping Tom with his homework and even playing games and reading comics with him like a brother. What will koROBO’s arrival hold for Tom, his family and perhaps the world?

koROBOThe story takes place in Tom’s family apartment in Brooklyn, New York. The players take on the role of the little hero. As koROBO, they help the family, do household chores, get to know the many residents of the apartment building and defend Tom and his loved ones from a mysterious enemy… who can travel through space and time?

■ Gameplay

Little hero, big adventure

koROBOThe basic gameplay of involves running around the family home, cleaning up messes and solving problems wherever they arise – quite a challenge for such a tiny hero!

But beware! koROBO’s battery is limited, and performing tasks will drain it even faster. While more popular robots require their owners to plug in for adventures, Tom has modified koROBO to be able to bask in the sun to recharge the solar battery on its back. Players must look for sunspots to keep koROBO running at maximum capacity!

As players explore Tom’s apartment building, they’ll not only help him and his family. There are a whole host of wacky residents that koROBO will encounter. As koROBO, players can talk to these characters and help them solve their problems to unlock some of his most powerful upgrades!

Better faster stronger

Players can collect items while cleaning and exploring to upgrade koROBO and his abilities. While koROBO can initially run, jump and glide, over time he will also be able to fly, swim and even travel through time…?

But wait, there’s more! koROBO isn’t the only toy in Tom’s entourage. Players will discover new miniature friends and receive an assortment of accessories that allow koROBO to adventure and sometimes even battle in new and exciting ways!

The parts that players need to find for their upgrades can be found throughout the house. Each part has a rarity color that indicates how difficult it will be to get. Players should collect as many as possible to upgrade koROBO!

House of the Future Past

While koROBO features an entire apartment to clean and explore, players will do much more than just travel around the house helping the family.

At some point, koROBO will unleash the radical ability to travel through time – by the mere touch of his tiny fingertips…?

■ The cast

koROBO “Robot Cleaning Droid”

A robot given to Tom for his 10th birthday, and the tiny hero of our adventure, koROBO, is a gift from Tom’s estranged father.

koROBO is by no means strong, but he has a can-do attitude and a mischievous streak. koROBO helps clean up, helps Tom with his homework, and more. But will he have what it takes to fill the gap that separates Tom’s family?

Tom “Ten-year-old hobbyist”

Tom is a homebody by nature, has few friends and spends a lot of time in his room, rebuilding his collection of toys and machines. Although he hardly sees his father anymore after his parents’ divorce, he sometimes gets toys and other knick-knacks from his father’s travels around the world.

Sally “The mother of invention?”

Japanese-born Sally is now raising Tom alone in her Brocklyn apartment. Sally hates when everything is in chaos and gets annoyed with Tom when he says things that don’t seem to make sense. Although she and Tom’s father had a whirlwind romance, she eventually divorced him when his wanderlust became too strong. Strong-willed and kind-hearted, she once dreamed of becoming a singer but now works as a waitress in a cafe to make ends meet.

John “King of Wanderlust”

Tom’s father. Considered an eccentric by some and a brilliant engineer by others, John and Sally were madly in love in their youth. However, when Tom was five, John mysteriously left him, leaving only a note that read: “I’m leaving to protect you.” Despite the distance between the two, Tom clearly got his love of mechanics from his father.

Garth Vader (real name: unknown)

A suspicious figure has been seen wandering around the courtyard of the apartment building. Many rumors have surfaced about the truth about Garth. Some say he has fallen to the dark side and plans to take over the world. Others suspect he is simply the building’s caretaker, watering the plants, feeding the birds, and taking care of the plumbing. However, no one actually speaks to Garth, so the truth remains shrouded in mystery.

■ World

A world in crisis

The year is 2025 and the world is facing a looming energy crisis. Fossil fuels are quickly becoming unreliable as a source of energy and humanity stands hopelessly on the brink of the abyss. Yet even in these direst of times, there is eternal hope in the hearts and minds of those who believe in a better future. When the world needs it most, a small hero could be the catalyst that sets humanity on a new path that would change the course of history forever: koROBO!

The Brocklyn Apartment

While traversing a living room or kitchen may not seem like a monumental task, things are quite different when you’re a small, highly motivated robot. Well-placed stacks of books and an overturned chair might help koROBO reach hard-to-reach places throughout the house, but it would be impossible for him to reach the hardest-to-reach places all by himself. koROBO is going to need a little help!

Tom’s room

When you look at Tom’s room, you might see the messy room of a lazy child, but that’s far from the truth. If you look closer, you’ll instead see the workshop and playground of a gifted child who is full of imagination and naturally works with electronics. Tom’s room is full of toys, tools, and electronics in various stages of tinkering. What is trash to one boy is treasure to another boy, and Tom’s room is a treasure trove for koROBO. What new treasure is discovered when you explore Tom’s room?

■ koROBO Crowdfunding campaign and message from the developer

Tiny Wonder Studio asks its fans for support in the implementation koROBO to life. Together with the support of the community koROBO will be developed through collaboration between developers and enthusiasts and, if sufficient funding is available, will be released on PC and modern consoles.

“Our goal is to develop a game that everyone can enjoy. koROBO is intended to be a cozy and comfortable game that hopefully everyone will fall in love with. The core of koROBO is all about bringing people together and working towards a better future. And this campaign, with your support, is a wonderful opportunity to bring video game fans together – something our little hero would be proud of!

“The future is a dream we all share! Let us make it a reality together.”

—Kenichi Nishi, Director

■ About Tiny Wonder Studio

Tiny Wonder Studio is a new development studio comprised of key former members of Skip, Ltd. and other industry veterans.

• Kenichi Nishi – koROBO Director (Tiny Wonder Studio)
  • Previous work: Chibi-Robo! Embark on an adventure!, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Incredible crisis, LOL: Lack of love, Giftpia
• Hiroshi Moriyama – koROBO Director (Tiny Wonder Studio)
  • Previous work: Chibi-Robo! Embark on an adventure!, Chibi-Robo! Parking Guard, Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Osoji!, Giftpia
• Keita Eto – koROBO director (Tiny Wonder Studio)
  • Previous work: Chibi Robo! Zip Lash, LOL: Lack of love
• Hirofumi Taniguchi – koROBO Music & SFX
  • Previous work: Chibi-Robo! Embark on an adventure!, Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, Chibi-Robo!: Photo Finder, Chibi Robo! Zip Lash, LOL: Lack of love, Giftpia, Captain Rainbow, Snow Cover Park, Chulip, Black bird, Million Onion Hotel, UFO – A Day in the Life –
• Hikarin – koROBO Art, Character Design
  • Previous work: Chibi-Robo! Embark on an adventure!
• Hisashi Koshimizu – koROBO Producer (Tiny Wonder Studio)