Chao Gardens are actually pretty cool

[Elija2]

So I've been playing SA2HD on Steam recently (with the Battle DLC) because I haven't played through it in a while. The game itself is mediocre and unpolished, but still fun. However, for the first time ever I found myself getting interested in the Chao Garden. I don't know why, but it kinda got me hooked. I just think the concept of going through levels collecting stuff to raise your Chao's stats is pretty neat. Plus it's a lot deeper than I initially thought. You can actually make the Chao love/hate certain characters depending on how you treat them while playing as those characters. And I didn't know that Chao could die! Caring for something for hours only for it to eventually die (although they can reincarnate) is pretty heavy stuff for a kids game.

However, fuck the original Chao Garden in the Dreamcast version. You couldn't even see your Chao's stats so unless you had a FAQ you were pretty much lost as to how you were affecting their stats. Don't even bother with the Chao Garden unless you're playing Battle as there are many improvements that make it better. I'm not sure if you actually need to buy the Battle DLC for the HD version to get these improvements though, but you do need it for Chao Karate.

I still think that the Chao Garden in SA2B is flawed. For one, you still need a FAQ to figure out a lot of it's intricacies because the game only tells you the basics. I also hate that you can only carry 10 animals or Chaos Drives during a level and if you collect more it overwrites the old ones. This makes it harder to collect specific items for your Chao. And even when you do, it's somewhat random how they will affect your Chao's stats and looks (like giving your Chao a gorilla only for them to get an ugly unibrow). Still, there's lots of potential for a fun diversion. Although I'd rather Sonic Team focus on actually making a good Sonic game, I'd like to see Chao Gardens return in a future game with improvements to make it even better.

So, was anyone else ever into Chao Gardens? Got any cool stories about them?

[Hakudamashi]

I've never even attempted.

It's not like you can take them into battle or anything...

[jkid101094]

I spent a lot of time with the Chao Garden in 2Battle on the Gamecube. Never tried on the PC version, though. I actually know a lot about the system just from experience because it's a little more shallow then it seems.

Still I'd love a new Chao Garden. Hell, I'd take a new Chao Garden as a $40 3DS title. So long as it's improved, that is.

My Chao was always a hero Chao and I gave him nothing but dragons.

[jkid101094]

The one in DX is the inferior one.

[jkid101094]

The one for the Eyetoy sucked really hard, though. Like even worse than Tiny Chao Garden did. They could do so much with it not that the fact that they haven't makes me angry.

[Juju]

I love the Chao Gardens and chao themselves. They are like cute little tear-drop fairies. They are beautiful shades of cyan that grow to be all colors of the rainbow. I also love their beautiful wings, especially on the flying types. My favorite is the Hero Chaos chao.

[The Forgotten Alex]

Cant tell ya how long I spent in the Chao Garden raising Mephy, he was a Dark Chao I always kept in the Hero Garden. Best Chao I ever had in my life.

Dude won lots of prizes and medals, most popular bitch in the Garden.

[Tanassy]

Chao garden was literally the only thing that kept me going back to levels and such in the game, and thus it extended my playtime by about... 200 hours more than it would have been without the garden.

If so much of the Garden wasn't me just leaving the game on overnight to let Chao evolve or die.... well, it'd be more inviting, but I still did enjoy the crap out of it.

The quest to the Chaos Chao is a long and tedious one but it's somewhat fun to see. The appeal wears off due to a lack of variety though, it seems very deep but it's just when you look at what goes on behind the scenes. If there was more reason to level them up besides getting them to race or beat the crap out of each other... as Jkid says, it'd be a perfect spinoff title in it's own right.

[Tanassy]

Then maybe it would work as a standalone title that's connected in some way to the newest Sonic title? I mean, Chao started off as a connection between the game and the VMU, and then evolved to include the Gamecube and the GBA games...

If this spin-off (let's say 3DS/Vita) title was able to interface with a (Wii U/PS4) Title.. then would it be more compelling?

I think a new Chao garden in a new console game would be great in it's own right, but asymmetric experiences have become popular lately.

I dunno. I second the idea of a new CG though.

[Tanassy]

I guess that's one way of looking at it. Either way, it'd be a nice little addition.

[FrostbittenFlames]

Yeah, considering chao can breed despite different alignments
Post Merge: 1:44 PM
Except Chaos Chao

[ghrtgp]

I've never even attempted.

It's not like you can take them into battle or anything...

I've never even attempted too .

[Guto4848]

I love chao gardens