Chubby Cherub
System: NES
Release Date: October 1986
Developer: Tose
Publisher: Bandai
Genre: Platformer
Chubby Cherub is another one of those super expensive NES games that I wish I had CIB so I could net myself a few hundred easy dollars. We’re finally getting into some third party games on the Nintendo, but I sure wish it would have been a better one!
The titular Chubby Cherub is out to help his friends and eat copious amounts of food. He walks or flies through the levels causing his power meter to tick down constantly. He must eat the food that is scattered about to make sure his power level stays high. Luckily, this isn’t difficult, as there is food flying everywhere.
The Cherub can eat a special candy that allows him to shoot his Gau-Gau cannon. This is used to defeat the dogs that inhabit the levels and try to bite the Cherub on his butt. Cherub must also avoid obstacles on the level that he can’t fly through, like fences and trees; or will kill you on touch, like chimney smoke. Every few foods the Cherub eats will spawn a P mark, which when eaten turns him invincible for a moment.
At the end of each stage the Cherub must open windows to find a trapped friend or defeat a burglar who has taken a hostage. The burglar drops a bone, which must be picked up and thrown at him to entice a passing dog to bite him to death.
In later levels, invincible birds and chow chows appear, which you must avoid. I ended my playthrough in what I can only assume was a bonus area, or maybe it’s just what happens when you fall down a pit. The room was dark and there were two dogs and two chow chows. The Cherub is unable to fly and must grab a candy and shoot one of the dogs guarding the exit. I was unable to kill the dog and make it out, so I yelled obscenities at the screen and quit.
Graphics: 2.0
The graphics are alright. Nothing special, but nothing terrible.
Sound: 1.5
The song was annoying and the sound effects were passable.
Gameplay: 1.5
The gameplay loop of fly through the level and eat food tired quickly.
Difficulty: 2.0
It wasn’t hard, but getting trapped in the pit was aggravating.
Fun Factor: 0.5
Not fun, pass on this one.
Overall Grade: 1.5
Chubby Cherub straddles a D+/C-. It’s almost, almost competent. I definitely don’t have nice things to say.