10 Years Ago, 1 of the Worst 3DS Games of All Time Helped Save Nintendo

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Nintendo is famous for video games now, but its story actually began in 1889 making playing cards. While Nintendo has created hugely popular games and shaped the history of gaming, it hasn’t always been perfect and has faced challenges along the way.

The 2010s were a difficult decade for Nintendo. The Wii U wasn’t successful, and while the 3DS did okay, it didn’t reach the popularity of its predecessor. Although Nintendo eventually turned things around with the Switch, the company faced some serious challenges. Interestingly, a surprisingly poor-quality 3DS game actually played a role in their recovery.

Nintendo Was Losing the Console Wars in the 2010s

Nintendo regained popularity in the 2000s thanks to the success of two consoles: the DS, released in 2004, and the Wii, which launched in 2006. Both systems had compelling games available right away and were also known for their unique features.

Despite not being as technically strong as other consoles at the time, the Nintendo DS and Wii were successful thanks to their innovative features – the DS with its two screens and the Wii with its motion controls. Nintendo started the 2010s in a strong position, but things quickly took a turn for the worse.

The company released two new gaming consoles, both featuring unique ideas: the 3DS, which offered 3D visuals, and the Wii U, which included a controller that looked and functioned like a tablet. While the Wii U initially showed promise, it ultimately struggled to gain popularity and sold poorly. The 3DS performed better and wasn’t a complete failure, but its sales didn’t reach the levels of its predecessor, the DS.

The 3DS and Wii U both had some excellent games, including Tomodachi Life and Mario Kart 8, but overall, neither system had a particularly large or impressive game selection. Several of Nintendo’s popular series weren’t performing as well as they used to, and the latest Chibi-Robo! game was considered a low point for the franchise.

Chibi-Robo! Was One of the Worst 3DS Games

Chibi-Robo! first appeared on the GameCube, and its charming idea – a tiny robot doing chores for a family – quickly became popular with both players and reviewers. It offered a fresh spin on puzzle-platformer games. Though sales weren’t huge, the game was successful enough to lead to several follow-up titles.

The Chibi-Robo! series was published only by Nintendo, although the games were actually created by Skip Ltd., a Japanese game development studio that worked closely with Nintendo. While Skip Ltd. made many games for Nintendo, most of them were only released in Japan. Chibi-Robo! stood out as a series that seemed to have broader appeal.

By the 2010s, the Chibi-Robo! series had begun to struggle. While Chibi-Robo! Park Patrol on the DS was successful, the next game, Okaeri! Chibi-Robo! Happy Richie Ōsōji!, was only released in Japan. In 2010, the first Chibi-Robo! game for the 3DS, Let’s Go, Photo!, received poor reviews, signaling a decline for the franchise.

Unlike previous games, Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is a pure platformer, moving away from puzzle-solving. The game begins with Chibi-Robo doing chores on a space station, but he quickly learns that Earth is being invaded by aliens. It’s then up to Chibi-Robo and his friend, Telly, to rescue the planet.

While some game series have successfully reinvented themselves, Zip-Lash unfortunately didn’t achieve that. The gameplay felt standard and didn’t really capture the spirit of the Chibi-Robo! series. Critics found the controls frustrating and ultimately called the game uninspired.

Unfortunately, Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash wasn’t successful with players and was a commercial disappointment. In the UK, it didn’t even make the top 40 best-selling 3DS games when it first came out. Fans quickly felt that Zip Lash damaged the Chibi-Robo! series. As a result, the game’s developer, Skip Ltd., closed down and didn’t create any further games.

The Failure of Zip Lash Forced Nintendo to Change Course

The disappointing performance of Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash really highlights the issues Nintendo was facing in the mid-2010s. While it tried to change the established Chibi-Robo! formula, the result wasn’t particularly innovative or engaging. The game simply lacked the quality and refinement players expected from Nintendo titles, making it feel like a missed opportunity.

The game’s failure surprisingly had a large effect on Nintendo. While the Wii U didn’t sell well, the 3DS also started to see declining sales. This pushed Nintendo to rethink its approach, and thankfully, it led to positive results.

Nintendo launched the Switch in 2016. Though initially intended as a successor to the Wii U and to complement the 3DS, the Switch effectively became Nintendo’s single console for both home and on-the-go gaming. It was a huge hit, exceeding even the popularity of the Wii, and helped Nintendo regain its leading position in the market.

The Switch felt different from Nintendo’s previous consoles, the 3DS and Wii U, because its new features actually improved the gaming experience. Being able to connect the Switch to a TV was a major breakthrough, giving it a competitive advantage over more powerful consoles like the PS4 and Xbox One. Nintendo also brought many of its popular franchises to the Switch, where they thrived, and continued to add a fantastic selection of new games over time.

Honestly, when the Switch started taking off, I knew the 3DS was on its way out. Nintendo eventually stopped making them in September 2020, which was a bit sad, but not totally unexpected. With the Switch 2, they seemed to think, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!’ It’s pretty similar to the original Switch, but with a nice power boost and some cool new stuff, like being able to use a Joy-Con as a mouse – which is surprisingly handy!

The Switch 2 is off to a good start with strong sales, but it’s too soon to tell if it will be as successful long-term as the original Switch or if it will have a similar trajectory to the 3DS. Nintendo is currently in a much better position than they were when the game Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash came out, and hopefully, future games will be much stronger. Perhaps Nintendo will even bring back the Chibi-Robo! series on the 3DS and revitalize it.

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2025-10-31 06:42