Bobo Bay Review – The Feel-Good Game Of The Year

Bobo Bay is a charming pet simulator heavily inspired by Sonic Adventure’s Chao Garden. Not content with offering an expansive minigame, it adds a touching narrative on top of it.

Kintsugi is a Japanese practice of fixing broken pottery that has taken hold because of its pure intentions. In a world of planned obsolescence, taking care of broken things and repairing them is an act of rebellion. It is no wonder, then, that Bobo Bay, a game primarily about raising a town in shambles, internalizes this philosophy to deliver THE feel-good game of the year. With the primary gameplay of raising and competing with Bobos, a legally distinct version of the cutesy Chaos from the Sonic Adventure series, it elevates an idyllic concept to a heartwarming degree.

First seen in 1998’s Sonic Adventure, the Chao Garden was a minigame where you raised pets much like Tamagotchi before it. You would take them to competitions from swimming to running and karate after feeding them a variety of nutritious meals. For side content that has not been brought back by Sega for over 25 years, it is rather surprising that it has such staying power with fans.

And yet, that is precisely how nostalgia works. Someday you are living your best life, then you glance at a CRT TV or listen to Escape From The City, and the memories come flooding back (if you are not a millennial, this might not make much sense to you). It would be easy to say that Bobo Bay preys on that nostalgia for a quick cash grab, but the truth is that it is so much more than that.

The more I played, the more I realized that, yes, it takes that iconic pet simulation mechanic, but it takes it further thanks to little details that evolve into its own thing. Not to mention that the bobos themselves, as the Internet affectionately refers to the endearing creatures, are weird little guys that it is impossible not to fall in love with. They dance, play the piano, kick soccer balls, and draw. In the background itself, there are a dozen stats, traits, and personalities to consider when raising the best Bobo to win all kinds of competitions.

Playing as the chipper Parfait Briggs, this colorful roller-shoe-wearing gal embarks on a journey to the famed Bobo Bay in hopes of adventure. As expected, this island in the middle of nowhere has seen better days, and it is up to Parfait to breed, raise, and compete with her bobos to rebuild the town that has seen better days. On the first day, she is given a giant kintsugi-repaired teapot to sleep in. Structured in a calendar-like system, all four seasons are portrayed in the game.

Bobo Bay’s onboarding is quite friendly. With a flip phone in her pocket, Parfait learns about the gameplay loop, which is simple but effective: befriend a bobo from a nearby forest, register it (like you used to in the Game Boy Advance system), compete, and voila. In all honesty, the game could have just offered that simulation, and it would have been just fine. But what makes it a cozy experience I’ll go back to often is what happens after.

As the town is in dire need of your help, when you rebuild it, interesting things start to happen. A young disabled woman appears on the benches near the pier when you fix them, thanking you for it. The mayor and her husband become friendlier towards Parfait the more investment is poured into it. At night, some shady dealings occur, like an underground betting lounge to hopefully win some extra money. In a dark corner behind a store, special items for your bobos are available for a price.

There is a considerable focus on customization in Bobo Bay. Parfait changes her clothes every day randomly. You can also choose any clothes you prefer from your phone. The bobos themselves have such a wide range of clothes and accessories to wear. How about a straw hat inspired by the one and only Monkey D. Luffy? Or an adorable backpack? For the rebel bobos, aviator sunglasses are on offer too. To learn that bobos love tea once acquiring a tea-brewing pot is a fun little detail I loved learning about.

After exploring the town, Parfait can hop on a watercraft and go to a nearby archipelago searching for treasure. These randomized islands are always a wild card. Usually finding fruits to nurture your little critters, sometimes certain items like gold bars to sell or bobo accessories can be found if you are lucky. What’s unexpected is that at some point I found a platforming challenge that, with a bit of persistence and patience, rewarded me with a very useful item. I am convinced that I am yet to see everything these random islands have to offer.

Conclusion

The underlying message of inclusivity within the game hits hard. Some lines of dialogue cut deep, especially because they talk about loss and change. This could have been a single, one-and-done recreation of a classic minigame. But it isn’t. Its gentle gameplay loop ensures a calm paradise to go back to when life gets hectic. Not content with recreating the nostalgic Chao Garden experience, it adds a wealth of content and an intriguing plot to boot. Bobo Bay is a dream come true.