Chao (Sonic the Hedgehog)
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2008) |
| Chao | |
|---|---|
| 'Sonic the Hedgehog' character | |
| File:Sonichannel chao.png | |
| First game | Sonic Adventure |
A Chao (Template:PronEng, singular and plural form Chao) is an artificially intelligent, virtually generated lifeform from the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series. Their role in the games is to be raised by the player in mini-games, similar to Tamagotchi. Chao are somewhat complex, responding to stimuli; they have moods, they require food, and they can be loving or fearful. The word Chao is a pun on Chaos, a word commonly used in the Sonic series.
Making their first appearance in Sonic Adventure for the Dreamcast (both in the plot and in a Chao-raising aspect of the game), later in Sonic Adventure 2, and further enhanced in Sonic Adventure 2: Battle and Sonic Advance, Chao have recently come to be a large part of the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. The A-life system used for the Chao was introduced in Nights into Dreams... as the Artificial Intelligence in the Nightopians.
Chao-raising and the main Sonic games tie together in a number of ways: items which you encounter in the main game can be used to raise the player's Chao, collected Rings can be used to buy things for them, and several unlockable features are related to Chao.
During raising, Chao have statistics: Swimming, Flying, Running, Power, and Stamina, as well as luck and intelligence, which are not quite as obvious. These statistics can be raised through proper Chao raising, and will enable a Chao to do better in their competitions: racing and karate.
Life cycle
Eggs
chao start life as dumb eggs thats cant do shit.....throw the fuckers at a wall and maybe theyll stop being nazis and hatch, when they hatch they look like fags....to change this get sonic the rapist and then throw all the chao around some more, eventually they will look straight and have spikes floating above their heads....wtf
Appearances
Video games
There are "Chao Gardens" in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 to raise the Chao. In Sonic Adventure 2 and Sonic Adventure 2 Battle two more gardens are unlocked, there will be stairs from the main Chao Lobby. The one upwards leads to the Hero Garden and the downwards leading to the Dark Garden.
The gardens in Sonic Adventure and Sonic Adventure 2 have the ability to send Chao to an attached VMU (Visual Memory Unit), and play with the Chao away from the Dreamcast in a game called "Chao Adventure". The Chao walks on a path and is given a task. If done correctly, you are rewarded with a fruit or seed which can be taken off the VMU and back onto Sonic Adventure 2 for planting. Seeds can be planted by a Chao with a shovel and a watering can. The shovel can be won in races in Sonic Adventure 2. On Chao Adventure, you can also attach two VMUs to mate Chao, check the stats of your Chao, and name it. In Chao Adventure, the Chao doesn't age like it does in gardens.
Every Sonic Advance, Sonic Advance 2 and Sonic Pinball Party also has a "Tiny Chao Garden" of its own, which is a small simple garden with a small pool that is universal to every game. There is a shop where fruit and toys can be bought for the Rings that the player has collected during gameplay, and some minigames. The Chao can be transferable between these games and Sonic Adventure DX and Sonic Adventure 2: Battle via a GameCube/Game Boy Advance link cable.
Sonic Advance 3 has a Chao Garden, but it is not for raising Chao. Instead, it is an area where the hidden Chao that the player has found during gameplay are located. When all ten of the Chao in the zone are found, the player can look for keys that enable the Special Stage for that particular zone.
In Sega Superstars, an Eyetoy game for the PlayStation 2, there is a simplified Chao Garden, where you can pet and tickle a single Chao by waving your hand on its head, or its belly. It includes many elements from the other games, such as feeding, toys and pool, though it omits any breeding aspects.
Chao appear in Sonic Rivals 2. Several of them are kidnapped by Eggman Nega to feed to an inter-dimensional beast called "Ifrit". Silver the Hedgehog and Espio the Chameleon hid most of them, while Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles "Tails" Prower set out to rescue the rest (with success).
Despite the lack of being a more centrally interactive feature since Sonic Adventure DX the Chao have finally been confirmed to have an important role in gameplay in the Bioware game;: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood The important role is said to be abilities,similar to The badges in the Paper Mario series. Although not actually told what the abilities are,It is speculated they are Strength and Speed enhancements for battle. They are also rumoured to be a feature the same as the Sonic Adventure series but the chao's stats effect your character's strength and speed.