Chao Garden (Japanese:チャオガーデン) is avirtual petminigame introduced in the 1998 video gameSonic Adventure and its sequel,Sonic Adventure 2. It was based on the A-Life system originally developed forSonic Team's previous gameNights into Dreams, and allows the player to raise small fairy-like creatures known as Chao, acting as a motivation for the player to keep playing the platforming areas of theAdventure games in order to gain items to use to help improve their Chao. Chao can be entered into competitions such as racing and karate, and can be transferred to theVMU so the player can care for them on the go. In theGameCube ports, the VMU connectivity is replaced withGame Boy Advance connectivity, adding a small portable Chao Garden called the Tiny Chao Garden.
The Chao Garden feature was well-received by critics and is considered a fan favorite despite not appearing in a game sinceSonic Adventure 2. Fans often make requests for a new Chao Garden, but Sonic Team headTakashi Iizuka had said that it has not happened because of how closely tied the minigame is to theAdventure duology. Chao Garden has inspired both derivative works such asfan games andgame mods, as well as originalindie games.
Chao hatch from an egg and evolve in different ways depending on how they are raised, and will eventually die when they reach the end of their lifespan. If a player takes good care of their Chao, the creature may be reincarnated at the end of its lifespan.[1] Chao can be fed coconuts and various fruits from trees in the garden.[2] Chao can get a health check-up and learn new skills at the Chao Kindergarten.[3] The North American release ofSonic Adventure added the ability for users to trade Chao over the Internet.[4] In the originalDreamcast games, Chao can also be placed into theVMU and taken on the go, which features a minigame entitledChao Adventure,[5] which helps increase their stats.[3][4]
Sonic Adventure 2 adds the ability for Chao to evolve into Hero and Dark Chao[6] depending on the alignment of the characters who care for them.[7] These types of Chao also have special unlockable areas known as the Dark Garden and Hero Garden.[8] InSonic Advance, the Chao return in the form of the minigame Tiny Chao Garden, which Chao fromSonic Adventure 2: Battle can be transferred to and from[9] through interconnection between theGameCube andGame Boy Advance.[10] A special variation of Chao, the Tails Chao, was distributed using the Tiny Chao Garden.[11]
Each Chao has a rated score in four different stats: swimming, flying, running and strength, which are integral to their performance in the Chao Racing minigame[4] andSonic Adventure 2: Battle's Chao Karate.[1] They also have an additional stamina stat,[12] which is increased through feeding.[3] Chao's personalities develop differently depending on the way they are treated.[12] Adult Chao can breed in order to produce more Chao with different genetics. When Chao are ready to breed, flowers will sprout around them.[3] In very rare instances, Chao can get sick – a feature that went undiscovered by the fan community for two decades.[13]
Chao Garden was first introduced in 1998 forSonic Adventure and its sequel,Sonic Adventure 2. In the minigame, players can raise their own pet Chao, a small fairy-like creature with a floating orb that expresses their emotions.[2] Based on the A-Life system originally developed forNights into Dreams,[4][14] the Chao Garden was implemented to give newer players a motivation to play the game's levels,[15] as small animals can be rescued and used to boost the stats[16] and change the appearance of the player's Chao,[7][3] and rings gathered in the platforming sections can be used to purchase food and toys for them.[17] InSonic Adventure, Chao did not interact with each other, but this feature was added in the sequel in order to create a more realistic depiction of artificial life.[18]
Critical reception of the Chao Garden mechanic has been primarily positive. Ana Diaz ofPolygon describes Chao Garden as "shockingly rich and complex" for a side feature.[8]GameSpot's review ofSonic Adventure echoes this, calling it "surprisingly interesting and fun to play around with".[4] Anthony Chau writes in hisIGN review ofSonic Adventure 2 that the Chao feature was massively overhauled from its original incarnation, calling the updated version "so entertaining and so much more complex".[19] Clark A. ofDigitally Downloaded refers to the feature as "a clever way to encourage replaying stages".[20]Cube Magazine cites Chao as a reason as to why theAdventure games sold so well, calling the breeding mechanic "addicting".[21]Electronic Gaming Monthly called Chao Garden the "best feature" ofSonic Adventure 2: Battle,[22] andNintendo Life's Kate Gray called it "the best thing that the Sonic series has ever done", and referred toSonic Adventure 2 as "a Chao game with a 3D platforming game bolted onto the side".[17]
The Chao Garden feature is a favorite among fans of the franchise, with a return being highly requested.[16][17][23] Shamus Kelly writes forDen of Geek that some fans view Chao Garden as the main appeal ofSonic Adventure.[24]PC Gamer author Lincoln Carpeter describes the lack of more appearances of the feature as "a continued and baffling mystery" because of how beloved it is.[25]Takashi Iizuka has said thatSega has no plans to create a standalone Chao game, due to how closely the feature is tied toSonic Adventure.[8]
Fans have created numerousmods forSonic Adventure 2 to expand the Chao system, such as "Chao World Expanded", which adds new features to the minigame.[8] Multiplefan games have been created based on the Chao Garden, includingPocket Chao Garden[26] andChao Resort Island.[7][27]Indie games likePoglings,[28]Bobo Bay,[29] andLoddlenaut[30] have also drawn inspiration from the Chao Garden for their own development.
In herIGN review ofPokémon Channel, Mary Jane Irwin used the term "glorified Chao program" to refer to the game's virtual pet elements.[31] The hub area ofBalan Wonderworld was often compared to the Chao Garden as well,[26][32] with an article inEdge calling it "effectively a Chao Garden by another name",[33] and Jordon Oloman ofNME referring to it as "an utterly bonkers mix ofPikmin andSonic Adventure 2’s Chao Garden".[34]