Summary
The Chao in theSonic the Hedgehogfranchise are one of the most memorable additions to the series during its long history. Introduced inSonic Adventure, these little teardrop-shaped critters not only played a small role in the story but could also be found in gardens in each of the game’s three hub worlds. Players could collect rings and items to help the Chao grow and raise them to their heart’s content.
Chao Gardens were a prominent part of theAdventureandAdvanceseries' replayability, and yet, after Sonic Team moved passed that era ofSonic the Hedgehog, the feature was never seen again with no clear reason as to why. Takashi Iizuka, the head of Sonic Team, has been asked regularly about if newSonicgames will feature the Chao Gardens. The answer is almost always no, and it may be time for fans to admit that the era of raising cute little Chao is over.
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Sonic Team’s Consistent Promises for Chao Gardens
Iizuka hasn’t been asked only in press interviews regarding upcoming games if the next Sonic Team project will be the one where Chao Gardens return. He has also been asked by fans almost every single time Sonic Team makes an appearance at anySonicevent, official or not, if and when they’ll be able to play and raise the adorable creatures again. The answer is always the same—Sonic Teamwill implement Chao Gardensif there’s enough support for them.
However, despite the frequency of the question, and how many of these events have exploded into hopeful cheers at the idea of Chao coming back, the gardens haven’t returned to the series in almost two decades. Even obvious beacons of support, such asFirst 4 Figures trying to greenlight Chao Garden statues, don’t seem to make it clear just how desired the feature is to Sonic Team. Instead, fans have had to deal with other cute critters being added to the series instead in the form of Wisps and Koco.
The Wisps, Koco, and the Lack of Chao
While Wisps andKoco function differently from Chao, it doesn’t take much to see that the goal of the aliens and rock spirits is to take a similar place in fans' hearts. Wisps function as power-ups, and asSonic Colorsbecame a series high back in 2010, fans grew to adore them. However, many players felt that the Wisps' involvement was context-specific, and their inclusion in other games was seen as unnecessary as they were turned into a franchise staple.
The Koco ofSonic Frontiersare collectibles scattered across the Starfall Islands that can be traded in to boost Sonic’s stats. While adorable, there isn’t much that players can do with them. The Koco, while a bit macabre in what role they truly play in the story ofFrontiers, have once again found adoration with fans. The consistent connections between the Koco,Sonic Frontiers' Ancients, and the Chao does pour salt in the wound for hopeful fans, though.
It remains to be seen if the Koco will follow the same path as the Wisps, but the Koco would certainly be out of place in anotherSonicgame without a reason considering their specific role on the Starfall Islands. Regardless, both sets of adorable crittersadded to theSonicfranchiseseem to be trying to capitalize on why fans liked the Chao without properly adding the mechanics needed to interact with them.
After years of waiting, it begs the question of whether there’s an interest in using the Chao again internally within Sonic Team as the support it’s been asking for is most definitely there, but Chao Gardens have almost been explicitly avoided. It may be a matter of the budgets and resources that Sega keeps offering them, but afterSonic Frontierswas produced by the creator of the Chao and it still lacked a garden, it’s hard to see the mini-game returning toSonic the Hedgehoggames anytime soon.
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