Published and developed by Square Enix, Chocobo GP is a racing game that follows in the footsteps of the greats that precede it. Chocobo GP is the sequel to 1999’s PlayStation 1 title, Chocobo Racing.
Chocobos, for those that somehow don’t know, are the iconic bird monsters from the Final Fantasy franchise. They’ve also been turned into a mascot for the franchise and “chibi” or cuter, smaller chocobos tend to appear in Square Enix developed spin-off titles.
Chocobo GP
Chocobo GP is a Nintendo Switch exclusive (at the time of writing this review) and features chibi chocobos racing for fame, glory and the chance to make a wish, on a variety of tracks.
The game has some tough competition on the Nintendo Switch though since there’s a range of other racing games available that will appeal to the same younger audience that Chocobo GP does.
Mario Kart 8 is one of the most prominent racing games on Nintendo Switch and Chocobo GP will definitely be compared to it due to their similarities.
Booting up Chocobo GP, players will be able to select from a few modes on offer. The game has a full fledged story mode with voiced segments as well as plenty of unlocks which will keep you coming back for more until you’ve finally completed it all.
The story mode is honestly one of the best parts of the game since racing and unlocking new characters, and customisation options feels incredibly rewarding. The voice acting of the characters, while clearly aimed at a younger audience, is well done and performed by a stellar cast of well-known voice actors.
The story mode in Chocobo GP introduces the game’s mechanics to you at a gradual pace and the difficulty ramps up quite quickly. Players will be expected to make use of all the gameplay features to win races and you do need to be quite skilled at drifting and boosting to come in first place every time.
Tried and Trusted Formula
Chocobo GP’s gameplay follows the tried and trusted method implemented by kart racing games for decades now. Players will be able to accelerate, drift and boost along race tracks while being able to pick up power-ups which influence their racing on the track.
Magicite and crystals can be found on the race tracks and since you’re racing a chocobo (or other vehicle), a chocobo dash metre charges while racing. Once fully charged, it lets you use a temporary speed boost or other ability which can change the outcome of a race depending on when you use it.
Each character in Chocobo GP also has their own special abilities and players will quickly identify their favourite characters after racing a few times with each one.
Unfortunately, Square Enix have opted for a season pass and a “Mythril” paid DLC store purchase which effectively sours the deal. You’ll have to shell out more real world money if you want to play as any of the new characters that will be added to the game eventually as DLC.
The actual racing in Chocobo GP is incredibly satisfying with the controls being great. Handling your racer and drifting into and out of corners at high speeds is quite addictive and younger gamers especially will get hooked on Chocobo GP’s racing thanks to how fun it is.
The additional modes such as “Time Attack”, “Series Race” and “Custom Race” add to the game’s longevity along with the local co-op that’s available. Racing against friends or family is always welcome and we’re glad that local co-op is available here.
Graphically, Chocobo GP looks pretty great on Switch in both handheld and docked modes and there’s never any slowdown or frame rate drops. The cartoony aesthetic is incredibly cute and younger gamers will definitely find this appealing. Flashy effects in races look great too and the tracks themselves are not bad either.
A bit more variation would have been appreciated though but maybe additional tracks will be made available post-launch via DLC. Players can also customise their racer quite a bit with new colour schemes, stickers and more which can be unlocked by simply playing the game.
The soundtrack of the game is perfectly suited for its whimsical nature and there’s an infectious lyrical tune that plays on the menu that you’ll either start singing to yourself or end up hating vehemently after hearing it for the hundredth time.
Final Fantasy fans will definitely get a kick out of the game’s numerous references and recurring characters from the franchise that show up in-game.
Final Verdict
Overall, Chocobo GP is a solid kart racing game from Square Enix that while fun, seems like it will be overshadowed by the success of Mario Kart 8 on Nintendo Switch.
Especially since Mario Kart 8 will be receiving new DLC as of March 2022. Pre-launch, we could not play the online mode but there’s bound to be a dedicated fanbase which will find a lot of enjoyment racing against other players in the Chocobo GP online mode.
If you’re looking for a cute, fun, kart racer, Chocobo GP ticks all those boxes, but we wish it did a bit more than that to take to the kart racing podium.
