My personal thoughts on microtransactions in a game like Chocobo GP are that it's almost predatory. Remember how I said there's a shaky feeling I had in comparing Chocobo GP to Chocobo Racing? Yeah, this was the main reason and it has been beaten to death like a dead horse. Chocobo GP's humor is on par with the original with enough fan service in its characters, tracks, and songs to keep a Final Fantasy fan entertained. The mechanics are relatively faithful to the original with a modern twist. So far, while the presentation screams "budget title," it's not a bad game so far. Chocobo, for example, has Chocobo Dash that gives him a speed boost as well as invulnerability for a set period.Īs With Most Things, MTX Ruins Everything. Each character also has a unique ability that fills over time. Each magicite is color-coded meaning players can intentionally pick a specific one regardless of position. The combination of evolving spells, knowing when to stockpile spells, and knowing when to use them is vital to winning. Collect three Fire spells and the player can unleash a Firaga magicite that now spreads across a wide area, taking out anyone in its path. Collect two Fire magicites and it turns into a single Fira spell, with a homing ability similar to a Red Shell. The Fire magicite, for example, shoots out a ball of fire much like a Green Shell. It's encouraged to match three of the same magicite as doing so increases its power up to three times. Each driver can hold up to three power-ups, known in-game as magicite at a time. The one thing that makes Chocobo GP unique is how it handles power-ups. Even the various speed modes are Mario Kart-esque as the fastest speed, Master, requires brake drifting which is vital in MK's 200cc. Flying off of ramps causes your character to trick and increase its speed. Drifting causes sparks to fly under your wheels and the longer you hold the drift, the more powerful its boost. Before you begin the race, you get a starting boost if you rev your engine just before the timer counts down to 1. If you've played a kart racer in the past twenty years, you've played Chocobo GP as its basic mechanics are all the same. These moments are admittingly comical if not forced, but it's harmless funny banter. Each character has their own sense of humor and quips that both break the fourth wall and are increasingly self-aware. Each scene is set in a storybook fashion much like the original Chocobo Racing. It's as basic as basic gets although I appreciate the presentation of the cutscenes. As Chocobo makes new friends across each chapter, a reoccurring villain, Gilgamesh, shows up to challenge the crew. A Moogle named Mystery Racer X starts a tournament where the winner grants any wish they desire. The story, like most kart racing games, is simple and inoffensive enough. Thankfully, the actual in-game music is good, mainly featuring remixes of several Final Fantasy songs. If that was the desired effect, it was executed poorly. It's one of those catchy upbeat intros to a pre-school cartoon that introduces the entire cast and their wacky adventures. This one was very bad and what's worse was that it replayed every time you returned to the main menu. This may be entirely subjective as I personally think vocals in music themes can either be good or bad. CHOCOBO, CAMILLA, AND CAMILLA'S PA!īooting up Chocobo GP, I was treated to the most awful menu theme my ears have ever heard in their lives. Ironic, considering what we got instead is probably worse than what the 3DS title would have been. The reason was that Square allegedly didn't like the quality of the game during its development. Apparently, there was supposed to be a sequel on the 3DS, titled Chocobo Racing 3D, until it was canceled. Before Chocobo Racing, the series was best known for its Chocobo Dungeon series, a dungeon-crawling RPG featuring Chocobo and Mog the Moogle. The original Chocobo Racing, much like Chocobo GP, is a part of a spin-off series based on Final Fantasy simply titled Chocobo. Naturally, the original game released in 1999 featured 2D sprites with 3D backgrounds, so maybe seeing Chocobo and friends in full 3D was the outlier? I didn't think of these things at the time, I was just excited to see Chocobo make his return. Even looking at the trailer, something felt off. A sequel to one of my favorite niche kart racers, Chocobo Racing, in 2022? The sudden announcement of this feathered friend with rocket skates seemed too good to be true. When Chocobo GP was first announced during a Nintendo Direct late last year, it was something I never expected to be announced. Available as: Digital and Physical (Asia Only) Who Gave This Chicken A Driver's License?
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