Chocobo GP is the sequel fans have been waiting for for over two decades. The original debuted in 1999 on the PS1. There were plans for a second around 2010, but the 3DS title was unfortunately canceled. This game is therefore only one of two and, unfortunately, the aggregate reviews for it have not been particularly stellar so far.
The Switch version of Chocobo GP is currently sitting in the mid-60s on Metacritic, but the User Scores are much worse. However, there are still some things Square Enix put into this Final Fantasy spinoff to make kart racing fans interested. It arguably just needs a few tweaks in order to be better.
6 Remove The Gacha Mechanics
There are two versions of Chocobo GP. There is a Lite version and then there is the normal $50 retail release. Players might expect to get the free-to-play mechanics taken out of their paid game, but they would sadly be wrong. Microtransactions are still there and stronger than ever.
This should not be the case. It’s also not great that the game is constantly checking whether or not players are online. If they aren’t, the Switch’s internal menu will pop up so developers should remove the online checks at the very least. It might be hard to restructure the game now since the gacha mechanics are already baked into it, but perhaps Square Enix could gift the big prizes of Squall and Cloud to the paying customers.
5 Add A Photo Mode
Not every gamer takes advantage of photo modes in games. However, those that do use them appreciate their appearance every time. Chocobo GP’s lack of one is not the end of the world. It wouldn’t make sense to use it during a multiplayer session anyway. However, Square Enix could still put one in and limit it to offline solo races.
If that's too complicated, the developer could at least remove the watermarks from the Switch’s internal screenshots. They are the biggest the system has seen in quite some time. There is no need for Square Enix to do this. Are they afraid players are going to claim that their screenshots from Chocobo GP are from a game of their own making? It's ridiculous and a trend that needs to stop from AAA studios.
4 Add More Final Fantasy Characters
Square Enix has had a weird past in trying to make a sequel to Chocobo Racing since the PS1. At the time, kart racing games were still new. Companies were trying to figure out ways to outdo Mario Kart. The solution the first time around was to frame Chocobo Racing around secondary characters like monsters. It was fun back then, despite being limited in scope.
Now, after the advent of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, players expect more from their kart racers. That game practically turned into Super Smash Kart since it used characters outside the Mario brand. Chocobo GP teases fans with main characters from Final Fantasy 6 through Final Fantasy 9 including Terra, Cloud, Squall, Vivi, and Steiner. Those are all fun racers, but many players will feel that there should be more main characters added in as free DLC.
3 Add More Courses
Square Enix should also add in a few more tracks from the series. The music that accompanies these peaks into the many worlds of the Final Fantasy franchise is great. The levels themselves are fun too and most have a variety of different modes and track styles to race in. However, there are only nine main courses, even with these rearranged tracks.
It is not enough for an almost full-priced Switch game. Since Chocobo GP has the gacha mechanics in place, it is almost certain that new tracks and characters will be added down the line. Maybe there are plans already to release someone like Jack from Strangers of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin into the game. It would create brand synergy and Square Enix loves to do that. However, as with any additional characters, these new courses should not be put behind a paywall.
2 Add An Easy Difficulty
The difficulty settings in Chocobo GP can be a little confusing. When players wish to race in the story mode, they will be asked to race in Beginner or Master modes. This may seem like the game is asking players what they want their challenge level to be. However, that is not the case. These two modes refer to the speed players wish to have.
It is similar to how the Mario Kart games are arranged. Once players finish the story mode, they will unlock the extra difficulty. The standard then of Chocobo GP is Normal. It would be nice if Square Enix could add in an Easy mode too, since the story is how players will unlock most of the content. It can be challenging for some gamers on Normal, which goes against Chocobo GP’s lighthearted vibe. At the very least, the developer could give players an assist feature or two.
1 Add A Restart Race Option
This is a small issue, but resolving it would save a lot of time. Sometimes, a race may not start well or things might take a turn for the worse as players are approaching the end. If players pause the game at any point during a race they can choose to continue, go back to the chapter select screen, or quit back to the main menu. There is no way for players to simply restart the race.
This is a standard option in most, if not all racing games. Chocobo GP missing a feature as small as this shows that the game might not have been ready for release. If the load times were better, it wouldn’t be that much of a problem to quit back to another menu. However, the loads aren’t the best on Switch.
Chocobo GP was released on March 10, 2022 and is available on Switch.