Chocobo GP has finally been released after the surprise announcement during a Nintendo Direct last September, but fans aren't as happy with the title as Square Enix may have hoped. Many Final Fantasy fans had been wanting a new Chocobo Racing title since the first game in 1999. However, as tons of loyal fans sat down to begin racing with their new game, they were immediately met with microtransactions on top of already paying full retail price.
Chocobo GP had announced prior to release that the game would release as both a premium version and as "Lite" version for free. Lite versions of games have been common in recent years, especially with mobile titles, as these versions let players experience the game with ads or limited features. However, Chocobo GP being released this way ended up hurting Final Fantasy loyalists more in the long run.
For those that decided to purchase the full version of the game, those fans would open up Chocobo GP to immediately be met with a log-in bonus of Mythril, the game's premium currency. Exploring the game's menus would reveal that the premium version of the game featured a shop full of microtransactions for Mythril packages, as well as a Prize Pass to unlock new characters upon purchasing. Those that played the Lite version of Chocobo GP are unable to access this store entirely, making it only available to the fans that already paid money for the game.
Many fans took to social media to voice that they didn't like having to pay more money for in-game characters and cosmetics on top of the retail price of $50 dollars, but other fans noticed that the issues with the game go much deeper. It seems that Mythril expires 5 months after players first obtain the in-game currency, making it that fans can't even hold onto it to save up for when a character they want is available.
It's understandable that fans would be disappointed with the way Chocobo GP has been handled. Players who paid full price are potentially forced to pay more for what was advertised as a roster of "over 20 characters" after purchasing. Many fans have spoken out that if it wasn't for the launch day bonus fans are getting, they would be unable to purchase the current Prize Pass which features Cloud.
However, the situation surrounding Chocobo GP is a rather curious one. These features being in the Lite version would make more sense, yet they plague the version fans already paid for. In some cases, fans that decided to pay the bigger price to avoid microtransactions, ending up having to deal with them anyway. With regard to the purchases, many fans have been demanding refunds, so Square Enix may want to address this problem soon.
Chocobo GP is available now on Nintendo Switch.
