Let's find out together the crazy and reckless races in the Final Fantasy universe, in this Chocobo GP review
If you are part of that circle of more experienced fans, chances are you will remember a certain one Chocobo Racing, originally released in 1999 for the first PlayStation. Our recent special retrogaming is also dedicated to this title, if you missed it you can find it at this link. Officially announced during Nintendo Direct last September, Chocobo GP, which we are about to tell you about in this review, is the unexpected sequel to that distant title, arrived after 23 years on the Nintendo Switch.
Not just Kart ...
As we will see more in the course of this review, Chocobo GP aims to be for Final Fantasy what Mario Kart is for the Super Mario series, or Crash Team Racing for Crash Bandicoot. We are therefore faced with a reckless racing game, in which we will be called to compete on crazy and colorful circuits, aboard the most unlikely vehicles equipped with wheels. We will have not a few characters, taken from the popular Square Enix saga, with whom we can try our hand in no holds barred races, both alone and with other players on the same console, or even online.
A blow of Magilite - Chocobo GP Review
In the introduction of this review we compared Chocobo GP to Mario Kart. In fact, anyone who has tried any of the chapters of the spin-off saga dedicated to the mustachioed plumber will feel at ease here too, thanks to a series of mechanics clearly inspired by the Nintendo racing game. An eloquent example is the presence of the inevitable skid. Pressing the right dorsal during a curve will make a small jump, and subsequently some will appear Slippery scintillas under the wheels of our vehicle, which will change color based on how long we keep the drift. The longer we manage to do this, the greater the bonus acceleration (turbo boost) that we will get at the moment of releasing the button. Does it remind you of anything?
There is also no shortage of famous objects with which to attack opponents. Sown along the paths, in fact, we will find some Magilete, in the form of eggs with the inevitable "?" printed above. Collecting them we will get powers, such as spherical shields, fireballs, portals capable of teleporting us forward or backward in the path, and so on and so forth. We will be able to keep up to three different spells, and collecting one equal to the one already owned, it it will become even more powerful (almost every spell has three power levels). Finally, along the paths we will also find gods Cristalli, and once we have collected 10 we will be able to benefit from a boost to speed, but above all we will be able to activate the unique ability of our character, usually much more powerful than the common Magilite.
A Grand Prix for True Heroes - Chocobo GP Review
As already mentioned earlier in this review, in Chocobo GP we will be able to choose to compete as some of the most well-known faces of the Final Fantasy saga. However, it will not be possible to do so immediately, as these characters will be unlocked. The main method of doing this will be to deal with the history and, which will also introduce us to the simple mechanics of the game, with a short (but all too exhaustive) initial tutorial. Among the various races that make up the chapters of the story, we will see nice interlude skits entirely dubbed (in English), with funny characters that will tell an unpretentious plot but that will certainly please the little ones.
There will then be several other modes, such as Personalized races, the classic Race against time (in which we will have to complete the tracks in the shortest possible time, challenging our own ghosts or other players' ghosts) and the mode Series races, in which we will compete on four different courses in sequence trying to place ourselves as best as possible in the standings.
The latter seems to be the counterpart of the various Grand Prix present in Mario Kart, but it appears to have a little less charm than the latter, especially due to the low number of tracks. Own the scarcity of tracks available (nine in all) represents one of the major weaknesses of the title. Although these are available in multiple versions (essentially either short or more complex), after a few games you start to feel the lack of a little more variety. A pity, especially since the tracks present are undoubtedly well designed.
The competition widens - Chocobo GP review
If the younger ones are in all likelihood conquered by the story mode, the most competitive players could find their match in the online sector of the game. The latter is not very varied and includes only two modes: the classic ability to compete online or locally with friends (already mentioned a few paragraphs above in this review) e the homonymous Chocobo GP, which represents the real flagship of the entire multiplayer sector.
In this mode we will be able to dive into competitions of 64 players, who will battle it out in various contests in a four-stage knockout tournament. At each stage the competitors will be halved, going from 32 to 16 and finally to only 8 challengers in the last race that will decide the overall winner. In our test we also had the opportunity to test the robustness of the game servers, and we confirm how this is currently one of the most valid modes of the whole package. Perhaps a few more modes could have satisfied the palates of a wider slice of players, but we do not rule out the possibility that Square Enix may expand the game in the future with DLC.
The roar of the engines - Chocobo GP Review
From a technical point of view, Square Enix's racing game defends itself more than admirably. The tracks are colorful and full of life, the funny and funny characters as one would expect from a title of this type. Also the music deserves praise, with cute tunes (you will struggle to get rid of the game menu theme) and energetic songs that perfectly accompany the chaotic on-screen action. They close the circle a series of jingles and quotes to the most iconic musical themes Series, which will surely delight the most avid Final Fantasy fans.
Even under the gameplay side the title performed very well, without ever a hiccup or a drop in frame rate, even in the most agitated situations. Although almost every detail shines through the clear intent to follow in the footsteps of the Mario Kart series, the experience overall proved to be really well packaged and with its own character. The gameplay peaks of the Nintendo racing game do not (predictably) touch, however Chocobo GP manages to partially capture the spirit, giving a few hours of pleasant fun. In case you were wondering, yes, even here a fireball launched with the Magilite Ignis can ruin friendships as much as a red shell!
To the starting places!
If you are a fan of the Final Fantasy series, this Chocobo GP represents in all likelihood the racing game you don't expect, but you need, as we have seen in the course of this review. The Square Enix title does not predictably reach the excellence of the sacred monsters of the genre (such as the Mario Kart series), but it is strongly inspired by it, while simplifying some mechanics. Net of a little variety in the tracks, the game manages to retain its own identity, offering an experience that can entertain adults and (above all) children, thanks also to a well-kept technical department, cheerful and carefree.
And what do you think of this title? Are you already warming up your engines for the next race? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned to {marca_origen} for all the news dedicated to the world of video games. To buy video games at a discounted price, we recommend that you take a look at the Instant Gaming catalog.
7.8 He will be able to make himself loved not only by fans of the seriesPoints in favor
- Well designed routes ...
- Very fun 64 player online mode ...
- Fun gameplay with its own character
- Technical and sound sector very well done
Points against
- ... but a few more wouldn't have hurt
- ... but beyond that there is little else left to do online
