Some of the abilities are fairly straightforward, such as boost, or offensive elemental techniques, for example, but then take Atla’s Pom-Pom Crystal ability, which is a little more spicy. For instance, Irma’s ability allows you to activate a huge, temporary boost, while Cid’s special attack is to launch cannonballs forward that can wipe out an opponent if your aiming is up to scratch.
Granted, the full cast of characters has full voice acting, but it wanders too far in cringe-worthy realms and by the end of Chapter 5, I personally had enough of it.Īs well as providing tickets that can be spent to unlock characters, kart variations and stickers, Story Mode is essentially a beefed-up tutorial that teaches the basics of racing and how to use special power-ups that are unique to each playable racer. It’s very clearly aimed at a younger audience, which is fine, but die-hard Final Fantasy fans may not appreciate how these iconic characters are portrayed. Nevertheless, I never felt too invested in the light-hearted story. evil here with a pleasant, light twist at its conclusion. The likes of a reimagined Cid, from pretty much every Final Fantasy game, makes an appearance a sassy Shiva jumps into some races and even Ifrit (the best Summon in Final Fantasy, no contest) takes a chance at joining the ever-growing squad that’s entering races to have their wishes granted. Naturally, I was excited to see who cropped up. Story Mode is one of them, and it’s here you’ll watch an adventure unfold between characters from one of the most influential JRPG series of all time. And hey, some will adore that theme tune. While this cute and cuddly kart-racer has an inventory of flaws, there are some pleasant and redeeming features. It’s repetitive and oddly jarring, and as lovely as it was the first time around, I can’t help but reach for the volume button quick enough, and Chocobo GP’s gameplay is largely similar in that respect.
The song came round again and I tapped my foot to the beat while mouthing the jolly words, but by the third or fourth time? Irritation settled in. Initially, I happily hummed along to the goofy chorus and silly lyrics. The feelings I got when I heard the catchy theme tune perfectly encapsulates how I felt each time I booted up Chocobo GP.
With plenty of features that span across on and offline play, a ton of racers to choose from, and a stripped-down free-to-play ‘Lite’ edition, can this Final Fantasy spinoff kart racer tempt fans away from Mario’s behemoth Deluxe offering? Stock up on Magicite, hop into your kart and belt up for Square Enix’s sequel to 1999’s Chocobo Racing in this bright and colourful Nintendo Switch exclusive, Chocobo GP, that’s racing its way onto the hybrid console.