Chocobo GP review: New Switch racing game does what Mario Kart doesn't
Take to the track for colourful new races in Chocobo GP.
Launching today on Nintendo Switch, Chocobo GP is a new kart-racing game from Square Enix that is set (rather loosely) in the Final Fantasy franchise. It’s a sequel of sorts to Chocobo Racing from 1999, but you don’t really need to know any of the lore in order to jump in. But is it worth checking out this new cutesy racer?
Here at RadioTimes.com, we’ve been testing out Chocobo GP over the last few weeks in order to bring you this full review. And in short, this is a game we’d definitely recommend to anyone that’s looking for a new kart-racing experience.
That being said, it is somewhat unfortunate for Square Enix that this game is releasing noticeably near to the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass DLC, which will add a total of 48 new tracks to Nintendo’s iconic kart-racing game over the next few months (starting on 18th March).
If Chocobo GP had come out last year, when it felt like we hadn’t any new kart racers in a little while, it might’ve had a better opportunity to make a big splash. But even when you take that unfortunate timing into account, it’s still worth stressing the Chocobo GP is great fun to play, and it does plenty of new things to set itself apart from Mario Kart.
One of the particularly exciting elements of Chocobo GP is its eponymous Chocobo GP mode, which allows you to take part in 64-player online tournaments against other gamers. It's a big, chunky new mode that feels really ambitious and fun at the same time.
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In this mode, your challenge is to make it through multiple rounds and ultimately prove that you’re the best racer in that group of 64 players. It’s a unique twist on kart racing writ large, with seasonal updates promised for this mode to keep the experience fresh in future.
If you prefer playing alone, there’s also a full story mode that allows you to unlock new racers by overcoming specific challenges (which are normally geared around beating one particular enemy on one specific track). This mode is pretty simple and not particularly inspired – you might find yourself skipping through all the dialogue just to get to the races – but the racing element itself is nice and smooth with a decent amount of challenge.
There’s also a time trial mode where you try to defeat your own ghost scores (or ghost scores set by other players), which is always a fun way to push yourself. And there are a few other options for online/local multiplayer, from one-off races to four-race series in the Mario Kart mould. You can only play local split-screen with one other player, though, which seems like a bit of a missed opportunity (especially when this could be a fun party game otherwise).
Across all of those modes, the gameplay feels nicely balanced and it’s always smooth in terms of the controls. The colour palette is brilliantly bright and colourful, and the tracks are imaginative and engaging enough. They're maybe not quite as wild as some of the more wacky tracks in Mario Kart 8, but they’re a nice alternative that will keep you entertained for a fair few hours. The character models get brilliantly barmy here, too.
One of the nice little hooks here, offering something that Mario Kart doesn’t, is the fact that each racer has its own special ability that will give them a little edge (once you’ve fully charged it up, you can deploy these special moves whenever you like). Some of these are really memorable (including one character that throws their kart over their shoulder and sprints a little segment instead) and they mix up the gameplay in some fresh ways, ensuring that no race is quite the same as the last.
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The power-ups you collect around the track include some fun new ideas, too, including one power-up that lets you teleport from one point on the track to another. Again, this offers something that Mario Kart doesn’t, giving Chocobo GP its own unique mix of elements for players to wrap their heads around as they race off against each other. Another fun twist is that some of the racers take to the track on roller-blades!
This game may not fully reinvent the wheel, then, but it does enough new things to make itself a worthy distraction from Mario Kart and its upcoming DLC. If you fancy trying out a kart-racer that does things a little differently, this is definitely the game for you.
Chocobo GP is out now on Nintendo Switch with a free 'lite' version on the Nintendo eShop.
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