If you are keen on arcade-style racing games and are tired of waiting for Nintendo to release a new Mario Kart game, then Square Enix's Chocobo GP might be worth a look when it arrives next year exclusively on the Switch.
The follow-up to the 1999 PlayStation classic Chocobo Racing was first revealed during Nintendo's Direct presentation last week, and now new footage of the game is surfacing online via Tokyo Game Show 2021 previews.
Here's a round-up courtesy Gematsu:
Similar to Mario Kart, Chocobo GP will include the ability to drift around corners, as well as collect item pick-ups known as "Magicites" to assist you in many different ways on the track. Characters will also come with their own unique abilities and variants. And there'll be both online and offline multiplayer modes, too - including the ability to compete in tournaments.
Would you be interested in playing a kart racer like this on the Switch? Tell us down below.
[source gematsu.com]
Comments 43
The controls seem rough, as does the drifting animation - hopefully that's just earlier build weirdness, though, because this looks solid otherwise
Hopefully this turns out well, because this looks really interesting so far
@PikaPhantom
A little janky in some places, I've also been spoiled by MK8's very smooth framerate
Yeah it does seem a little rough around the edges right now. Hope they smooth it out cause I wanna burn rubber with Vivi now.
@PikaPhantom Yea, the mechanics are interesting enough too. The whole spell tier Fire > Fira > Firaga seems like a clever twist on items. I do hope these are early builds.
Honestly seems alright to me. Especially since Mario Kart 9 is nowhere to be found.
It does look a bit unpolished, but pretty solid overall. Hopefully they listen to feedback and adjust some of the criticisms, but I think it's shaping up pretty well personally. I really can't wait for it!
This is effectively just a mariokart clone but with final fantasy characters. How is it that they really couldn't think of anything except cloning Mario Kart?
Oh yeah! They're actually doing FF remixes for the stage soundtracks, yeah that was key for me. That zozo music is fire!
Do also very much appreciate these straight up gameplay videos with full audio and no funky trailer cuts, voice overs or anything like that.
Looks good so far.
Need some improvement in vehicle speed.
I never got to play the original so this is very welcome!
This is Mario Kart.
Square Enix has made their success by ripping off the ideas of others, while paying for hype and good reviews. A shameless , absolute rip off of Mario Kart 8. It looks like a cheap mod for mario kart rather than a stand alone game.
Just want to say that this is just MK8 with a Square Enix skin. The start up animation of showing the track screams MK8 even down to the timing of changing what it is showing you. This just seems like a lazy cash grab, but then I wasn't really that interested in it anyway despite my love of Square franchises.
It comes out in 2022 so enough time to finetune this i think. Looks cool.
Looks cute but would make more sense to release it also on PS5 which is in greater need of a Mario Kart Clone. Since Switch got the best kart game on the planet isn't in desperate need for another one. I would prefer a FF spin off a la Before Crisis:FF7
Hook it to my veins. That Zozo remix was a real bop.
Looks like one of those IOS clone games.
Everything looks nice but pretty uninspired. It seems to be a game without a vision.
@VoidofLight technically, this is a sequel to a game from back when there were a LOT less Mario Kart games 🤷🏻♂️
@PikaPhantom exactly, in the original game you felt all those curves and drifts
I am looking forward to it, but I hoped they would name a sequel Chocobo Racing 2
@Mattock1987 It's Chocobo Racing dude
the animations, the physics are just dreadful ...it has no dynamics, no weight ...i am amazed...
Needs some work, no doubt, but if they're prepared to do that work then I'm all for it. Mario Kart 8 is my GOAT, so as long as they do a good job of ripping it off, I will happily play this too, but currently it needs more flair and life in the animations.
@BlackenedHalo it’s Mario kart. The visuals, the music, the sound effects, the apparent control schemes, all Mario Kart. If Mario Kart 8 had Chocobos as DLC racers, it would literally be this game.
I don't think I can go backwards. This looks like a clear step in the wrong direction from Nintendo's Mario Kart 8, which has been out since the Wii U!
I think Mario Kart 8 is the pinnacle of this style racing game.
I wish someone would do a good vehicle combat game like Twisted Metal for the Switch. Actually, I want Nintendo to do Smash Racer! Huge roster of Nintendo characters duking it out in vehicles.
Looks like fine, needs some polish though which Im sure they will get to. Hoping to see some more characters that represent other jobs like Monk, Blue Mage, and Dragoon
I wish more recognizable series faces were here. Why none of the protags or villains?
Just stick with Cruis'n Blast.
@BlackenedHalo
It looks fine for me since i have ever played Chocobo Racing PS1.
Just need some improvement in vehicle speed.
@Oddball83
"It looks like a cheap mod for mario kart rather than a stand alone game."
I don't think so.
It looked great so far.
@Anti-Matter its an obvious rip off on every level, not even a debate. anyone with eyes can see how much it apes mario kart 8.
@Oddball83
Just because the graphics have similarity with Mario Kart 8 it doesn't mean the game was a rip off.
I still recognized the Cid Test Track from Chocobo GP was from Chocobo Racing PS1 since i played that game when i was teen.
And even if the game was a rip off of Mario Kart 8, doesn't really matter for me since i have been waiting for another 3rd party cartoonish racing games like Mario Kart. More choices = better gameplay experience and i will pick Chocobo GP once it already out.
@Anti-Matter its not just the graphics its the gameplay, the tracks etc. but ok
@Mando44646
There was a Chibi Behemoth riding on his vehicle.
@roboshort Thats Square Enix' style lol
@Oddball83
Well, the other 3rd party cartoonish racing games did the same thing like Mario Kart with random item boxes.
Even there are some different improvements from 3rd party developers for their kart racing games that still not available from Mario Kart such as Skylanders Superchargers (and Racing) with ability to reduce the opponent HP to zero so the vehicles will stop moving for a while + 3 different vehicle types (Land, Water, Air). Nintendo should learn from 3rd party cartoonish racing games as some 3rd party developers have better ideas for their kart racing games.
I really want this to be good, but right now it looks like they're presenting Mario Kart but less polished and more clunky on a system where everyone already has Mario Kart.
seems like a collection of missed opportunities to really turn the Mario Kart Genre on its head. Half expected to see titan bust out of the ground and start grabbing other karters while summoned by a player. Music seems generic except that one piece from FF6 which is a very weak interpretation of that song. I'll wait for final to make judgements, right now its looking like another spin off to skip.
As I expected, this is essentially Mario Kart without the budget, polish, or fine-tuning.
Glad that the game exists as kart racers are a not all that prevelant nowadays, but I hope serious improvements are made from now until launch.
Something that all other kart races lack is a soul. Wether you like MK or not you cant deny it has a certain presence, a hard to describe solidity. This feels like another soulless hollow cookie-cutter effort.
It seems like a Mario Kart game, but the Magicite Power-up method makes me think of Diddy Kong Racing.
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