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The latest racing game in the Chocobo series lands on the Switch platform!
Square Enix will launch Chocobo Racing GP on the Switch platform on March 10, 2022. The latest game in the Chocobo series is a racing game with the goal of winning, and Chocobo and its friends will appear in this game.
The game includes a variety of game modes, including "Story Mode", "Series Schedule" composed of four sets of tracks, "Time Race" to create the best results, and "Custom Schedule" that freely sets the rules of the game. Players will follow chocobo and its friends on a pleasant adventure in "Story Mode", and gradually master the rules of the game during this adventure. In addition, the game's "multiplayer" mode also prepares players with a "Chocobo GP" knockout that supports up to 64 people online, and players can randomly match other players or invite friends to play together.
After the author preemptively tried this work, the first time to bring you this "Chocobo Racing GP" trial review. This article does not contain spoilers, so please feel free to read it.
Carelessness = fatal mistake?! Immerse yourself in the fierce competition
"An unexpected condition happens every 5 seconds?!" A crazy race where no one can predict the outcome until the last moment, opening!"
When I first read this promotional slogan on the official website of Chocobo Racing GP, honestly the first reaction was actually too exaggerated, right? But after the author actually played, I found that this slogan was appropriately described. Combined with the fast-paced unfolding of this game, the author really got an experience where an unexpected situation occurs every 5 seconds.
At first, I was a little confused in the face of this chaotic battle situation, but when I understood the game system and was able to skillfully use various strategies, such as using the reserved "Magic Stone" to open the barrier to deal with the enemy's obstruction, and after crashing, using the "Rapid Magic Stone" that can accelerate for a period of time to achieve a shocking reversal, the game suddenly became interesting...
Magic Stone
The Magic Stone is a necessary item for unleashing powerful magic. Touching the magic egg in the track will give you a variety of magic stones, including the "Flame Magic Stone" used to attack opponents, the "Rapid Magic Stone" that can launch sprints, etc., and all kinds of magic stones support three-stage enhancement. If used properly, you can stand out from many opponents and ride the dust!
ability
Abilities are unique to each character, and can be activated when the energy meter at the bottom left of the screen is full. The energy meter accumulates automatically over time, but it can also be accelerated by acquiring crystals from the track.
Aerial skills
Pressing the "R1 button" before rushing to the jump platform is easier to launch aerial skills. When the operation is successful, the character will make a special move in the air.
The moment of using skills, magic stones and abilities to take first place is particularly touching, and if you win in the Chocobo Racing GP online battle mode, the experience is even more enjoyable! The author was immediately captivated by this sense of pleasure and accomplishment. The play time of each game is also very appropriate, making it easy for players to constantly challenge online battles stimulated by the mentality of "one more round can be turned over".
There are techniques buried throughout the game that affect the outcome of the game: the "starting sprint" that can sprint a certain distance at the beginning, the "tail sprint" that accelerates in the corner, the "aerial trick" that uses the jumping platform to make yourself land and enter the sprint state... These techniques are all very simple to implement, and can be easily used by players or children who are not good at action games.
▲ Footage when winning in Chocobo Racing GP mode. Online battles allow you to experience the unique charm of playing against real players
A plot story for all ages
The game's story mode also left a good impression on the author, players can follow the chocobo and its friends on a pleasant adventure, through the experience of multiple tracks to gradually master the rules of the game. In addition, the characters often mention some original memes in the dialogue that make final fantasy fans laugh, and the author can say that he finished watching the plot with a smile from beginning to end.
▲ Story mode allows players to learn a little game rules through each game
The mission goals set in each game are also the essence of the story mode. Each time a player successfully completes a mission, they can unlock new characters, vehicles, or receive ticket rewards, which give the player the impetus to advance the story mode. Comparing the performance differences between the characters and vehicles is also a great pleasure of this game.
The characters in this game not only have their own abilities, but also differ in the four parameters of "speed", "grip", "acceleration", and "tail flicking". And the character's performance also changes depending on the type of vehicle, so simply changing the vehicle can lead to a different driving experience.
▲ Although Yatra has superior speed, other parameters are relatively weak. Hiloma, on the other hand, is the opposite, slow, but the other parameters are relatively strong
Taking chocobo as an example, its ordinary vehicle "Jet Blade" is a balanced vehicle with excellent speed performance, the ground-gripping vehicle "Wing Blade" is better at tail drift, and the speed vehicle "Claw Blade" has the best speed performance among the three, but other parameters are relatively low. Therefore, it is also a pleasure to compare performance parameters and choose the right vehicle according to your individual play style and track.
If you compare jet blade and Claw Blade, although the speed is fast, the speed performance of the latter is even better
The game's vehicle customization system is also very attractive, and players can use the colors, stickers and other accessories they get to make the vehicle into their ideal form. The game's large number of characters and vehicles and a wide variety of stickers can greatly stimulate the player's desire to collect, and happily, both colors and stickers are easily available in the store.
▲ There are two ways to get started with characters, vehicles, stickers, and colors, one is to exchange them for tickets obtained in the game, and the other is to buy them in the store
The follow-up is full of fun! New characters will be featured at the season event
The season event, which is scheduled to go live after the game's release, is also very interesting. Chocobo Racing GP Mode will regularly feature a two-month season event during which you can level up the Honors level by playing and earning Honor Points. As the level of honor increases, players can receive rewards such as gold coins (which can be redeemed for a variety of items in the in-game shop).
▲When the honor level is raised, you can get various rewards such as gold coins, characters, stickers, etc. The game also has items that can be purchased with gold coins or Mythril (paid currency).
In Season 1, players will have a chance to win the Popular Characters of the Final Fantasy series, Crowder and Sker! Claude is one of the limited rewards that requires players to use Mithril (paid) to purchase the "Honor Season Pass" and increase the Honor Level.
By the way, players only need to log in to the game in Season 1 to receive 800 Mithril for free (equivalent to the value of the Honor Season Pass). In other words, after a player buys a season pass with the complimentary 800 Mithril Silver, they only need to increase the honor level to make Crowder a partner.
▲ You can get Crowder when you purchase an Honor Season Pass and raise your Honor Level to Level 60. Claude can unleash the Boomerang Skill to attack nearby opponents
Skel, on the other hand, will appear in the Gold Coin Shop. As long as you have an Honor Season Pass, you can get more coins when playing Chocobo Racing GP Mode, which also means that players can more easily redeem Skers in the Gold Shop. I have decided to seize this opportunity to pocket Claude and Skel, the two most popular protagonists of the Final Fantasy series, and I believe that there are not a few players who have this idea.
▲ Sker can buy it in the Gold Shop, and when he activates the "Burst Forbidden Zone" ability, he can swing the shock wave formed by the blade in his hand to hit the opponent in front of him
Incidentally, the game is also expected to launch a free trial version of Chocobo Racing GP Lite on the day of release. Not only can the Lite edition experience the prologue, multiplayer and chocobo racing GP mode of story mode, but also the items obtained in the game and saves can be inherited into the official version. If you are still hesitant to buy this game, you may wish to try the Lite version before making a decision.
Translation: Tadashi Inu Komasa
Compile | Bluestoon