ChocoboGP’ First Impressions: Simple but Free

ChocoboGP’ on mobile devices is something of an oddity for a Final Fantasy spin-off, when it comes to this series, games are known for their thorough storylines, in-depth gameplay, and high-end graphics.

ChocoboGP’ on the other hand is a mobile game spin-off from the Chocobo GP game coming to Switch and feels more like a mini-game you’d find in another Final Fantasy game. That doesn’t make it bad mind you, but there’s just not a lot to it.

Race De Chocobo

ChocoboGP’ doesn’t really have any plot to speak off. The game is a simple 2D sidescroller where you play as a Chocobo on a scooter, with a Moogle on the Chocobo. Your goal is just to get to the end of the stage.

You have two buttons in the game, one that makes you accelerate forward, and one to make you go in reverse. The game has a decent physics engine as while you can you fast, tripping over a steep hill or bump can cause you to fall over, which is game over. Reversing can also help you break, but reversing too much will also make you fall over.

There’s also an emphasis on positioning. When you’re launched off the ground from a great height, you’ll need to reposition yourself so that your feelings are roughly parallel with the ground otherwise, you guessed it, you’ll trip over and game over.

The levels are very quick and easy to understand, meaning you can easily pop in and out to levels whenever is convenient. This is very much one of those games you can quickly play on the toilet to pass the time.

Everything Else

You’re free to do any of the first ten stages in any order but must complete all of them to advance further. Other than that there’s not a lot to do in the game. You go through the quick and simple levels and you can race against a ghost opponent for better times but that’s about it.

You can customize your rollers with coins you earn at the end of each level to make it faster, get better handling and you can customize your bird. That being said the model for the Chocobo and Moogle looks pretty cheap and plastic-like which while serviceable does make the game less eye-catching. The same can be seen for the rather bland-looking cave livke levels.

It’s pretty bare but it is made slightly better by the fact that the game is completely free. As far as I can see there are no microtransactions or gacha at all in the game. You just download it and play it. It may be a small mini-game but props to Square Enix for having the sense to at least not monetize it.

Reaching the Goal

As you can see from the review, there’s not a lot of to say about ChocoboGP’. The game doesn’t really feel like a game in its own right as much as it is as a sort of ad for the upcoming Switch game Chocobo GP. While it’s playable there’s little content in it to keep you coming back.

That being said, it is decent for what it is, a quick mini-game to pass a few seconds with. The fact that it’s completely free also makes it a harmless game to at least give a try.

Final Score:
5/10

ChocoboGP’ is available for mobile devices. Chocobo GP for Nintendo Switch will release on the 10th of March 2022.