Everything you need to know ahead of Chocobo GP's release date

Olivia Richman Published 08/03/2022

Kart racing and Final Fantasy fans alike are getting a fresh new game this week.

Chocobo GP is coming out March 10, but many video game reviewers have already gotten their hands on the Square Enix racing game and are giving it mostly good reviews. The Final Fantasy-themed game is being called entertaining and adorable. But what exactly is it, and what do you need to know before its upcoming release date?

When is the Chocobo GP release date?

The official release date for Chocobo GP will be March 10 on the Nintendo Switch.

Chocobo GP was first announced in 2010 with plans for it to arrive on the 3DS. But the idea was unfortunately scrapped in 2013. Luckily for kart racing and Final Fantasy fans, Chocobo GP is making a comeback on the popular Nintendo Switch console after its 3DS release was scrapped years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2bxEiFd5YU

What do you do in Chocobo GP?

Chocobo GP is a racing game, and this is surprisingly not the first Final Fantasy-themed racing game to exist. In 1999, Square Enix released Chocobo Racing for the PlayStation. Unfortunately, Chocobo Racing wasn’t a huge hit outside of big Final Fantasy fans who thought the concept was cute, with underwhelming tracks and bad controls.

Chocobo GP is being reviewed as more of a reliably fun racing game that’s both colorful and exciting. It has single and multiplayer modes with cups, custom races, and time attack. There is also local split-screen as well as online lobbies. Chocobo GP even has a story mode.

The main attraction of Chocobo GP is the Chocobo GP game mode itself. This is a 64-player competition that has racers compete in heats of eight players at a time. The top four racers in each heat progress to the next stage. This leads up to a grand finale.

What are the tracks in Chocobo GP?

There are a total of 12 cups in Chocobo GP, each featuring nine tracks. Some of these tracks include Chocobo Farm, Monster Village, Gold Saucer, Zozo, and Big Bridge, all inspired by famous Final Fantasy locations and lore.

Each track looks fun to navigate, offering shortcuts for players that are skilled enough to go off-course and explore to cut down their racing times.

Which Final Fantasy characters are in Chocobo GP?

There are 23 characters in Chocobo GP, each with a special ability that can be used once a bar on the bottom of the screen fills up. Every character is either directly lifted from a Final Fantasy game or inspired by the world of Final Fantasy.

Here’s a list of all the racers in Chocobo GP and the special abilities they can use.

Chocobo: Dash — Create a ring that boosts him forward (as well as other racers that enter the ring)
Atla: Pom-Pom Crystal — Steal crystals from other racers while scattering fake ones behind themselves that explode
Clair: Invisihood — Become transparent and invincible to not be targeted by attacks
Camilla: Chocobo Combo — Create five rings that grant speed boosts and invincibility to racers that pass through
Camilla’s Pa — Deploys a plow and becomes invincible, causing racers who come into contact to spin out
Shiroma: Kurukuru Counter — Become protected by Kurukuru, creating a barrier around her and countering Magicite sent her way by other racers
Cid: Three-Shot Burst — Bombard other racers with cannon blasts
Irma: Boost Chain — Activate a boost
Ben: Charge — Grow in size and rush forward, hitting other racers
Terra: Magitek Missile — Shoot five projectiles in front of yourself that will wipe any other racers
Maduin: Chaos Wave — Boost forward and hurt other racers you contact
Vivi: Ddl Magic — Cast two types of magic
Steiner: Mmoonlight Slash — Attack a racer in front of you, wiping them out and then attacking others around you
Ifrit: Hellfire — Create a fire barrier
Asura: Tsunami — Use a huge wave to move forward, turning automatically. The wave wipes out other people
Titan: Gaia’s Wrath — Create shockwaves that hurt other racers around you
Sylph: Whispering Wind — Create whirlwinds that slow down other racers and disrupt their controls
Ramuh: Judgement Bolt — Summon a thundercloud that homes in on nearby racers
Shiva: Diamond Dust — Freeze other racers and limit abilities
Racing Hero X: Mog Beam X — Shoot a huge laser at other racers or shoot backwards to create a protective shield
Mecha Chocobo: Berserk — Send fire attacks continuously forward for a short period of time
Gilgamesh: Sword Saint — Throw swords at other racers, each with a different effect

What is Chocobo GP gameplay like?

Many reviewers are comparing Chocobo GP in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when it comes to its racing style. Just like Mario Kart, players drive to win and can achieve two levels of boost. Racers can also perform tricks off of jumps and ramps. Grab Magicites to gain access to elemental attacks like fire and water. There are also objects to pick up in item boxes on the map that provide portals and other cool boosts.

Olivia Richman

About Olivia Richman

Olivia has worked in media ever since graduating from college, with her coverage ranging from traditional newspaper reporting to digital coverage of all things gaming, online betting, and nerd culture. She has traveled around the world pursuing that coverage, from the far coasts of the United States to the busy downtown core of Tokyo, Japan. Olivia’s favorite games include Overwatch and Super Smash Smash Bros, and she has been published at Esports Illustrated, Inven Global, EsportsInsider, Upcomer, and elsewhere.

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