Mario Kart works so well because you always feel like you can win if you ace a great jump or get the right power-up at the perfect moment.Ĭhocobo GP sometimes feels like a last-place disaster lurks around every corner.Īll of these criticisms are mostly minor annoyances common to the genre, but stacked together they make Chocobo GP’s gameplay feel unexceptional. Getting hit by even one attack can drop you from first to last, let alone all the times you get nailed by a second one right after. But there are far too many power-ups to keep track of, and getting hit by a power-up requires a lengthy recovery animation that can last nearly seven seconds. The power-ups in Chocobo GP are all inspired by Final Fantasy, like Haste which gives you a speed boost, Fire that lets you shoot a homing projectile, and Bahamut that transforms you into the summon to zoom ahead. However, there are times that a jump might run right into a turn, making it nearly impossible to make said turn if you try and get a boost.
You can do a trick when going off a jump, that will then give you a boost when you land. The wonkiness of the controls coupled with some track design flaws can sometimes lead to severely frustrating crashes.
There’s a certain “floatiness” that makes your inputs feel imprecise. The other big problem is that karts simply don’t feel as responsive as you’d want them to. It’s huge, colorful, difficult to navigate, and genuinely a lot of fun.Įach character also has their own unique ability that builds up during the race. A particular highlight is the Golden Saucer, which feels like Chocobo GP’s answer to Mario Kart’s Rainbow Road. Some of the later tracks do a much better job at feeling unique, providing a lot of twists, turns, and unique areas. There are different variations to some tracks that help add some variety, like a “hyperspeed” version with extra boost pads and more turns. That’s obviously true in any racing game, but you need enough gimmicks to make the racer forget that. You feel like you’re driving around in circles. Many early-game Chocobo GP tracks are short and bland, with only a few turns and no kind of unique obstacles. Ultimate can get away with that kind of frustrating gameplay design, but at least Nintendo offers up multiple ways to unlock the game’s core roster. It doesn’t help that you have to unlock most of the tracks and playable characters as part of the story mode. Boring track design and flaws in the general feel of the controls make Chocobo GP a bit tiresome. Drifting is absolutely essential in Chocobo GP, as the game uses a similar system to Mario Kart where you build up boost as you drift, as well as crystals that build your overall speed.
And maybe it's an unfair comparison, as Mario Kart has such a history to draw from, but when compared with the similarly priced Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, there's just nowhere near the amount of content - and that makes Chocobo GP feel like poor value for money.If you’ve played a kart racer before you know the basic formula of Chocobo GP: eight characters race on tracks filled with environmental hazards and power-ups. However, we think the asking price is on the steep side, especially with so few tracks to race on. It's a thoroughly enjoyable and chaotic racer that will keep you entertained for hours as you frustrate your friends with a plethora of unique and creative power-ups. While it may not have the refinement of a certain Nintendo-exclusive karting juggernaut, Chocobo GP has plenty to sink your teeth into. Races are chaotic and unpredictable and the tracks are filled with their own curveballs to keep you on your toes (or talons, or whatever it may be). While the colourful graphics and cute characters may make Chocobo GP look like a game for the kids, there's plenty of challenge for even the most seasoned gamer. All the fun and frustration is present and correct, but rather than playing as the plumber and his compatriots, you play as characters, creatures and summons from the Final Fantasy series. To be clear: the gameplay experience of Chocobo GP is largely a mirror of Mario Kart, but that's no bad thing.
0 kommentar(er)
