It’s an exciting month for fans of the kart racing genre – with Chocobo GP out next week, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe‘s Booster Courses arriving later on. As Square Enix’s release is first, naturally the focus is on it right now. Ahead of its release, we’ve put together a round up of some of the reviews so far.
Before we take a look at those though, be sure to check out our Nintendo Life review, which we published earlier this week. We gave Chocobo GP 8 out of 10 stars and said it was a delightful surprise from Square Enix and one of the most “polished and entertaining kart racers” on Switch.
Right then, now that we’ve covered our own review, here’s a look at the rest starting with VGC – who gave it 4 out of 5 stars:
“Chocobo GP is second only to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe when it comes to modern karting games. On the track it delivers brilliantly satisfying karting gameplay, and all at a beautifully smooth frame rate.”
Siliconera gave the game 7 out of 10 and said it was better than most other Mario Kart competitors:
“Chocobo GP fares better than most Mario Kart competitors, delivering a rough-around-the-edges experience that’s still fundamentally fun most of the time. Its weaknesses and frustrations, though — combined with the incoming deluge of new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks — will likely limit its audience.”
Destructoid wasn’t quite as taken with it, awarding it 6.5 out of 10:
“Chocobo GPa budget title of sorts, was never going to challenge Mario Kartand it never needed to. But if you’re looking for a serviceable racer to play on the side that’s full of old school unlocks it’s a fine option; provided you can get past a few hurdles. Hopefully a series of patches, the eventual possible elimination of the season pass system, and a price cut will make this package way more enticing. I’ll be singing its praises if that happens, but in the meantime, consider it a cautious recommendation.”
Australian Nintendo website Vooks awarded the Square Enix kart racer 3 out of 5 stars and suggested trying out the ‘Lite’ version of the game before forking out for the full experience:
“Chocobo GP is a playable Kart racer. I wish I could say it was an enjoyable one. The attacks/obstacles are too punishing; there aren’t enough tracks that scream to be played over and over, awkward controls and some yet-unpriced IAP and ‘Prize Passes’. The Story Mode offers some funny moments with plenty of FF winks and nods in the goofiest ways, but completing it is a frustrating experience. Try out Chocobo GP Lite before putting any cash down on this game.”
And Digitally Downloaded gave the game 4.5 stars out of 5 – mentioning how some might even prefer it over the Mario Kart series:
“The expansive roster, the adorable presentation, and the quality kart racing mechanics will combine to give you something that you just might prefer over Mario Kart. The latter might be a bigger and tighter racing experience, but Chocobo GP has a killer weapon up its sleeve that makes all the difference: Chocobo.”
Chocobo GP arrives on the Nintendo Switch next week on the 10th of March. Will you be checking it out on release, or at least trying out the ‘Lite’ version of the game? Leave a comment down below.
