If interested chocobo gp, a full-priced $50 kart tracer that launched Thursday, you first notice that the game is littered with microtransactions and upsells. Angry Final Fantasy fans who paid the freight say they feel cheated, and those who even play the free “Lite” version available on Nintendo Switch say the whole thing feels like something , which you play on your mobile phone.
The gameplay is fine. Choose a Chocobo or a Final Fantasy character, race through a course and increase your speed or take out your rivals with power-ups and magic spells. As for the rest of the game, “is everything [built] around purchasable Season Passes despite being a paid game,” wrote one player on the Final Fantasy subreddit
While racers and levels can be unlocked, karts, outfits, and other items must be purchased from various stores, using more than one in-game currency. Players need to keep track of Gil and Tickets they earn by playing the game and then there is Mythril which is only available with real money.
“[I] launched the game and was immediately greeted with in-game currency that you buy with mtx.” said one Redditor, “Battle pass to get rewards with two tiers and the whole design makes me feel like my Nintendo Switch is a phone. For example, am I paying for a $50 game or a f2p mobile game?”
Progressing through the game’s Prize Pass also feels slow and stingy, according to some players. One tweeted that after an hour of online feed Chocobo GPBut he won one tournament was only level 7 – Barely a tenth of the way to level 60 and its ultimate reward, a playable Cloud Strife.
There’s also the question of the cost of the price pass itself. That runs 800 mithril and, to be fair, some premium games also sell a battle pass. While the first season is virtually free, returning players will receive 800 mithril once players log in, they still need to purchase said mithril, and that’s typically $10 for 1,000 in currency.
An introductory promotion gives out 1,600 for $8, but that’s effectively only a $2 discount if you’re just participating to unlock things in the price pass. Also, the 800 mithril you get back from the prize pass will expire if you don’t use it within five months. It’s clear that Square Enix wants players to acquire and spend this Mythril, even if they don’t want anything it’s buying.
“I wonder how long it will take for Square Enix to learn that just because games are like that destiny 2Call of Duty and FIFA can double dip doesn’t mean they can do it with their lower budget games.” wrote another player on Friday. “You need either the content or the brand, ideally both. Chocobo GP has neither.”
igamesnews found on Friday that this real-money Myhril economy was not present in the game when the reviewers played it. But his intent was still evident to some reviewers. “Watch after [unlockable characters] Squall and Cloud being relegated to a Season Pass and/or Gil purchases have taken away from my enjoyment.” wrote Destructoid“because those crucial performers should just be in the game with no strings attached.” The review called for the prize pass to be scrapped and a price drop to make the game “much more enticing.”
Polygon has reached out to Square Enix for further comment on the Prize Pass, the microtransactions, and player reactions to both.
