Birds, Behemoths, Bahamut--oh my! It's time for a retro review of the racing variety with Chocobo Racing. This take on the Mario Kart-esque racer in the world of Final Fantasy from 1999 saw a successor on the Nintendo Switch with Chocobo GP. But, how does the original hold up after all of these years? Let's take to the track to find out!
"Kweh"-zy racing in the realm of Final Fantasy
I previously took a look at Chocobo GP, which I ended up enjoying even with its various issues, which you can read about in my review from a few years ago. However, despite playing Chocobo GP and liking it, I never played the original game in the series: Chocobo Racing. Back in the PlayStation 1/Nintendo 64 era, no doubt every major franchise wanted a piece of the Mario Kart pie--or at least wanted to expand outside of their typical genres. Final Fantasy was no different, and thus, a racing game starring the cute, cuddly, golden Chocobo sped onto the PlayStation 1 and into many owners of Sony's console's hearts.
Chocobo Racing features ten characters to race as. As you play through the story mode (recommended for first-time players), you unlock new characters, slowly get introduced to the Magicite system (more on that shortly), and learn the ins and outs of the game while experiencing cute and charming cutscenes in a children's pop-up book-like presentation. The story mode, effectively a tutorial, isn't a lengthy endeavor by any stretch of the imagination, taking about an hour or so to complete. Though playing through it multiple times (and no worries--you can thankfully skip cutscenes on repeated playthroughs) unlocks new characters to race as, including the then-most current Final Fantasy protagonist: Squall Leonhart.
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That's no chicken on wheels--it's Chocobo! |
Each character introduces a different ability that can be utilized while racing: Chocobo has a turbo to grant a swift boost of speed, Moogle can fly over terrain that would otherwise slow any other racer down, White Mage's Shield will absorb most magic, and Goblin can pilfer another player's magic with his Mug ability, just to name a handful of abilities each character possesses. Understandably, different characters contain unique stats in numerous categories, as well, from acceleration, to handling, to top speed.
Rather than use basic items to cause chaos on the track, competitors within Chocobo Racing utilize magical crystals known as Magicite, which serve as the various items in the game and give an additional Final Fantasy touch to the game. These can either help you or hinder other opponents. If you've played Diddy Kong Racing, Chocobo Racing's Magicite uses a similar system of collecting up to three of the same colored Magicite to strengthen your magical moves to unleash all kinds of craziness onto your opponents.
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"Mini" thanks for this particular magic used on Black Mage, as it causes him to shrink in size and slow down in the process. |
For example, Fire simply shoots out a flame without any homing capabilities, while Fire2 ends up homing in on the character directly in front of you--red shell-style--while collecting three Fire Magicite in a row enables you to use Fire3, which takes on Mario Kart's blue shell and homes in on first place to cook their proverbial goose.
While the abundance of Magicite and this upgrade system are both novel approaches to the kart racing genre and perfectly fits in with the Final Fantasy realm, it also causes maybe too much chaos on the track. When you have multiple magic that can affect everyone in and out of the running, you're constantly getting pelted and hit with something while racing. This can be greatly annoying, understandably, and makes for moments where you can be ahead by a large distance only to have magic be the deciding factor in losing your lead in a frustrating fashion. That said, the many methods to get back into races means that they stay exciting and anyone can win.
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With so much Magicite and magic on the track, races can become quite chaotic in a hurry! |
Unlike something like Mario Kart or even the aforementioned Diddy Kong Racing, the amount of tracks is nowhere near as large. You won't have sixteen unique circuits to race and blaze a trail on. Instead, about ten total tracks are on offer in Chocobo Racing. That said, the variety of the tracks and what is available is enjoyable. You have your tutorial track: Cid's Test Track, what is essentially a basic oval with some easy curves to learn the ropes (or the turns of, I guess, in this case). Things get more interesting with races through the serene Moogle Forest, the industrial, mountainous paths of Goblin Mines (and sadly one of the only tracks in the game with what I would call an actual shortcut), and the tight, right angles and tricky turns of the haunted rooms and corridors of Black Mage's Mansion. By the last tracks, you'll need to be a master of both cornering and turning, or else you'll find yourself repeatedly smashing into walls or worse yet, tumbling off the track.
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Go, go, Golem! The fun has just begun at the Goblin Mines, so it's anyone's race! |
A lot of kart racers don't really encourage the use of braking. Generally, you drift around corners to maintain your speed. Chocobo Racing isn't one of these types of racers. Instead, tapping (note: not holding) the brake button around tight turns and corners is absolutely mandatory for success. If you're skidding around turns while maintaining speed, you're doing it right. That notwithstanding, that's easier said than done, and it took a ton of forgetting muscle memory and how to play other kart racers to become somewhat skilled with Chocobo Racing. Be prepared to bash your head into a wall (and quite literally within the game) as you try to unlearn how you played other racers!
Outside of the story mode, which players who wish to unlock all characters will want to spend the most time in (as repetitive and somewhat tedious as that can be), there is Grand Prix mode, which works differently than most games with such a feature in it. Instead of choosing a cup with preexisting selections of tracks, you choose your difficulty, and then you choose four tracks ahead of time for your own personally constructed cup. It's a novel approach, and makes sense for this game to use, as again, Chocobo Racing isn't exactly packed with tracks. There are also Time Trials to take on, the ability to customize characters after completing the story mode, and versus play for local (duh) multiplayer fun.
Squaresoft certainly took advantage of the PlayStation hardware, much like it did with practically every other release it developed and published on Sony's freshman system. Right from the starting line, the impressive prerendered cutscene opening that is as cool to watch as it is humorous, greets prospective players. From there, everything from the Magicite used to the Bombs that count down the start of races give a uniquely Final Fantasy touch to them. While draw distance is a major bummer, with clear signs of backgrounds and geometry popping in the closer you approach them, everything else about Chocobo Racing looks great for the hardware.
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Each character has their own mode of transportation, which adds to their personality and charm. |
Of course, what would a Final Fantasy spin-off that gives a nod to the games that came before it be without incorporating Nobuo Uematsu's legendary themes? Fortunately we don't have to find out that answer with Chocobo Racing, as the arrangements from Kenji Ito do more than their fair share of making Final Fantasy fans feel at home. From the Mysidia track's ending theme from Final Fantasy V to Goblin Mines' Mt. Gulg theme from the OG Final Fantasy, the versions of Nobuo Uematsu's utilized compositions were given proper tender, loving care and the respect they deserve.
Overall, Chocobo Racing does deliver competent arcade "kart" (for lack of a better term) racing action. The Magicite system, while novel and appropriate for the Final Fantasy franchise, does lean heavily on the spammy side, making for some truly frustrating races against the more fiendish CPU opponents. Really, I'd like to say that was improved in its Chocobo GP sequel, but... At any rate, if you're able to track down a copy of Chocobo Racing, or if the game ever arrives on PSN via a PS Classic release, it's worth checking out for either a Final Fantasy fan or enjoyers or cartoony racing games. Just make sure to tell your opponents to get out of your kweh! ...I mean, "way". Sorry. Ahem.
[SPC Says: C+]