Among the many exciting announcements from the September 2021 Nintendo Direct, one that caught many by surprise was Chocobo GP. This game is a sequel to the PS1 game Chocobo Racing, a charming kart racer that has largely been forgotten by the gaming community and seemingly Square Enix. However, that is evidently not the case, as now a new kart racer is on the horizon. Considering Mario Kart 9 is nowhere to be found, and Sony and Microsoft are not offering any significant alternatives, this has the chance to slot into a niche.
There are a lot of reasons to be excited for Chocobo GP. Its tiered magic system offers a different take on standard kart racing items, one not thoroughly explored since ModNation Racers on PS3. However, one feature that is prominent in fans' minds is the chance to play as iconic Final Fantasy characters and race on familiar tracks. Aside from drawing on the expected Chocobo side series characters, Chocobo GP's reveal trailer showed Final Fantasy 5 and 9 characters too. Gilgamesh, Vivi, and Steiner are all joining the race, and that makes it feel like just about anyone who can fit the chibi aesthetic is a possibility.
Cactuar
The obvious choice is another one of Final Fantasy's mascots, and a secret character in the original Chocobo Racing: Cactuar. Cactuars are tiny cactus beings that move in stiff ways. They usually possess surprisingly strong attacks that deal specific damage numbers, like 1,000 Needles and 10,000 Needles. A Cactuar in Chocobo GP could run along the ground, or use karts inspired by its series-spanning brethren. Its special move would have to be 1,000 Needles, and it could briefly grow to Gigantuar size while using it.
Tonberry
The Tonberry is another iconic Final Fantasy foe. This vaguely reptilian species walks around in a hood, carrying a lantern and dagger. Tonberries traditionally appear non-threatening, but are implied to be filled with the rage from all of the monsters players have defeated. Using that rage, Tonberries can deal wicked amounts of damage, often accompanied by slowly walking up to player characters before performing the execution. As a racer in Chocobo GP, a Tonberry would probably use its Karma ability as a special move.
Namingway
Another good option is Namingway from Final Fantasy 4. This little rabbit was responsible for renaming player characters in the original game, and foreshadowed the existence of the Hummingways that live on the moon. With the DS remake he became a recurring NPC with his own running side plot of hopping between various jobs, finding love and loss, and eventually getting married. Namingway has cameoed in a couple of other things, but his primary role was always acting as an early Moogle stand-in and letting players change names. His Chocobo GP appearance could involve riding in a Lunar Whale cart as a fun reference to his origins.
Ultros
When it comes to iconic Final Fantasy creatures, Ultros can't be left out of the discussion. This mischievous octopus dogs the heroes throughout Final Fantasy 6 and manages to cause trouble in a couple of other games too, making him one of the weirdest villains in Final Fantasy. His best friend Mr. Typhon is never far behind, and the dastardly duo remain one of the more memorable comedic antagonists in the franchise alongside Gilgamesh. For Chocobo GP, Ultros could ride on Typhon, or he could call Typhon in as a special attack. Either would be fine, but these two can't be split up.
Brute Justice
Hailing from a more recent Final Fantasy is the combining mecha Brute Justice. Brute Justice is a boss for the Alexander raid series in Final Fantasy 14. It is well remembered due to its cheesy anime theme song and even more ridiculous appearance in the Ultimate raid "The Epic of Alexander." Its Chocobo GP appearance could be based on this version, coupled with fellow boss Cruise Chaser. The Cruise Chaser is based on the Ark from Final Fantasy 9, a mech that can transform between humanoid and jet forms. Much like in The Epic of Alexander, Brute Justice should be able to ride Cruise Chaser's jet form. Squeezing these two robots into chibi form might be a challenge, but it would definitely be worthwhile.
The Brothers
Chocobo GP would be remiss not to include a Final Fantasy summon. From the looks of the trailer, it seems Ramuh is going to be in the game, but the playable summons shouldn't stop there. Aside from iconic faces like Ifrit and Shiva, some more obscure ones that fit the game's tone should appear. Chief among these are the Brothers, a Guardian Force from Final Fantasy 8. The Brothers are made up of Sacred and Minotaur, and after recruiting them to Squall's side, players can summon them to use Brotherly Love: a humorous attack that involves the smaller Minotaur throwing Sacred at their foes. The references don't need to stop there, as their carts can include various other Guardian Forces from FF8. The Doomtrain and Eden would make great vehicles.
Rambunctious Chocobo
Another character that would be exciting to see in Chocobo GP is the rambunctious chocobo from Final Fantasy 13-2. These red and green chocobo are a subspecies affected by the game's various paradoxes. They are loud, obnoxious, and guzzle down gysahl greens instead of just once upon mounting them. However, their heavy metal theme song "Crazy Chocobo" is far too funny to hate. Chocobo GP seems to have at least three playable chocobo, including the main chocobo, a girl chocobo, and a metal chocobo. There shouldn't be much more, but the comedic value of the rambunctious chocobo would make its addition worthwhile.
Chocobo GP will launch exclusively on Nintendo Switch in 2022.