Chocobo GP went from being a decent racer with annoying microtransactions to a good game with none of them. Fans who were hesitant to pick this up now have a stronger reason to as it was always a solid kart racer with greedy fanservice.
The game reappeared on Nintendo’s eShop, urging players with the “free” lite version to upgrade to the full-priced game. Since support stopped in January, it seems that Square Enix wants fans to play the game now that it’s not a greedy mess.
NintendoLife has also confirmed that unlockable characters are no longer behind paywalls and they can all be purchased with in-game currency. This means players can unlock Cloud Strife and other popular Final Fantasy heroes by just playing the game.
Prior to this, critics and fans had a hard time recommending Chocobo GP during its launch period. While they did enjoy the gameplay, calling it a pretty solid kart racer, the paywalls for more content were a major turnoff. It seems Square Enix took notice and they’re finally doing the right thing, even if they did make a pretty penny from some customers.
More games with bad live-service elements should do this. Actually, games shouldn’t have bad live-service elements in the first place. This is why we’re glad these kinds of titles are dying out.
Games improving by removing live-service elements is becoming a bit more common, though not common enough. Middle Earth: Shadow of War eventually removed its horrible pay-to-play elements in the post-game, with no more options to buy stronger units or extra currency. Avengers is making all of its costumes free before it gets de-listed in September.
We’re sure that publishers won’t learn their lesson just yet, especially since Sony is planning more live-service games with Bungie. Hopefully, those games find a good balance between pay and play because fans are starting to get weary of their tactics.
Read More: Final Fantasy XVI voice actor says Clive saved his life
Chocobo GP is available on Nintendo Switch and fans can finally buy this game without fearing for their wallets.