Chocobo (series)

Last updated
Chocobo
Chocobo series logo.png
There is no unified logo for the series; this logo was used in Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!
Publisher(s) Square, Square Enix
Artist(s) Toshiyuki Itahana
First release Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon
December 23, 1997
Latest release Chocobo GP
March 10, 2022
Parent series Final Fantasy

The Chocobo series is part of the Final Fantasy franchise owned by Square Enix. A spin-off series meant to have more child and casual gamer appeal than the main games, it spans multiple genres, beginning with Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon in 1997. It features a recurring cast of characters designed by Toshiyuki Itahana and rendered in a more chibi style than traditional Final Fantasy games. They include Chocobo, the protagonist and a member of the fictional chocobo species of flightless birds; Mog, a moogle who is Chocobo's friend, Shirma, a white mage, and Croma, a black mage, among other recurring series characters. One of the most major genres within the series are Mystery Dungeon games, while it has also branched off into tabletop games. [1] Its most recent entry is Chocobo GP , a kart racing game released in 2022 for the Nintendo Switch.

Contents

Games

Release timeline
1997 Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon
1998 Chocobo's Dungeon 2
1999 Chocobo Racing
Chocobo Collection
2000Chocobo on the Job
2001
2002 Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice
Chocobo Anywhere
2003Chocobo Anywhere 2: Escape! Ghost Ship
Choco-Mate
2004Chocobo Anywhere 2.5: Infiltrate! Ancient Ruins
Chocobo Anywhere 3:
Defeat! The Great Rainbow-Colored Demon
2005
2006 Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales
Chocobo de Mobile
2007 Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon
2008Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book:
The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes
Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon
2009
2010 Chocobo Panic
Chocobo's Crystal Tower
2011
2012 Chocobo's Chocotto Farm
2013–2018
2019 Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy!
2020–2021
2022 Chocobo GP

The first released Chocobo game was the 1997 Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon for PlayStation. It was followed on the console by a 1998 sequel, Chocobo's Dungeon 2 , as well as Chocobo Racing in 1999. Racing was bundled with two other games, Chocobo Stallion, a racing and breeding game, and Dice de Chocobo, a digital board game, to comprise the Chocobo Collection compilation, released the same year. [2] [3]

Chocobo on the Job was released in 2000 for WonderSwan, while Chocobo Anywhere was released in 2002 for mobile. Chocobo Anywhere received several sequels throughout 2003 and 2004; Chocobo Anywhere 2: Escape! Ghost Ship, Chocobo Anywhere 2.5: Infiltrate! Ancient Ruins, and Chocobo Anywhere 3: Defeat! The Great Rainbow-Colored Demon. Two other mobile games, Choco-Mate and Chocobo de Mobile , were released in 2003 and 2006, respectively. [2]

On handheld consoles, Chocobo Land: A Game of Dice , an enhanced version of Dice de Chocobo, was released in 2002 for Game Boy Advance. It was followed up in 2006 by Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales for Nintendo DS. Chocobo Tales would go on to receive a Japan-only sequel in 2008, Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, the Girl, and the Five Heroes. Cid and Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon was released on DS the same year. On home consoles, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon was released on 2007 for the Wii. [2]

2010 saw the release of Chocobo Panic for iOS and Chocobo's Crystal Tower for mobile. A farming sim, Chocobo's Chocotto Farm , was released in 2012, also for iOS. [2] The series then went on hiatus until 2019, when Chocobo's Mystery Dungeon Every Buddy! , a remake of the original Wii title, was released for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. This was followed by the 2022 release of Chocobo GP , a kart racing game, for iOS, Android and Switch.

Cancelled games

Chocobo Racing 3D, a kart racing game for 3DS that would have been a sequel to Chocobo Racing, was announced at E3 2010, but cancelled in 2013 due to its quality falling short of the company's standards. [4] [5]

Other media

Various tabletop games based on the franchise and illustrated by Itahana have been released. A card game, Chocobo's Crystal Hunt, was released in 2016. A board game, Chocobo Party Up!, was released in 2019. [1]

A picture book, Chocobo and the Airship, was released in 2021 in Japan and 2023 in the West. It follows Chocobo and the recurring character Cid as they attempt to build an airship and fight off monsters threatening their town. [6] [7]

Development

The character designer of the Chocobo series, Toshiyuki Itahana, also worked on the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series, Final Fantasy IX , and Final Fantasy Explorers . When he was initially designing the Chocobo character for Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, he attempted to stylize it to be visible on a square grid. He tried to make its appearance more stylish, retaining monster-like elements such as a sharper beak, but believed such a design was unfitting for a "beloved protagonist" and made it more rounded and cute. The character of Mog was added due to Chocobo's inability to speak, in order to have a talking partner that could communicate Chocobo's thoughts to the player. [8]

In addition to the series itself, Chocobo received a cameo appearance in a mainline game, Final Fantasy XIV , under the alias of Alpha. He was chosen for the role due to having beaten Omega the most of any Final Fantasy character. [8]

Reception

Fan-made cosplay depicting Chocobo, the chibi protagonist of the series. Chocobo Costume.jpg
Fan-made cosplay depicting Chocobo, the chibi protagonist of the series.

The Chocobo series was initially received with surprise in the West due to Square's reputation for hardcore games. In 1999, IGN called Chocobo Racing a "commercial tangent" that more resembled a Nintendo game, describing Chocobo as a "strange, loveable bird-creature". [9]

In 2007, Frank Caron of Ars Technica criticized many of the games in the series, stating that they were "rather unappealing". He described the Chocobo's Dungeon sub-series as "simplistic dungeon crawling of the lowest common denominator", while calling Chocobo Racing a "completely derivative kart-racing clone". However, he praised Chocobo's design, stating that he was "so readily identifiable that I simply can't deny myself the natural desire to take part in his wily adventures" despite being a "seemingly ordinary bird". He also expressed excitement for the release of Chocobo Tales, saying that it had him "rapt" due to its art style and gameplay. [10] In 2009, IGN noted that by the time of the PlayStation, Square Enix was eager to exploit the popularity of the Final Fantasy series in a way they never had before. Describing the Chocobo series as "moderately enjoyable adventures" that "hopped across all genres", they nevertheless called Final Fantasy Tactics "the only PlayStation-era spin-off that really matters". [11] In 2012, Retro Gamer magazine called the "undoubted highlight" of the sub-series Chocobo Tales despite its games of numerous genres. [12] In 2023, The A.V. Club stated that while the Chocobo series arrived "sporadically" in America, it was "typically welcome" when it did, combining "kid-friendly aesthetics" with "beefy" gameplay in the case of its Mystery Dungeon entries. [13]

Related Research Articles

Final Fantasy is a fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix. The franchise centers on a series of fantasy role-playing video games. The first game in the series was released in 1987, with 16 numbered main entries having been released to date.

<i>Final Fantasy II</i> 1988 video game

Final Fantasy II is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the PlayStation, the Game Boy Advance, the PlayStation Portable, iOS, Android and Windows. As neither this game nor Final Fantasy III were initially released outside Japan, Final Fantasy IV was originally released in North America as Final Fantasy II, so as not to confuse players. Following enhanced versions for iOS and Android in 2010 and 2012 respectively, the game was re-released again as part of the 2021 Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series.

<i>Final Fantasy IV</i> 1991 video game

Final Fantasy IV, titled Final Fantasy II in its initial North American release, is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Released in 1991, it is the fourth main installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game's story follows Cecil, a dark knight, as he tries to prevent the sorcerer Golbez from seizing powerful crystals and destroying the world. He is joined on this quest by a frequently changing group of allies. Final Fantasy IV introduced innovations that became staples of the Final Fantasy series and role-playing games in general. Its "Active Time Battle" system was used in five subsequent Final Fantasy games, and unlike prior games in the series, IV gave each character their own unchangeable character class — although at a few points in the story, a dark knight will choose the path of a paladin, or a summoner will evolve to a new tier of spellcasting.

<i>Final Fantasy IX</i> 2000 video game

Final Fantasy IX is a 2000 role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth game in the main Final Fantasy series. The plot focuses on a war between nations in a medieval fantasy world called Gaia. Players follow a thief named Zidane Tribal who kidnaps princess Garnet Til Alexandros XVII as part of a ploy by the neighboring nation of Lindblum. He joins Garnet and a growing cast of characters on a quest to take down her mother, Queen Brahne of Alexandria, who started the war.

<i>Final Fantasy III</i> 1990 video game

Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Family Computer. The third installment in the Final Fantasy series, it is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system. The story revolves around four orphaned youths drawn to a crystal of light. The crystal grants them some of its power, and instructs them to go forth and restore balance to the world. Not knowing what to make of the crystal's pronouncements, but nonetheless recognizing the importance of its words, the four inform their adoptive families of their mission and set out to explore and bring back balance to the world.

<i>Chocobo Racing</i> 1999 racing video game

Chocobo Racing is a racing game developed and published by Square. for the PlayStation, A spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and part of the Chocobo spin-off series. It was released in Japan in March 1999, followed by North America and Europe in August and October, respectively. The game's star and namesake is the Chocobo, with other figures from the Final Fantasy series, such as Mog the Moogle, the Black Mage, and Cid being part of the cast. Most of the game's soundtrack is composed using songs from previous Final Fantasy titles. As a formulaic kart racer, Chocobo Racing is often compared to Mario Kart and Crash Team Racing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chocobo</span> Fictional species of bird

The Chocobo is a fictional species created for the Final Fantasy franchise by Square Enix. A galliform bird commonly having yellow feathers, they were first introduced in Final Fantasy II (1988), and have since featured in some capacity in nearly every Final Fantasy title, usually as a means of transport. Chocobos or chocobo-themed characters have played story roles in multiple titles, notably in Final Fantasy V and XIII. A recurring Chocobo also acts as protagonist of the Chocobo spin-off series.

<i>Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles</i> (video game) 2003 video game

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is an action role-playing video game developed by The Game Designers Studio and published by Nintendo for the GameCube. It was released in 2003 in Japan and 2004 in North America, Europe and Australia. A remastered version for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Android, and iOS was released in August 2020. A spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and beginning of the series of the same name, Crystal Chronicles was the first title in the franchise to be released for a Nintendo home console since Final Fantasy VI in 1994.

<i>Chocobos Dungeon 2</i> 1998 video game

Chocobo's Dungeon 2 is the 1998 role-playing video game by Square for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to 1997's Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon.

<i>Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers</i> 2009 video game

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers is an action-adventure game developed by Square Enix and released for Wii. It was released on November 12, 2009 in Japan and on December 26 in North America. The game received a mixed reception.

Mystery Dungeon, known in Japan as Fushigi no Dungeon, is a series of roguelike role-playing video games. Most were developed by Chunsoft, now Spike Chunsoft since the merging in 2012, and select games were developed by other companies with Chunsoft's permission. The series began when co–creator of Dragon Quest, Koichi Nakamura, was inspired by Seiichiro Nagahata's experience with Rogue, who is also a fellow developer from the company, and a desire to create an original series. It began on the Super Famicom, progressing to almost all of Nintendo's and Sony's home and handheld consoles, WonderSwan, Dreamcast, Windows, and mobile devices.

<i>Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales</i> 2006 video game

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, released in Japan as Chocobo to Mahō no Ehon is a Nintendo DS adventure game developed by h.a.n.d. and published by Square Enix. It was released in Japan on December 14, 2006, in North America on April 3, 2007, and in the PAL region in May.

<i>Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobos Dungeon</i> 2007 video game

Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon is a 2007 role-playing video game published by Square Enix for the Wii. It is an installment in the Chocobo series that focuses on Chocobo and his quest to free a town lost in time from eternal forgetfulness. It is a loose sequel to Chocobo's Dungeon 2 on the PlayStation.

The Chocobo video game series is a spin-off series composed of over a dozen games developed by Square Co. and later by Square Enix featuring a super deformed version of the Chocobo, a Final Fantasy series mascot and fictional bird, as the protagonist. Several of the titles have received separate album releases of music from the game. The music of the Chocobo series includes soundtrack albums for the Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon sub-series—comprising Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon, Chocobo's Dungeon 2, and Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon—and soundtrack albums of music from Chocobo Racing, Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo Tales, and Chocobo and the Magic Picture Book: The Witch, The Maiden, and the Five Heroes, as well as an album of arranged music from Chocobo's Mysterious Dungeon and a single entitled Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon Toki Wasure No Meikyuu: Door Crawl for the theme song of Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles is a series of video games within the Final Fantasy franchise developed by Square Enix. Beginning in 2003 with the game for the GameCube, the series has predominantly been released on Nintendo gaming hardware and covers multiple genres, including action role-playing. The Crystal Chronicles series takes place in an unnamed world inhabited by four tribes. Recurring themes include creating objects from memory and the importance of family. The gameplay, which has always been aimed at as wide an audience as possible within a genre, generally involves either multiple players or a large group working together.

<i>Chocobo GP</i> 2022 video game

Chocobo GP is a 2022 kart racing game developed by Arika and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo Switch. The game is a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series and is a sequel to 1999's Chocobo Racing. It was released in celebration of the series' 35th anniversary and features locales and characters from across the franchise.

References

  1. 1 2 Mamon, Mike (2019-07-30). "Unboxing the Chocobo Party Up! Board Game". IGN . Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kweh As Folk". Classic Gaming (5th ed.): 14. 2018 – via Internet Archive.
  3. ↑ "Chocobo Collection". Gamefan . 8 (4): 74. April 2000 – via Internet Archive.
  4. ↑ Madden, Orla (2013-10-10). "Chocobo Racing 3D Fails To Reach The Finishing Line". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2024-01-08. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  5. ↑ McFerran, Damien (2014-06-04). "Chocobo Racing 3D Was Canned Because Square Enix Wasn't Happy With The Quality". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2024-02-03. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
  6. ↑ Kiya, Andrew (2021-11-14). "Chocobo and Cid Star in a New Final Fantasy Picture Book". Siliconera . Archived from the original on 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  7. ↑ Tolentino, Josh (2022-07-23). "Chocobo and the Airship is a Final Fantasy Picture Book". Siliconera . Archived from the original on 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2023-12-18.
  8. 1 2 Lee, Julia (2019-03-25). "How the art of Final Fantasy character designer Toshiyuki Itahana influenced the series". Polygon . Archived from the original on 2019-03-26. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  9. ↑ IGN Staff (1999-08-10). "Chocobo Racing". IGN . Archived from the original on 2023-08-07. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  10. ↑ Caron, Frank (2007-03-26). "Yellow fever and bird flu: the Chocobo allure". Ars Technica . Archived from the original on 2023-08-07. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
  11. ↑ Fahs, Travis; Sliva, Marty (2009-06-18). "IGN Presents the History of Final Fantasy". IGN . Archived from the original on 2023-09-28. Retrieved 2023-09-28.
  12. ↑ "Final Fantasy: The Complete History". Retro Gamer (108): 59. 2012 – via Internet Archive.
  13. ↑ Hughes, William (2023-06-19). "Not so Final: Ranking the 10 best Final Fantasy spin-offs". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on 2023-08-10. Retrieved 2023-08-09.
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