Chocobo Racing (PlayStation) - RetroAchievements/guides GitHub Wiki
1) Synopsis
Set Difficulty: 3/10
Approximate time to Master: Around 8-10 hours
Minimum Number of Playthroughs Needed: 10 (all on the same save file)
Number of Missable Achievements: 0
Does Difficulty Affect Achievements?: n/a
2) Introduction
Chocobo Racing is a kart racing game set in the Chocobo series, a sub-franchise of the well-known Final Fantasy franchise. It is a game that may look short on the outside, but there is a surprising amount of stuff to do here as well as unlock. Furthermore, it is a great love letter to the Final Fantasy franchise as a whole, having many remixes of previous music tracks as well as locations and characters from the games playable in full glory. Best of all, it is a delicious pick up and play game, especially when it comes to the repeating playthroughs of the story because of the many times you can save in-between.
This set has a total of 49 achievements worth 372 points, and was created by ikki5 and deividokop. A solid set that covers pretty much all fronts of the game, checking out almost every mode there is. Would love to see even more challenging achievements for it in the future, but I've gathered from the forum/game wall that the memory used was a bit fickle to work with. Regardless, thank you both so much for your hard work!
3) Walkthrough
These achievements are unlocked by completing the story mode. This has to be done a total of 10 times to unlock secret characters as well, though the story can fortunately be skipped after the first time, which makes every new story playthrough around 20-30 minutes in total. One playthrough has to be done without handicap mode on, the remainder can be done with- or without. I recommend chasing the Racing Perfection achievement right after having done the playthrough without handicap mode as quickly as possible, as it is the toughest achievement from this set and one that you want gone as quickly as possible.
Step 2: Grand Prix Achievements
All of these achievements are unlocked within the Grand Prix mode. I recommend going for these only after having done at least two story playthroughs, so the final secret track is also unlocked. Note that the {insert character here} Grand Prix achievements can be earned while you are aiming for the Trophy achievements and the all-wins achievements, which can save you a lot of time.
Step 3: Versus Computer Achievements
The final set of achievements that tackles the other modes. These can be done at any given time and are pretty straightforward.
4) General gameplay tips and tricks (read before playing)
- Handicap mode, despite the name implying otherwise, makes the races significantly easier and faster. If you have too much trouble with the game or just want to go through it without any worries, then nothing is stopping you from using it. You're forced to use it anyway because without it, you simply cannot get 100 points in story mode.
- Every character does control different from another, so be sure to check them all out and pick someone to your liking. The Fat Chocobo for example is surprisingly good at drifting and taking corners, while the normal Chocobo is a good all-round character. This GameFAQs guide goes a bit more into detail about individual stats.
- For drifting, just slightly tapping the X button often works better than holding it, at least for me. Give it a try if holding the button makes drifting troublesome for you.
- The Reflect magic does not need to be used to be able to reflect attacks. It also doesn't need to be in the first slot; just having it with you will automatically prevent an attack.
- If you get Mini cast on you, using a Dash will still make you go at the same speed you would when you are normal size. If you feel a Mini coming up, save the Dash Magicite or the magic for then.
- Opponent racers always use the Magicite they come with in the story, so use that to your advantage. For that reason, try to avoid racing against Bahamut in Grand Prix, because he can use Megaflare at least two times per race, and it cannot be avoided. Depending on how bad your RNG was during the race with other characters attacking, he can easily mess it up further and potentially cost you a win. Goblin and Behemoth can be annoying too, but nowhere near as annoying as Bahamut.
Step 1: Story Achievements | Total points: 162
Chocobo Preview (2)
Watch the Chocobo Dungeon preview.
Not story related at all but it didn't fit anywhere else, so have it here. Anyhow, on the title screen, select the "Chocobo Dungeon 2 Preview" option, watch the trailer, and the achievement will pop up when it's done.
Relaxing Story Time (5)
Complete Story mode, chapters 1-3. (No Handicap)
Finish the first three chapters of Story Mode without handicap on. Will pop up after the save screen.
The Dusty Magical Chapter (10)
Complete Story mode, chapters 4-6. (No Handicap)
Finish chapter 4 to 6 of Story Mode without handicap on. Will pop up after the save screen.
A Chocobo's Story (25)
Complete Story mode and watch the credits {No Handicap).
Finish Story Mode without handicap on. Will pop up after the credits.
Gunblade Specialist (5)
Win Squall's challenge and unlock him!
Finish Story Mode for the second time, then win in the race that pops up after the credits. The track has a lot of tight turns, so someone with good grip is recommended.
Tanking as a Tank (10)
Unlock Cid Tank as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the third time to automatically unlock Cid Tank.
Mumba to the Rescue (10)
Unlock Mumba as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the fourth time to automatically unlock Mumba.
Now Where's my Remake? (10)
Unlock Cloud as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the fifth time to automatically unlock Cloud.
1000 Needles (10)
Unlock Cactuar as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the sixth time to automatically unlock Cactuar.
Mitochondria Queen (10)
Unlock Aya as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the seventh time to automatically unlock Aya.
8bit Racing (10)
Unlock Classic Chocobo as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the eighth time to automatically unlock Classic Chocobo.
Fly Away (10)
Unlock S.S Invincible as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the ninth time to automatically unlock S.S. Invincible.
Wait, who? (10)
Unlock Jack as a playable character.
Finish Story Mode for the tenth time to automatically unlock Jack.
Racing Perfection (25)
Obtain a perfect 100 points score on the Story Mode.
At the end of Story Mode, you're graded on how well you performed. A maximum of 100 points can be gained this way, and specific requirements have to be met for this. Before you do anything though, you have to activate handicap mode, otherwise you won't be able to get a perfect score.
For this achievement, you have to finish each track in Story Mode within a specified time. You also cannot retry a track after losing because that will make you lose points, so if you end up losing a track or not making the time, just restart the game since you get the option to save after each track anyways. To make the time, be sure to bring the Dash Magicite with you every race, and use the characters you're good at. For me, that was Chocobo until I unlocked Fat Chocobo. Also be sure to grab Reflect every time you see it.
The following times need to be met:
- Cid's Test Track - 1:16
- Moogle Forest - 1:18
- Ancient Gate - 1:28
- Mythril Mines - 1:30
- Black Manor - 2:00
- Floating Gardens - 2:05
- Gingerbread Land - 2:40
- Vulcan-O Valley - 2:50
- Fantasia - 3:10
Musical Melodies (10)
Unlock all the music and listen to them (all 28) in the music player.
When you have unlocked Squall, you will have every music piece in the game aside from (probably) losing. Lose a race once to unlock that track, then go to options -> music player, and cycle through all 28 tracks in one sitting.
Step 2: Grand Prix Achievements | Total points: 110
Like I mentioned during the walkthrough, you can get the ending achievements and the trophy achievements concurrently to save yourself time. For every character, race on different tracks and win them to get a trophy, which are shared between every character. Winning a trophy on every track unlocks the next difficulty, where you also have to win every track. So go with the characters you're weakest with to get the bronze trophies, and then make your way up to the highest difficulty while racing on different tracks. In the most ideal situation, you can get 2 achievements for almost every Grand Prix run, essentially cutting the time required in half. Oh, and like I said, avoid Bahamut as opponent. You really don't want to deal with his Megaflare.
Chocobo Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Chocobo and unlock the GP Chocobo Movie.
Mog Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Mog and unlock the GP Mog Movie.
Goblin Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Goblin and unlock the GP Goblin Movie.
White Mage Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as White Mage and unlock the GP White Mage Movie.
Black Magician Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Black Magician and unlock the GP Black Magician Movie.
Chubby Chocobo Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Chubby Chocobo and unlock the GP Chubby Chocobo Movie.
Behemoth Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Behemoth and unlock the GP Behemoth Movie.
Golem Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Golem and unlock the GP Golem Movie.
Bahamut Grand Prix (5)
Win the Grand Prix as Bahamut and unlock the GP Bahamut Movie.
Be in first place after four races and the achievement unlocks.
Pro Racer (10)
Get a perfect 36 points in Grand Prix.
Win all four races in a Grand Prix run. Will most likely come while you're doing the others but if you're struggling, make a custom Grand Prix of the first four tracks (Cid's Test Track, Moogle Forest, The Ancient Gate, Mithril Mines), then play it on the lowest difficulty with handicap on. Chocobo with Dash Magicite should be enough. Remember, avoid Bahamut as opponent.
Star Breed (25)
Get a perfect 36 points in a Grand Prix with Vulcan-O Valley, Fantasia and F.F.VIII Circuit in the rotation.
Win all four races in a Grand Prix run that consists of one random track, Vulcan-O Valley, Fantasia and F.F.VIII Circuit (unlocks after two Story Mode playthroughs). Make a custom Grand Prix with these three tracks and Cid's Test Track, then play it on the lowest difficulty with handicap on (if struggling). Chocobo with Dash Magicite should be enough. Remember, avoid Bahamut as opponent.
Bronze Trophy (10)
Win all Bronze Trophies on Grand Prix.
Win all tracks in the Grand Prix mode at least once. When one is won, a bronze crown should be shown on the left when a stage is highlighted. A good reminder that you don't have to finish a Grand Prix run for a win to count, so if you're missing one crown, just race on that track in a Grand Prix run, win it, then go back to the main menu.
Silver Trophy (10)
Win all Silver Trophies on Grand Prix.
Win all tracks in the Grand Prix mode on Behemoth difficulty at least once. Behemoth difficulty unlocks after a bronze crown has been obtained on every single track. Once done, select four tracks of your liking and the option to change difficulties should be visible. Like the Bronze Trophy achievement, you don't have to finish a Grand Prix run for a win to count, so if you're missing one crown, just race on that track in a Grand Prix run, win it, then go back to the main menu.
Gold Trophy (10)
Win all Gold Trophies on Grand Prix and unlock Mirror Mode.
Win all tracks in the Grand Prix mode on Bahamut difficulty at least once. Bahamut difficulty unlocks after a silver crown has been obtained on every single track. Once done, select four tracks of your liking and the option to change difficulties should be visible. Like the Bronze Trophy achievement, you don't have to finish a Grand Prix run for a win to count, so if you're missing one crown, just race on that track in a Grand Prix run, win it, then go back to the main menu.
When struggling with races on this difficulty, remember to put on handicap mode. For the final harder stages, a character with high mobility is useful, like Fat Chocobo. I also recommend using a different Magicite for the tougher stages, like Megaflare.
Step 3: Versus Computer Achievements | Total points: 100
The following achievements are pretty straightforward and therefore won't really have a guide for each one individually. Since you can select your computer opponent though, it's best to choose someone like Golem or Cactuar (highlight Squall, press R2 + X) as opponent and give them a weak Magicite like the better grip so that they won't hinder you too much.
Cid's Test Track Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Cid's Test Track.
Moogle Forest Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Moogle Forest.
The Ancient Gate Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on The Ancient Gate.
Mithril Mines Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Mithril Mines.
The Black Manor Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on The Black Manor.
Floating Gardens Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Floating Gardens.
Gingerbread Land Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Gingerbread Land.
Vulcan-O Valley Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Vulcan-O Valley.
Fantasia Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on Fantasia.
FFVIII Circuit Marathon (5)
Beat the computer in Vs Mode set at 10 laps on FFVIII Circuit.
Go to Vs Mode and select Player vs. Computer. Select an easy opponent, go with the Dash Magicite (while giving them a weak one), and then select the track of your choosing with 10 laps in total.
Cid's Test Track Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Cid's Test Track.
Moogle Forest Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Moogle Forest.
The Ancient Gate Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on The Ancient Gate.
Mithril Mines Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Mithril Mines.
The Black Manor Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on The Black Manor.
Floating Gardens Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Floating Gardens.
Gingerbread Land Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Gingerbread Land.
Vulcan-O Valley Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Vulcan-O Valley.
Fantasia Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on Fantasia.
FFVIII Circuit Relay (5)
Beat the computer in Relay Race set at 3 laps each on FFVIII Circuit.
Go to Relay Race and select Player vs. Computer. Select three easy opponents, go with the Dash Magicite (while giving them a weak one), and then select the track of your choosing with 3x3 laps in total.