Today, Square Enix announced that potential players will be able to download a “Lite Version” for the upcoming Chocobo GP kart racer. Launching alongside the full version on March 10, the Lite Version is free. Players will be able to access a “good chunk” of the game, as well as both online and local multiplayer.
If you go and look at the Nintendo Switch eShop right now, you can already set the Lite Version up for a pre-download. And much like many other Square Enix demos, if you buy Chocobo GP in full later on, your save data will follow you. Considering the spot Chocobo games have on the Square Enix fandom totem pole, this will help unsure fans check the game out easier.
This strategy seems to have worked quite well for Square Enix, especially on the Nintendo Switch. Demos for titles like Dragon Quest XI, Bravely Default and the upcoming Triangle Strategy all sport demos with save data transfer, and the audience for those games seems higher than normal.
Related: Square Enix Went Absolute Sicko Mode in February’s Nintendo Direct and I’m Here For It
Chocobo GP is a kart racer featuring characters from the “Final Fantasy Fables” series. That’s a loose branding for games like Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon and Chocobo Racing, which GP seems like a successor to if not a sequel. Final Fantasy characters like Cloud, Squall, Vivi and Steiner also show up, indicating a larger effort to draw new people in.
Chocobo GP is set to launch for the Nintendo Switch on March 10, 2022.
