Forza Horizon 6 delivers the series’ trademark freedom with sharper driving, richer activities, and a world that begs to be explored.
The Horizon series has been going on now for 14 years. In this time we as players have driven through the canyons of Colorado. Sped through the French Rivera. Burst through the brush of Australia. Raced up through the Lake District and flown through the desert of Mexico. However, for all these amazing places we have been there is one country and region that has been denied from us. Japan. Japan has perhaps one of the most intense car cultures in the world. So finally we can now drift through Tokyo…
For Forza to finally come to Japan is a big step and a move clamoured for from fans for years. To distill such a country to a racing game is a bold move so it is no wonder it has taken so long. So has it worked? That is the key question, it is such a beloved region in the car culture able to be represented well enough to do it justice.
Starting with the key aspect the cars. The selection is very much the same as previous games with some old favourites returning and some brand new additions. There is of course a very heavy JDM influence. So companies like Toyota, Honda and Nissan have gained more special editions. This is great to see as there is such diversity within their brands it is long over due that they should be celebrated. You can tear up a mountain pass in the brand new Toyota GR Sport or drift in a Touge event in a small supped up Honda Kei car. There are some notable absences such as Bugatti who with their recent departure from the Porsche family have left licenses up in the air! However, we still get 650 cars at launch with more to come! They have also come with some amazing sounds, I could sit and listen to a Mustang’s V8 burble in a tunnel all day.
The games key strength is the map. My word is it a stunner. The previous game in Mexico was very emphatic but a bit stale after a while. There was little in the way of variation in the maps scenery being mostly in a desert. Japan is a much more diverse country, you can go from the beaches to the snow covered mountains and finish it off drifting through the Shibuya crossing. Having been to Japan I can personally vouch for the level of detail that has gone into this map design. One of my favourite things to do is to crawl through the side streets and admire the ray tracing of the neon signs on the cars. This is what makes Horizon so unique, it’s beautifully rendered and casual side lets you go and explore and not feel the need to progress. They have also utilised a new mechanic for having multilayered roads, so sweeping overpasses and tunnels really give a depth and verticality to the game that is unique and not something I’ve seen since GTA V.
As much as I love the aesthetics of the game, it is very much the same formula, the map may have changed but the gameplay is identical. It is disappointing that in the lead up to the release of this game we were told that there is much more progression in this game, where you don’t start as a racer but you build up through the ranks. Having put 30 hours into the game I can say for certainty this is not accurate. Within the first 5 minutes I had some ridiculously powerful hypercars. Some admittedly were from playing the previous games and I did get the premium pass. However, you can immediately jump into a Mercedes AMG One and hit the 200mph barrier with ease. This does distract from the grass routes ethos we want. This isn’t to saying you can’t do it but it’s not quite the emphasis we were promised.
So is this the best Horizon game. Yes. Is it flawed, partially. However, this is more the genre itself rather than the game. If you take it at what it is at its core, it is one of the best if not the best free roaming driving games ever made. The vibrancy, detail and sounds makes this a must have for a car fan. Couple this with being set in one of the most beautiful countries is a recipe that would make any car lover swoon. There is a lot to dive into within this setting so hopefully we can get more out of it. There are two DLCs coming. I can certainly recommend this game both to new and returning players. So take off your ‘Wabaki’ get in a Mazda RX7 and put the pedal to the floor and drift through one of the best driving games around.
Author: Tom, Bath Store
