The Take a look at Drive Limitless duology’s mixture of digital tourism, arcade racing, and open world exploration endeared it to a sizeable crowd over a decade in the past, however despite its apparent recognition, it has spent what appears like an eternity in a deep slumber. Now, 13 years on from the collection’ final instalment’s launch, it’s coming again into the limelight with Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown. However with the likes of Forza Horizon and The Crew having delivered comparable experiences to what the Take a look at Drive Limitless video games had been recognized for, and doing so a lot better than they ever did (not less than in Forza Horizon’s case), simply how profitable of a revival of the franchise is Photo voltaic Crown? Does it capitulate underneath the stress of bringing the collection again from the lifeless whereas additionally competing towards heavyweight friends, or does it flourish underneath it and race by the end line with pace and elegance?
The reply, as ever, is someplace in between these two extremes, although if you happen to had been to press me for a extra concrete response, I’d say the sport is rather more of successful than it isn’t. It actually generally is a bit tough across the edges, each technically and when it comes to its mechanics and balancing, which implies it doesn’t ever fairly hit the heights that a few of its aforementioned rivals have scaled over the course of the previous couple of years, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a largely satisfying racing expertise with a effectively designed open world map that’s additionally all the time an incredible pleasure to easily cruise by, even if you happen to’re not collaborating in an precise race or occasion.
“Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown is a largely satisfying racing expertise with a effectively designed open world map that’s additionally all the time an incredible pleasure to easily cruise by.”
It shouldn’t shock you to study that Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown’s greatest power is its setting, which is touted by developer KT Racing as a 1:1 (or close to 1:1, on the very least) recreation of Hong Kong island. The digital tourism side is usually a vital a part of comparable open world racers that transport gamers to real-world places (or, alternatively, these impressed by them), and identical to the earlier two Take a look at Drive Limitless video games did again of their time, Photo voltaic Crown succeeds in that exact space with flying colors. From the dense city jungle of the town itself to the precise jungles surrounding it, from rolling hills and big highways to seashores and extra, Photo voltaic Crown’s open world Hong Kong is stuffed with beautiful vistas to witness, and exploring it and easily taking within the sights all the time stays enjoyable.
It doesn’t fairly seize the pageant vibe of comparable open world racers – the Photo voltaic Crown competitors doesn’t fairly really feel as a lot of an all-consuming festive factor for the sport’s recreation of Hong Kong as, say, merely present in Mexico did in Forza Horizon 5 – nevertheless it does a very good job of transporting gamers to the beautiful, dense, neon-lit metropolis. On prime of that, the addition of the 2 completely different clans – the Streets and the Sharps – additionally contributes to the sport’s aesthetic fairly a bit, with every clan bringing their very own model of fashion and luxurious, one thing that the sport focuses on closely. If nothing else, that helps the sport craft an id for itself that feels completely its personal, not one thing that it’s borrowed from a competitor.
However although the sport’s map is clearly a sight to behold, when it comes to the precise driving gameplay, Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown will be often irritating. For essentially the most half, automobiles really feel good to drive, although some tough spots make it a considerably uneven expertise at times- like collisions with even the smallest destructible objects inflicting what seem to be disproportionate lower in pace, or the dealing with being a bit too stiff with a sizeable portion of the automobiles within the recreation, which might additionally take some getting used to. The latter specifically generally is a nuisance, particularly in races that require quite a lot of sharp turning.
“When it comes to the precise driving gameplay, Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown will be often irritating.”
In the meantime, Photo voltaic Crown’s online-only nature additionally implies that a number of the handy options you’d in any other case count on to see in a racing recreation will not be current right here, from one thing so simple as with the ability to pause mid-race to even one thing like having a rewind possibility for somebody who wants it- which implies restarting the race from scratch is usually your solely recourse if issues go poorly, which is made but extra inconvenient by the truth that races require you to desert them after which begin them once more fairly than merely having a restart possibility (aside from within the tutorial, which is totally single-player), with the one various being to pick out the restart possibility supplied on the very finish of each race. I perceive that, as successfully a racing MMO, Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown requires a persistent web connection, nevertheless it’s not like different comparable shared world racers haven’t had solo choices for many who need them, so it’s disappointing that the identical isn’t the case right here.
Coming to the precise races and occasions that it has on provide, nonetheless, there’s loads to love about Photo voltaic Crown. There’s quite a lot of acquainted stuff on provide right here, from common races and time assault occasions to hurry traps and what have you ever, in addition to different actions that the sport throws in so as to add its personal flavour, together with meetup spots the place you’ll be able to meet up with different gamers, wrecks to hunt out to unlock traditional automobiles, workshops and dealerships to improve and buy new automobiles, and extra. Domination races specifically are quite a lot of enjoyable, with the purpose being to cross by checkpoint gates forward of as many rivals as you’ll be able to, with every gate offering you factors primarily based in your place, and the racer with the best factors whole on the end line successful the occasion. There’s additionally the Photo voltaic Lodge, a towering skyscraper that serves because the central hub for the Photo voltaic Crown competitors, the place gamers can stroll round in first particular person outdoors of their automobiles (which is true of dealerships and workshops as effectively). There’s loads to do in Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown’s Hong Kong, and quite a lot of it tends to be fairly satisfying.
Development is one other space the place the sport principally will get issues proper. XP takes the type of rep in Photo voltaic Crown, with status degree will increase bringing with them not solely new occasions and races to tackle, but in addition new elements to buy and equip in your automobiles, each performance-related and beauty. It’s a easy system executed in simple style, and the tip result’s the sport doing a strong job of preserving gamers motivated to maintain growing their status. It additionally helps that as you improve your automobiles (or purchase higher ones), you’ll be able to usually very tangibly really feel the enhancements in the best way they drive or deal with, which implies the rewards for growing your status nearly all the time really feel significant.
On the identical time, it must be stated that development is a bit gradual in Photo voltaic Crown. The open world digital tourism racer style is one which encourages gamers to play at their very own tempo, benefit from the vibe of the setting, and never fear an excessive amount of about having to progress in a really particular manner. In Photo voltaic Crown, due to the gradual development, there are occasions the place it appears like there aren’t sufficient occasions out there to have all of the factors you’ll want to the subsequent required degree for the unlocks you’ve obtained your eye on, which implies you will be caught replaying races (which, fortunately, does improve your rep). That is a good greater downside within the early hours of the sport, the place there are even fewer actions on provide.
“Within the state that it exists proper now, Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown remains to be recreation, if not essentially an incredible one.”
Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown additionally stumbles considerably with its technical facets. Although it’s clearly trying recreation – as I discussed whereas discussing the numerous beautiful sights and sounds of Hong Kong – from a purely technical standpoint, it’s a bit tough across the edges. I’ve skilled distinguished points with murky draw distances, texture pop in, and the occasional minor visible or animation glitch, particularly when it’s human characters being proven on display fairly than automobiles (which does occur sometimes, each in cutscenes and through gameplay). The sport additionally suffers from efficiency points, even on the 60 FPS Efficiency Mode, which is what I’ve caught with for essentially the most half. I’ve encountered important and noticeable body charge drops throughout a lot of races, which is the very last thing you need in a recreation comparable to this one- not solely a racer, however an always-online racer. Hopefully KT Racing shall be making use of a number of layers of polish to the sport within the coming months.
Because it stands proper now, Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown remains to be a strong recreation. It’s clearly not within the higher echelons of the style – which, to be honest, could also be an unreasonable expectation to start with – however for followers of comparable video games who’re in search of one other open world digital metropolis that’s a pleasure to easily exist and cruise round in, there’s lots to love right here. There’ll probably be loads of disagreements on whether or not or not it’s well worth the 13-year wait, however there will be no doubting that by itself deserves, Take a look at Drive Limitless Photo voltaic Crown is a genuinely satisfying, if noticeably tough, open world racer.
This recreation was reviewed on the PlayStation 5.
