At the end of the day, nothing beats a good little racing game! That's what I said to myself when I planned this meeting for 17:30 p.m. on Wednesday evening. When I arrive, what a pleasant surprise! They have two simulators with steering wheels! Well, unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture, so I'm putting this one of one of the members of the Saber Interactive studio (from the Saber Porto branch, based in Portugal) who presented the game to us.
Scheduled for October 4, 2022, this new version of the game took three years to be designed, leading to the official stages of the 2020, 2021 and 2022 editions. That is, in all, around thirty stages. Overall, what characterizes the game is the size of its map, an open world, with a day/night cycle and dynamic weather: rain, ice, snow, mud, sandstorm... the worst conditions await the pilots, for maximum realism. Distances are adjusted to 1/5. Which means a ride that would take five hours to complete in real life will only take one in the game.
These thousands of km² are to be covered through three different game modes. The first is relatively classic, it's the one we all know, with crossing points that dictate the trajectory. The cars leave in groups, which makes it possible to follow, without really having to think about the path. Things can get complicated by switching to professional mode because, from that moment on, you find yourself alone in the world, without the help of the interface. You have to learn to use the tools on board to get your bearings. Finally, the best pilots will be able to test the simulation mode, which goes so far as to deactivate backups or impose speed limits. Specific events can also be created, during games to be shared with up to three of his friends.
Of course, the vehicles, teams and drivers are all officially licensed with motorcycles, cars, trucks, quads and SSVs (buggys).
For my part, I tested a truck! On the other hand, to tell you what step I did... I forgot to write down, and I didn't have the opportunity to capture my session. In any case, I found myself in the middle of the dunes before ending up weaving between huge rocks. The handling is excellent, with a vehicle that weighs its weight, even if it generally goes well everywhere. Of course, you have to pay attention to the decor, I found myself stuck several times in paths that were not suited to her size. Not to mention that, despite its high chassis, it still cannot cross all the rocks, which it is better to avoid so as not to find yourself tanking. I finished fourth or fifth. So yes, the developer showed me some shortcuts but, with about twenty participants involved, and for a first, I think it's okay!
I put you a small video of gameplay to make you live a little what I was able to discover:
You can pre-order the game now from the official website ahead of its release in early October, with Deluxe or regular versions available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store. The Season Pass includes two vehicles (DAF Truck Turbo-Twin and Peugeot 405 Turbo 16) and five future DLCs which will add a map, vehicles and different events. Knowing that, if you pre-order, you will also get the Audi RS Q e-tron, the very first electric vehicle to win a desert rally (the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022).
