The Forza series is known for tight racing and stunning visuals. So when Playground Games announced Britain as the location for Forza Horizon 4, I was pretty happy with the decision. Britain is a massive land with beautiful countrysides and cities. I knew that the environments would be beautiful. However, I never expected to enjoy the newly announced seasonal weather as much as I did. The demo gave a taste of what to expect as you drive in the spring, summer, fall, and winter.
The demo took me through each season (as you can see from the captured footage below). Each season looked stunning on the Xbox One X. From the fall colors, do the dark snowstorm, and to the sunny spring day, each season looks distinctive and beautiful. Water effects and details were off the charts in the demo, so I have very high hopes for the full game. At first, I was a little confused as to why this would be the big addition to the franchise. After my demo, I realized that the seasons have a nice effect on how you race.
As you can imagine, racing in the summer is very different than the winter. Visibility in the winter is lower, and the snow makes it a bit challenging to see. Not only that, you need to deal with road conditions. The traction is noticeably different in the winter. I’m curious if you must stick to specific vehicles in the winter as opposed to other seasons. Trucks drive pretty well, but I’m curious how a Porsche can handle it.
The demo did a great job of showing what seasons can do, but it didn’t reveal any more details about what we can expect at launch. For example, the demo played at 30 FPS. This was noticeable because developers said it will be 60 FPS at launch. I, personally, prefer higher framerate as opposed to higher graphic fidelity. Those who yearn for the best graphics are definitely getting it with Forza Horizon 4.
Another mystery will be additional features to the Forza Horizon 4. We know that the shared world multiplayer is back (and I couldn’t be happier about it). But what else? How similar will it be to Horizon 3? If my demo is a sign of things to come, then we will for sure get high octane racing. But will we get additional features? More cars than Horizon 3, or the same amount? Will we have the festival mechanic like in Horizon 3? Only time will tell.
Forza Horizon 4 will launch on Oct. 2nd, 2018, and it will be available on Xbox Game Pass. If you are still on the fence about it, check out the captured footage from the demo below!
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt3mhHWeYugQj-nT2n4a1qQ
Guest Writer Ryan Welch represented Rectify Gaming at the Xbox Media Showcase on Sunday, June 10th.
