Forza Horizon 3, the successor to Game of the Year 2014, Forza Horizon 2, has arrived. The critical question is: can it replicate the success of its predecessor?
Even more focus on Off-road in Horizon 3
Following the impressive release two years ago alongside the Xbox One in Sweden, anticipation has been high to see what Playground Games and Turn 10 would deliver next with the Microsoft-exclusive, Forza Horizon 3. This installment takes place in Australia, and casts you as the director of the Horizon Festival. A key addition this year is the co-op mode. Furthermore, the game is no longer solely an Xbox One exclusive, extending to Windows 10 as well. Horizon 3 supports Play Anywhere, allowing gameplay on both Xbox One and Windows 10 with a single purchase.
Forza Horizon upholds a vital legacy. Car games emphasizing both feeling and realism, while maintaining a focus on engaging gameplay, have become increasingly rare. Classics like the Burnout series are gone, and DiRT Rally appears to be fading. The Need for Speed series has shifted away from its playful roots, becoming largely uninspired and excessively dark, with an over-reliance on nighttime settings. Current trends favor high-end simulators prioritizing realism, such as Project CARS, Asetto Corsa, and the Gran Turismo franchise. However, a genuinely entertaining and well-developed game for car enthusiasts who value fun over absolute realism is missing. Forza Horizon addresses this gap effectively. It offers accessible gameplay, a high degree of customizability in difficulty by adjusting assists, and rewarding progression tied to higher difficulty levels. Moreover, it serves as a virtual haven for car enthusiasts seeking to collect and test drive the latest high-performance vehicles, featuring a roster of 350 cars from the Koenigsegg Regera to Lamborghini’s Centenario, a car exceedingly difficult to acquire in reality.
The image update is nearly flawless on Xbox One. Xbox One S also features HDR support.
Players familiar with previous Forza Horizon titles (the original is currently available as a free download for Xbox Gold members) will find themselves immediately at home in Forza Horizon 3. Progression involves driving between events, accumulating “fans” instead of collecting colored bracelets as you level up. Players can participate in races, versus modes (rivals), and special events, which, while enjoyable, are somewhat limited in number. Horizon 3 includes stunt challenges to gain fans, in addition to classic speed cameras and unique stretches requiring skillful e-brake maneuvers. While the player manages the festival, this primarily involves signing drivers and radio channels for bonuses and customizing race parameters like opponent count and car class. This feature is engaging but not revolutionary, allowing players to easily bypass it and participate in the game’s preset races and challenges. An “illegal” street-racing mode takes place at night, encouraging reckless driving in urban areas, alongside a co-op mode. The co-op mode proved slightly challenging to test in the preview version, but appears functional with a stable connection and a partner. Progress made in co-op mode carries over to the single-player story, making it a worthwhile option.
Special events, such as this one, are exceptionally enjoyable features in the Horizon series. A greater number of these would be welcome.
The graphics in Forza Horizon 3 are arguably even more impressive than those in Horizon 2. The level of detail in the Australian environments is stunning, ranging from pristine beaches to realistic water droplets on the camera and lifelike foliage, all rendered with a consistently high frame rate and breathtaking cloudscapes. Horizon 3 also supports HDR graphics from launch, requiring an Xbox One S and an HDR-compatible display. The enhanced processing power of the Xbox One S contributes to a smoother overall experience (an update to this review will be provided upon receiving our Xbox One S unit).
Horizon 3 is currently among the best-looking games on the Xbox One. The sky visuals are particularly noteworthy.
The audio quality, consistent with Horizon 2, is excellent. The distinct engine sounds and performance characteristics of each car are accurately reproduced, and the soundscape dynamically adjusts based on the player’s perspective. The audio differs appropriately between the in-car and exterior views. While the number of radio channels has increased, some tracks may be familiar from the previous installment, particularly on the “Timeless” channel. Driving a Lamborghini at 300 km/h while listening to Beethoven’s 9th Symphony is surprisingly exhilarating. The game incorporates support for a wide range of common names, increasing the likelihood of personalized in-game greetings, particularly from ANNA, the intelligent GPS system. This feature is a fun addition and appears to be a nod to Cortana, echoing one of several Halo references, including the ability to unlock and drive a Warthog in Australia.
The handling remains refined, allowing for intuitive control. The cars respond realistically to varying conditions. Players can confidently explore diverse terrains and engage in spirited driving without undue concern for damage or excessive realism. Discovering abandoned cars in barns, finding collectible signs, exploring roads, and challenging rivals’ and friends’ “ghosts” from your game world remain core elements, consistent with previous Horizon titles.
In essence, Forza Horizon 3 closely resembles Horizon 2 in many aspects. Given the success of the established formula, this is not necessarily a negative. Forza Horizon 3 is a superb racing game, arguably the best in its specific subgenre. However, replicating the impact of its predecessor proves challenging. The “WOW!” factor and the seamless integration of driving pleasure, music, visuals, and location, which defined Horizon 2‘s memorable Riviera setting, are not fully matched by Horizon 3‘s Australian environments. The game primarily offers incremental technical improvements over its predecessor. Perhaps the second game already encompassed all the essential elements of a perfect game, or perhaps the landscapes of southern Europe hold a greater appeal than the Australian Outback within a gaming context. Forza Horizon 3 effectively carries on the legacy of this acclaimed series but does not achieve the same level of impact as its 2014 counterpart. A future installment set in Asia, particularly Japan, would be highly anticipated. Envision the beauty of cherry blossoms as you drive a new Ferrari model. Imagine the visual fidelity and power that could be achieved on Xbox Scorpio…
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