The concept of the Forza Horizon series hasn’t changed much since the original release. Players drive around graphically detailed open worlds, smashing objects in the environment, getting high scores, and competing in a variety of racing events. All of that is still true for the latest game in the series, Forza Horizon 4, and some may be worried that the formula is starting to get stale. On the contrary, Forza Horizon 4 may actually be the most entertaining Forza Horizon game to date.
Forza Horizon 4 will be familiar to anyone that has played past games, with players attempting to earn enough points to unlock special showcase events that play out like the racing game equivalent of a boss battle. The showcase events in Forza Horizon 4 are as impressive as ever, with players racing against hoverboats, trains, and even a group of dirtbikers.
Despite sticking to this tried-and-true Forza Horizon formula, Forza Horizon 4 still manages to feel like a completely new game and that’s largely thanks to its focus on changing seasons. In Forza Horizon 4, players experience all four seasons, going from summer to autumn to winter to spring. This is hugely beneficial to Forza Horizon 4 in multiple ways. For one, the changing seasons allow for significant visual variety, which goes a long way in keeping the game world from getting boring. Secondly, the changing seasons also change the gameplay, with winter forcing players to acquire all-wheel drive vehicles if they hope to stand a chance in any of the off-road events.
Changing seasons also help keep Forza Horizon 4’s end-game interesting. Forza Horizon 4 puts a lot of focus on the end-game, online experience called Horizon Life that players unlock after completing the game’s showcases and earning enough points. Once Horizon Life becomes available, players are treated to a constant stream of special online events, many of which are time sensitive and add a sense of urgency to the proceedings. Each week, the season transitions to the next, bringing with it new events that ensure players will always have something to look forward to.
Between the Horizon Life timed events and the standard races that are available all the time, Forza Horizon 4 is packed with content. Almost every race has PvP and co-op options, plus there’s plenty to find out open world Britain, including fast travel boards, “Barn Finds” that house classic cars, and breathtaking views that look especially stunning in 4K on the Xbox One X. Players can also just relax, explore the open world, and be rewarded for doing so by the game’s various score multipliers so they’re still making progress toward completing the game.
There’s also a ton of cars to unlock, and thankfully Forza Horizon 4 doesn’t hide these cars behind excessive grinding. In fact, the game practically showers players with rewards, with its slot machine-like wheelspins usually offering up hefty chunks of change or brand new vehicles for players. In our experience, we unlocked new cars so frequently that it was actually hard to keep up with what we had in our garage. Players can also purchase cars with in-game currency, and gain extra wheelspins from buying the various houses that are dotted around the landscape (including a literal castle).
Not only can players collect real world cars in Forza Horizon 4, but there are also some fictional vehicles to collect as well. Most notably, the Warthog from Halo is in the game’s lineup of vehicles, though that’s not the only Xbox series crossover in Forza Horizon 4. In our time with the game, we were also able to collect some customization options based on Sea of Thieves, and it’s likely that there are even more Xbox Easter Eggs hidden in Forza Horizon 4.
Injecting Forza Horizon 4 with unique vehicles and items based on other game franchises lends it some extra personality that it may have lacked otherwise. And that content combined with everything else Forza Horizon 4 brings to the table makes it one of the most complete and satisfying racing games available on modern consoles. However, while we mostly enjoyed our time with the game, there’s no denying that it also has its flaws.
The microtransactions, for instance, are a little “in your face” and can be distracting. For example, when players are looking at the world map, there is an option listed to purchase a treasure map that will show the location of collectibles. If players click that button, they won’t be taken to a screen where they can buy the treasure map with the CR (Forza Horizon 4’s in-game currency) they’ve built up from actually playing the game, but rather, they’re taken to the Microsoft Store and asked to fork over about $3 for something that can easily be looked up online. Since Forza Horizon 4 is available through Xbox Game Pass, the microtransactions are easier to forgive than in other titles, but their implementation here still feels a little predatory.
Forza Horizon 4 feels like a free-to-play style game in other ways besides its microtransactions. At one point, we were cruising down the streets, smashing objects and completing events, only for the game to pop up with a request that we rate it. This is a common practice for mobile titles and is rarely ever seen in big budget, console releases, and it served only to annoy and break our immersion. Again, Forza Horizon 4 being available through Xbox Game Pass on day one makes it easier to forgive than it would be otherwise, but it’s still something that may rub hardcore gamers the wrong way.
Something else we found disappointing about the game was the customization of the player character. Yes, in Forza Horizon 4 players can also customize the driver that represents them in-game along with cars, but the customization options are oddly limited. Players select from a roster of boring, pre-made characters, and can tweak their appearance later by changing their outfit or giving them new emotes. Despite these options, the character customization in Forza Horizon 4 seems like a tacked-on afterthought.
It’s true that Forza Horizon 4 has some flaws, but they are fairly minor in the grand scheme of things. The game is still arguably the best racing game available on modern consoles, and even non-racing game fans will still be able to appreciate the top of the line graphics and impressive open world. Forza Horizon 4 is a no-brainer for anyone with an Xbox One, and even those on the fence should at least give it a shot through Game Pass.
Forza Horizon 4 is out now for PC and Xbox One. Game Rant reviewed the Xbox One version.
