Forza Horizon 4 Review

The folks at Playground Games delivered yet another excellent racing experience with Forza Horizon 4. While the mainline series Forza Motorsport aims to simulate the international racing scene, Forza Horizon throws players into a massive open-world so that they can drive to their hearts’ content. Although Forza Horizon 4 isn’t flawless, it does a hell of a lot to keep players engaged. It has everything Forza Horizon 3 had to offer and more.

Presentation

While Horizon 3 had players roam the sunny wilderness of Australia for the Horizon Festival, Horizon 4 takes racers to the UK countryside for decidedly more varied racing conditions. Whether you’re sailing through forests or speeding through Edinburgh, the game looks crisp and gorgeous. It’s already fun to take a leisurely drive, but the in-game radio stations help by providing a modern, upbeat soundtrack to drive to.

While the presentation is as strong as ever, the game’s true highlight is also its newest feature — the changing of seasons and dynamic weather. Once a week, the in-game season changes to unlock new tracks and events that were otherwise inaccessible. Rain muddies dirt roads, hillsides freeze over, and weather affects driving conditions as it would in real life. The weather physics aren’t new to the franchise; Horizon 4 simply places a special emphasis on them and how they can be used to create new racing events.