Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, developed by Nacon's in-house studio KT Racing, is one of the most important games ever for the French publisher, as Nacon aims to compete with arcade racing games such as Forza Horizon and The Crew, although not all the signs are pointing in the right direction.

Test Drive is a racing franchise with a long history, starting with the first game in 1987. Over a dozen titles were released before Atari made a name for itself with Test Drive Unlimited and its sequel. That was 13 years ago, and the franchise has been dormant since Test Drive: Ferrari Racing Legends (2012). Given the long history of the franchise, Nacon, at the time still Bigben Interactive, bought the IP from Atari in late 2016 with the intention of rebooting the franchise. In 2018, Bigben announced the acquisition of French studio Kylotonn, which had previously developed the WRC rally games. The studio was then renamed KT Racing to emphasise its focus, and this was Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, which was then announced in July 2020 - by which time production had already begun. The game was originally scheduled for release in September 2022, but the planned release date could not be met. Instead, the publisher pushed the release back several times, first to July 2023 and then to 12 September 2024. At the same time, the PS4 and Xbox One editions were cancelled.

For Nacon, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is one of the most important releases given the length of time it has taken to develop and the popularity of the brand, especially as the company has set itself the goal of challenging established racing franchises such as Xbox's Forza Horizon and Ubisoft's The Crew.

The game itself is a Massively Open Online Racing Game (MOOR) that combines racing, lifestyle and social experiences. Players create their own avatar, can become a member of a clan and take part in in-game competitions behind the wheel of extraordinary cars - over 100 vehicles from more than 30 brands, including Porsche, Mercedes, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Bugatti, McLaren, Aston Martin and many more. The game is set on the island of Hong Kong, which the developers have recreated at 1:1 scale, with racing taking place in the narrow streets of the city centre and on off-road mountain tracks.

Although the developers have put a lot of effort into the design of the environment, the level of detail and vibrancy of the game world cannot compete with Forza Horizon 4 or 5 or The Crew: Motorfest. Perhaps the scale of the project was a little too much for the team. This is an impression that will be even more strongly felt later on. Much of the city looks rather flat, and the avatars' character models are rather weak or cringe-worthy ((and encourage skipping the cutscenes), but the reflections are well done. Unfortunately, the game suffers from performance issues, even on consoles, which underlines the fact that the game was released too early.

In general, players will race against other players (PvP), and if no other players can be found, AI drivers will be sent out to race. However, the progression of the game is very linear and there are no wheel spins like in Forza Horizon, but a season pass is coming anyway. Players earn credits as they race, which they can then spend on new cars or upgrades to their current car to stay ahead of the competition. This is crucial. The controls take some getting used to, though, which fortunately improves considerably after the first 'race' and after fiddling around with the options in the driving assistance menu. Still, the game is a long way from the fantastic driving experience of Forza Horizon. Driving is more arcade-heavy, with a slight simulation touch, depending on how many driving aids are turned on.

Players can customise their avatar by buying new outfits and accessories, modify their cars, visit car dealerships for test drives, and meet other players at the Solar Hotel or in the Streets/Sharps clan clubs. The Streets and the Sharps are two rival clans, who come across as fairly simplistic. There are also a number of competitive activities and a ranking mode that reflect the rivalry between the two clans.

Designed as a Massively Open Online Racing game with a permanent online connection, the game suffered for hours during the Advanced Access period from server problems that KT Racing and Nacon couldn't get under control until 13 hours after launch - which is reflected in the user reviews on Steam. The peak CCU on Steam at the time was 4,300. It is also sad that there is no offline mode.

With Nacon planning to release the game as a Game as a Service (including a Battle Pass system), it is hoped that the experience will continue to improve over the coming weeks and months. The second season will see the return of Ibiza City as a location (TDU2), followed by a Clan War mode between Sharps and Streets. The casino will follow in season four, where players will be able to use their virtual currency in a variety of activities, including poker and slot machines.

In addition to the four seasons, the first year will see updates to improve the experience, including ongoing work on the cameras and steering wheel animations in the first-person view. The TDUSC team is committed to keeping the game active for many years to come and will continue to incorporate player feedback and requests. Fan-requested features and content, such as real estate and motorcycles, are currently under consideration. - Nacon on the future plans of TDUSC

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is already available to Gold Edition buyers on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC via Steam. The game will be available from 10 September 2024 for those who pre-order the Silver Streets/Sharps Edition. The Standard Edition will be available from 12 September.

Conclusion

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown gets off to a slow start and can't keep up with Forza Horizon 4/5 or The Crew: Motorfest. Still, the online racing game has a lot of potential, but in its current state it would have been better off on Early Access.

Features

• A truly fascinating and vast setting
• Fundamentally good game idea and progression
• Ongoing improvements and more content planned

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