Title – Forza Horizon 4
Platforms – Xbox One, PC
Release Date – February 14th, 2023
Developer – Playground Games
Publisher – Microsoft
MSRP – $59.99
ESRB – E for Everyone
Disclaimer – This product is being reviewed on the Xbox One X. A review copy was provided by Microsoft for the purpose of this review. This review may also contain spoilers for certain gameplay and story elements. Watch at your own risk, you have been warned. Gaming Instincts is an Amazon Affiliate and does gain financial benefits if you choose to purchase this product on this page.
Microsoft’s most beloved racing franchise, Forza, is getting yet another new release for their arcade racer series – Forza Horizon 4. The series is well-known for its addicting gameplay, car collecting, beautiful locations, and fun multiplayer.
Cars, Gameplay Systems, and Seasons
The core gameplay, driving mechanics, progression systems, and seamless open world interactivity is where Forza Horizon 4 shines the most. The franchise was always known for its smooth, responsive controls, good car handling mechanics, and addicting gameplay, all of which continues in Forza Horizon 4, but improved.
The cars feel great. It doesn’t matter if players are driving the heavier Halo Warthog or a lighter and fancier British sports car like the Aston Martin with high acceleration. Both cars feel great, no matter their weight, turning radius, or acceleration rate. It’s an absolute joy to drive all kinds of different vehicles in Forza Horizon 4 and one of the most important core designs in racing games is how the cars feel when drivers are in control and this game nails it.
The progression system in Forza Horizon 4 rewards players for each race, event, collectible, or discovery they find throughout the exploration of the open world. There are many types of events to complete, such as Cross Country races, that have gamers race off-road through different kinds of environments, such as grassy hills, mountains, forests, or a mix of terrains in a single race.
Then there’s the typical races where players complete laps on regular roads, and then a different set of events in the Dirt Race club, where racers drive on dirt roads, mud, and water. Some races go from point A to B while others consist of multiple laps. Then there are Showcases, which have racers drive through particular set pieces. Those who played previous Forza Horizon titles will be familiar with such events.
Once players complete a race they will be awarded credits and influence points. Credits can be used as in-game currency to purchase clothing items for players’ driver, such as hats, glasses, pants, shirts and more. Gamers can also purchase different emotes and a ton of cars from pretty much every brand imaginable. Forza Horizon 4 features over 450 different vehicles both new and old; some can be found in secret barn locations that are later stored in the garage for use.
Forza Horizon 4 also adds great depth to how players want to challenge themselves. For example, before the race starts, players have the ability to modify different difficulty sliders and toggles, such as car damage and whether it actually makes a vehicle drive worse. Players can also decide to turn on Simulation or keep it at a cosmetic setting where it has no effect on their car whatsoever. Fans may also change the AI of the “drivatars” from inexperienced, average, above average and more. The awesome thing about these difficulty modifiers is they give players bonus credits when they win the races.
Influences are a vital part of Forza Horizon 4’s progression. It’s the main way players progress throughout different seasons and achieve new status. Gamers also rank up different club levels that always award new items every time fans level up. To sum it up, the progression system in Forza Horizon 4 is fantastic, because no matter what drivers do, they always get rewarded and unlock something for their racer, whether it’s a clothing item, an emote, or a new car. The items are also divided into different rarities, such as green for common, blue for rare, purple for even epic, and orange for legendary, which are considered super rare. Players can win all of these items via wheel spinning when they level up their racer level or purchase a wheelspin skill-point on their car.
The skill-point system from previous Forza Horizon titles returns in the latest entry, and like previous games in the series, they work the same way. Racers can chain multiple skills, such as drifting, air time, near-misses, clean racing, and breaking small environmental objects such as fences and poles. Gamers can accumulate a massive amount of skill-points if they wish to use them later; they can get different skills, such as getting higher skill multipliers or buff their influence points gain using their favorite vehicle. It’s a neat system that adds some RPG depth to players’ car collection.
Last but not least, the game’s biggest feature in the series yet: Seasons. For the first time, Playground Games decided to introduce something completely new to the racing genre that hasn’t been done on such a high level. Seasons completely change how players race to dynamic weather effects, climate change, mud and water interaction, and more. As players progress through the Horizon Festival campaign and gain influences, the game will change seasons up until gamers get into the Horizon roster, which is about three to five hours into the game depending on how fast and how good they are at racing throughout all the events that pop up on the world map.
Once racers get into the Horizon roster, the seasons will actually change on a weekly basis via real life time. Each season also has its own unique racing series, whether it’s regular racing or cross-country events. Not only is the driving experience different every time the season changes, fans also get to participate in new events that still reward levels, cosmetics, and credits to eventually buy up all the cars if drivers wish to do so.
The Visuals and Sound
The Forza games always looked excellent, but they looked even better with every new entry in the series, whether it be Forza Motorsport or Forza Horizon games. Forza Horizon 4 proudly continues this trend. The game is capable of a drop-dead gorgeous 4K native resolution and 60FPS on a high-end PC. Everything from water splashing, mud sliding, beautiful hills, awesome lighting effects, and gorgeous sun rays makes driving feel completely immersive. Overall, the engine feels polished and everything is smooth. Players might get an occasional pop-up here and there, but that’s due to the game being so large, but it mostly goes unnoticed unless someone is purposely look for it.
Fan-favorite radio stations such as Hospital and Bass Arena return in Forza Horizon 4 with a slew of new tracks and some of returning favorites. The soundtrack is great and fits the game very well. However, players can’t use custom tracks like they could in Forza Horizon 3. However, those who wish to listen to their favorite music while they play can do so through YouTube, Spotify, or another streaming service.
As for the rest of the game’s audio, everything sounds good, including car engines, surface contact, and more. The funny chatter on the radio also adds a good laugh here and there, and the voice acting for some of the characters is surprisingly not bad. Obviously, they’re not Hollywood quality, but they get the job more than done for a racing game.
Final Verdict
Forza Horizon 4 is truly an amazing game with a ton of replayability and content to explore, whether it’s single-player or multiplayer. Players have a ton of events to complete, boards to crash through for game completion and influences, save up credits to buy the most expensive cars and all the real estate, and collect all the cosmetics.
Forza Horizon 4 is great for both completionists, competitive racers. and car collectors. The game is a racing masterpiece that must be played.
