Download.it search icon
Advertisement

Microsoft Studios presents a free open-world racing game that's unlike any other on the market

Microsoft Studios presents a free open-world racing game that's unlike any other on the market

Vote: (120 votes)

Program license: Free

Developer: Microsoft Studios

Works under: Windows

Vote:

Program license

(120 votes)

Free

Developer

Microsoft Studios

Works under:

Windows

Pros

  • Provides a great taste of the full Horizon experience
  • Eight different customizable cars to choose from
  • Solid online multiplayer integration

Cons

  • Much more restricted than the full game
  • Remains exclusively to the Microsoft Store

Forza Horizon 4 builds on the open-world racing game formula of its predecessors with a prettier and more immersive open-world environment and a cool new theme - seasons. You're still driving some of the world's coolest cars through some of the most beautifully rendered landscapes in the world, but seasonal events give you a lot more to do within those landscapes and provide you with the impetus to explore the wide depth of features that the Horizon series offers.

There are a lot of games implementing online seasons, but Forza Horizons 4 pulls it off better than most. There's something to do every day, but it's never overbearing. The daily challenges are mostly just there to log play, while longer-term events ask you to stretch your muscles with a specific car or car class. There's a nice balance between letting players explore at their own pace and encouraging them to explore some of the deeper level features and horizons.

One of Forza Horizon's trademarks is the pretext of the Horizon Festival: a fictional racing festival that has taken place at some of the world's most exotic locales. Horizon 4's Britain might not be as romantic as Italy or Australia, but the results are a beautiful recreation of the island that capture and condense the important landmarks.

The demo only gives you a taste of everything Horizon 4 has to offer, but there's actually a pretty meaty helping of content to work through. The eight cars provide a nice sampling of the different play styles you can expect, and there's also a decent tasting of the four events that make up the new seasonal structure. You also get a feel for the story mode and the festival environment of the game. Past versions of the game have put you in a sandbox with racers that are purely A.I. but this iteration drops you into a hub with other live racers. You'll spend most of your time in single-player, but there's a greater sense of immersion knowing that you're playing both against and around other real people.

It also gives you a look into the deep level of customization available here. Each of the eight cars you can access can be tweaked to your heart's delight, but those options expand outside of the demo as well. The full version of Forza Horizon 4 implements an expansive economy of new cars, parts, and cosmetic options to choose from - and the steady stream of rewards is a great incentive to keep getting back into the game.

Demos may be less prevalent for AAA games than they once were, but Forza Horizon 4 really makes the most of the format. It gives you a broad understanding of what to expect. And what to expect is one of the best racing games on the market. It may be less optimized for the needs of hardcore racing enthusiasts than the core Forza series, but there's nothing quite like cruising through Horizon's pristine and idyllic vision of England, even for a little bit.

Pros

  • Provides a great taste of the full Horizon experience
  • Eight different customizable cars to choose from
  • Solid online multiplayer integration

Cons

  • Much more restricted than the full game
  • Remains exclusively to the Microsoft Store