Art of Rally is a charming arcade racer, but a challenger is on the horizon!

Finally, a post that primarily focuses on the game represented in the header photo! I have talked about Art of Rally briefly before in my post about game graphics, but now that the game has been out for longer than a month, I can share my thoughts on the game. Spoiler alert: It's really good.

The follow-up to Absolute Drift takes you through 5 decades of rallying, each era with their own period-correct vehicles, championships and rewards. Unlike most rally games, Art of Rally visualizes a universe where Group S rally was never axed; the controversial successor to Group B lives on bringing even more powerful vehicles. The knock-on effect is the Group A vehicles in the following season have over 800hp, as opposed to their real-world counterparts which had around 300hp.

The beauty of the game is not only showcased in its plot, it amazes aesthetically too. Art of Rally features a low poly art style and it is a real breath of fresh air compared to the abundance of racing games we have had chasing photorealism. There is an abundance of saturation and the high camera positions show off impressive draw distances. If there was ever a game which shows high poly counts are overrated, it's this one. 

What you may find surprising is the level of depth the physics model has. I have actually found the character to be similar to the likes of Dirt Rally, one of the more realistic games in the market! Each car has its own personality and defining features have been highlighted. For instance, cars with rotary engines sound like a swarm of bees and mid-engined vehicles are highly sensitive towards direction changes.

This game has received so much praise and it is absolutely deserving of it. It charms like no other rally game released recently and features many little quirks to put a smile on your face, including some humourous post-stage notes regarding your competitors. While some drivers may encounter a puncture or mechanical fault which are pretty normal, others may have a bird in the cabin or have to attend to a toilet emergency. Unfortunately, you can't view the replays of your opponents, but they are fun to visualise!

If there was one downside to pick up, is that the simplistic approach means that you can explore the whole game in a pretty short space of time. It is absolutely worth the sub-£20 asking price, but it does leave you wanting more. However, I reckon I have the solution to this figured out; if you like the top-down, low poly arcade racer approach, keep Circuit Superstars in your wishlist!

Unlike Art of Rally, Circuit Superstars ventures to motorsports on and off-road; vehicles span from classic racers to high-tech modern machines. From my early impressions of the limited-time demo, this is also shaping up to be another simple but thrilling arcade racer. My recommendation? Pick up Art of Rally if you haven't done so already then once you are done with that, keep an eye out for the early access release date for Circuit Superstars next year.