The Fastlane has never been more gorgeous. For the first time in over a decade of playing racing games, Forza Horizon 4 makes crossing the finish line first of less importance than the race itself. Now don’t get it mixed up; this is by no means a barb at the Playground franchise. Instead, it is Forza Horizon 4’s most endearing attribute. FH4 glorifies driving through the beautiful countryside scenery over the need for speed (no pun intended). This does not, however, take away anything from winning. There is a special thrilling feeling of accomplishment that comes without racing other drivers. Regardless, it is the feel of being behind a dream car in a dream country that does the trick for me and sets Forza Horizon 4 apart from its contemporary. 

Playground Games, in conjunction with Turn 10 Studios, created a franchise that competes with itself. When the first installment, Forza Horizon 1, was released in 2012, the Forza Horizon franchise has always been in a race to outdo itself. Forza Horizon 4, although set in a different local from its predecessors, doesn’t feel much different from the Forza Horizon 3. It promises the same level of commitment to sound, visual quality, a wide array of vehicles, and more; basically, everything that makes FH3 amazing. The major difference lies in its festivals and changing seasons. Unlike in FH3, the Festivals feel more real in this installment than in the past, where it was just fireworks and pretty lights.

Seasons Change and New Scenery

Once you begin your Forza Horizon 4, the game opens up the tutorials, which introduces you to the game and its ever-changing seasons. There is more to a new season other than the cosmetic change in visual display on your screen. The game appeals to your tactile senses, as you can almost feel the frostbite of winter and the dusty brown all over your windscreen in autumn. The attention Playground Games paid to the tiniest detail in maintaining the season narrative change is worthy of note. The seasons affect the gameplay in unprecedented ways that FH3 can’t match. 

One such way is the racing tracks that are visibly affected by the change in season, which happens weekly in real-time. For instance, the Derwentwater would become an alternative route in winter once it is frozen hard. This season change also means that you can begin playing in one season, and midway the race enters a different season. This makes it even more interesting because it pulls on your ability to adapt to changing temperatures as a driver. 

For me and many fans in general, we were initially shocked to hear that the game would be set-in Britain. We had all looked forward to Playground setting Forza Horizon 4 in Japan, so nothing prepared us for the heavily-stylized version of Britain that we saw. Regardless, this takes nothing away from the game. According to a critic, Playground Games gave us romantic Britain fantasized about by Brexiteers. The game takes the best of everything in Britain, from the weather to the iconic structures down to Edinburgh’s rustic mountainsides. 

Customizable Characters and Cars

Once again, Forza Horizon 4 showcases that the developers were gunning for a racing game that feels personal to the player. Unlike in its predecessor, where you created a non-customizable character, in Forza Horizon 4, players get to create a character that can be customized to suit the player’s style as the game progresses. Of course, you spend most of your time behind wheels, but the customization comes in handy mostly during online multiplayer modes. You don’t want to be caught wearing the same old default icon when you win a multiplayer race. It is fun to watch your character do a victory dance dressed in a well-tailored tuxedo while the others watch. 

The game’s customization options allow you to tweak your vehicles as much as you want. The game has over 700 cars from over a hundred licensed manufacturers, which can be gotten from the Auto show, the Forzathon Shop, and the Auction House. All of the cars come with their skill tree containing about sixteen perks each. You will soon fall in love with your creation after playing around with all the upgrade and customization options available, which were not available with previous editions of the game.

In-game Economics.

Forza Horizon 4 runs primarily on two in-game currencies: the “influence” and the “Credits.” Influence is essentially how you move forward in the game; it unlocks access to more events. At the start of the game, you gain Influence from participating in events and races, but you can also earn Influence from stunts performed during a race. So, you might want to ensure you drive fancy as well as fast because you earn XP-like points for airtime, overtakes, drift time, and the likes.

Credits are the gadget-centric currencies of the game. Credits are used to buy cars, houses, gadgets for customizing your cars, and buying your cosmetic clothes. The simplest way to earn Credits in Forza Horizon 4 is by competing in races and events. The number of credits you earn may be determined by various factors, such as the position you complete the race with, the difficulty of the race, and more. You could partake in various activities to earn both Influence and Credits, such as Wheelspins, Super Wheelspins, or by simply taking advantage of the weekly seasons. 

Online or Offline, It Doesn’t Matter.

Forza Horizon is, like they say, big enough to serve you and small enough to know you. Whether you are a socialite or an anti-social introvert who enjoys playing all by himself, Forza Horizon has you covered with its solo and multiplayer modes. The game seamlessly transitions between online and offline states without disrupting progress. Ever since the introduction of Drivatar in Forza 3, the AI has gotten smarter. Even in its multiplayer modes, the game respects your privacy because nobody can interrupt your driving or stunting except you join a convoy—also, the game ghosts players who are not on your Xbox Friends list. 

The developers have introduced the Forzathon live, a series of hourly online live events in which the game pairs you with other players to achieve a shared objective. 

Conclusion

Released in 2018 on Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, Forza Horizon sets the bar high. There is very little in which the game falls short. The choice of soundtrack is just superb. The game features multiple varieties of songs and radio stations with different music genres available for the players to select. The gameplay emphasizes the driving over the racing. The graphics leave you in awe of Forza Britain in all its different weather.