The Japanese concept of “kaizen” could be used to describe the evolution of the “Forza Horizon” franchise. It’s a series that began with a simple concept. Playground Games wanted to build an open-world racer that was truer to life than its peers using, the ForzaTech engine.
It’s a game that offered the realism of a sim but livened the genre’s cold edges with a vibrant environment full of activities celebrating car culture. Since then, Playground Games has taken on the “kaizen” ethos, continually improving every facet of the series. It has gone from an amusing spinoff to a Microsoft tentpole franchise and game of the year winner, a rarity for a racing game.
A HUGE CROSS SECTION OF JAPAN
For “Forza Horizon 6,” Playground Games has brought the series to Japan, the origin of “kaizen” and an automotive capital. It’s a destination that fans have been clamoring for, given how the nation has developed its own car culture through anime such as “Initial D” and aftermarket customization. Japan has race tracks and street courses featured in video games, but rarely, if ever, has the country been part of a car-centric open world.
Playground Games found itself with a huge canvas to craft the ultimate driving game, and the team delivered with “Forza Horizon 6” as players again take on the role of the star driver in the Horizon Festival. The game’s structure is split into two parts. Players can enter contests and earn points toward a Showcase race, which is essentially a boss confrontation. The wild events are spectacles that show off the developers’ creativity as players race planes and a giant robot that stretches the boundaries of realism.
Organizers reward players with a new wristband for each Showcase victory, which opens up more events that require faster and more expensive vehicles. It keeps going until players earn the gold wristband and become a Horizon Legend.
The Yuki-no-Otani in the Japanese alps section of “Forza Horizon 6” adds a change of pace to the environment. (Microsoft)
THE SIDE QUESTS MAKES EXPLORATION A DREAM
The other track is the Discover Japan path, which focuses on exploring the locale’s culture. This is where players can take on side quests that dot the map. They can earn extra money as a Tokyo City Food Delivery driver or take day trips with Mei Hasegawa, one of the organizers who explains the history of the land. This is also where players can do one-on-one Touge races, in which players drift down the winding curves of a mountain like Takumi Fujiwara in his Toyota AE86.
This is what separates the “Forza Horizon” series from other open-world racing games. The developers put care into these side quests and diversions, but they never feel like busywork because they reward players with cars or other cosmetic collectibles. Moving up the ranks unlocks new Barn Finds and properties for sale.
The tasks add more dimension to the real-life environments, creating a deeper sense of place and people. Players will appreciate Mei discussing Hirosaki Castle or driving down the legendary Mount Haruna. One of the most memorable is Yuji Kono in the Yuji Auto questline, which has players gathering stock cars and then racing souped-up versions after the staid mechanic Yuji Kono and his colleague Keiko Yamaguchi get their hands on them.
These side quests and other diversions strewn around the map make exploration worthwhile, but they also highlight some shortcomings in the world. “Forza Horizon 6” does a fantastic job of re-creating parts of Japan, but I wish there were more metropolitan areas beyond Tokyo City. I also wish the environment felt more alive with birds and other animals. Aside from that, it would have been nice to see more trains running across the map, since Japan has tons of rail lines.
“Forza Horizon 6” has one densely populated area in Tokyo City and plenty of wilderness. (Microsoft)
NEW PATHS TOWARD CREATVITY
Playground Games makes up for some of that with the return of seasons in “Forza Horizon 6.” The environment and driving conditions change as summer turns to fall and snow begins falling in winter before spring returns again. This time around, roads are more drivable during the winter without the need for all-wheel drive vehicles, and the team carved out a portion of the map in the mountains where players can enjoy snow year-round if they want that experience.
“Forza Horizon 6” adds more refinement by letting players customize their garages and even build tracks on the on a Yashiki House estate. All of this creates another avenue for “Forza” creativity on top of the livery designs, photography options and online get-togethers.
That has always been the strength of the “Forza Horizon” series. Whereas some racing games drill down on creating the most realistic racing game available, the Playground Games series revels in car culture and wants to give players the most opportunities to explore it and turn it into their own art.
‘Forza Horizon 6’
Four stars out of four
Platform: Xbox Series X and Series S, PC
Rating: Everyone
AloJapan.com