Art of rally Review (Switch eShop)

Funselektor Labs’ rally art looks like it it should Be the most accessible rally simulator ever. Its bright colors and abstract environments almost create a false sense of security, distracting from an otherwise remarkably deep and challenging rally title. It retains the same authentic gameplay from its original PC release, but moving to the Switch, the game has suffered some notable graphical degradations.

When you first start the game, you are greeted by a large totem character, who briefly addresses you before you are sent to wander the earth. This is pretty much the only time the game veers off into more fantastic elements, and it’s an odd way to kick off a pure driving title. However, once you start navigating around the initial wandering location, you quickly realize that this is not your run-of-the-mill arcade runner; This is an authentic version of rallying that can be quite shocking for the more casual players.

Free placements are a good way to test your skills before taking on the races. Scattered around the environment are cassette tapes (which we’ll cover a bit more shortly), photo opportunities, and lyrics that spell RALLY; Finding all of these will unlock more free locations for you to roam. In addition to photo opportunities, the game also comes with its own photo mode, which means you can pause at any point and align the camera to get the perfect shot.

The photo mode, however, highlights how much the Switch version of art of rally has degraded in terms of its images. In many ways the game is absolutely beautiful, especially when the sunset goes through the trees and lights up the track. However, in general, many of the assets in the game have been completely removed. The trees that were visible in the PC version (and now Series X / S) of the game have disappeared, and the grass is nowhere to be seen, leaving the ground as a soft color block. The game’s frame rate suffers as well, running at 30 FPS compared to the comparatively smoother 60 on other platforms.

On the bright side though, the incredible music has migrated in its entirety, and this is where the performance really shines. The hard-hitting melodies make strolling the slopes or wandering environments an absolute pleasure. The collectible cassette tapes found in free roaming mode also unlock more music tracks, and it would be difficult to pick a favorite from the group.

The game itself feels incredibly authentic considering the abstract nature of the presentation. Driving your vehicle around corners can be tricky, and the slightest case of oversteer can cause you to go off the road. If you stray too far, the game will automatically recover your vehicle, adding a 5 second penalty to your time. Mastering the controls can take a while compared to other rally titles with a similar top-down approach, but the gratification gained from this is undeniably greater.

Despite its obvious visual deficiencies, art of rally is still an enjoyable game anyway; the gameplay, of course, shines through at its brightest, making this one of the most authentic and challenging rally titles in some time. The amazing music makes the admission price worth it on its own, and if you’re looking for a deep and surprisingly nuanced rally game, this is the place.