Hands-on: Forza Horizon 6 is exactly what you’d expect it to be

Based on the initial unveil. The trailers. The screenshots. The interviews. What did you want Forza Horizon 6 to be?

Is it a large open-world Japanese area that crams in a diverse topography and distinctive culture? Is it Japanese cars with flared body kits and raspy engines? Is it more of the same gameplay features, just set in Japan? How about a greater sense of progression?

Well, if it were any of these four main reasons, or all of them, then you’re in for a treat.

Having played this early, unfinished, work-in-progress, non-final, early-stages vertical slice – Microsoft was very keen to inform us this isn’t the complete game, so I think that covers it – we can definitively say, Forza Horizon 6 is exactly what you think it is…

But being that doesn’t necessarily quash all concerns with the now long-running series, either.

The full car list for Horizon 6 is set to be over 550 at launch, bolstered by post-release updates and the paid DLC Car Pass over time.

But quantity over quality remains a sticking point of this sixth instalment, sadly.

There is a series of newly modelled vehicles, built from the ground up (ahem), such as the Nissan Silva K’s, replete with a Rocket Bunny body kit – one of three cars gifted to you at the start, alongside a lifted GMC and modified Toyota Celica.

It’s detailed, accurate and clearly a new generation of re-creation, with an aggressive engine sound to boot. The noises have been redone to align with the fresh models and wide-body stances, a particular highlight. More on these, later…

The problem being, you then enter a race against a fleet of suitable 1990 sports cars, and the vast majority are clearly older models ported from prior Forza games with strange proportions, a lack of detail and dead-eyed headlights.

It’s a curious mismatch that you can even see in some of the still press images. If you can look beyond the garish mods, check out the lack of clarity with this 2003 Nissan Fairlady Z (above), for instance.

It’s the sort of element that, if you’ve played more of the recent iterations, they will stand out more, but if you’re relatively new to the series, you may not notice.

Same too of the way these games Westernise locations, be that compacting down the best bits of northern Great Britain for 2018’s Horizon 4 to great effect, or the vast nothing-much-ness of Mexico for 2021’s Horizon 5, which in hindsight perhaps went a bit too far in terms of overall size.

Japan, in Horizon 6, is straight up… spectacular.

Tokyo opportunity squandered

But before we get to the best bits, we must say that the section representing Tokyo is a little flat.

Expecting the hustle and bustle of the real-world capital city is unrealistic – this is a fast-paced, open-world driving game, without pedestrians, after all. But, a little more atmosphere wouldn’t go amiss, with further narrow passageways, or increased traffic in this area. It just doesn’t quite sit right with us.

The Shibuya Crossing is here, but on a day of a zombie outbreak, evidently. Elsewhere, there is an ornate garden, something resembling Tokyo Tower and a small section of concrete-lined expressway. But that’s about it, really.

Some of the roads are American-wide, befitting of large pickup trucks, but not the diminutive kei cars that proliferate the Land of the Rising Sun. I appreciate that there must be an element of this to accommodate racing, but perhaps the watering down has gone a little far in some cases. 

In just this one element, city road width, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown arguably does a better job. It may be touted as the “largest urban area” in franchise history with “unparalleled density”, but this is still smaller than some direct rivals.

Outside of the Eastern Capital, however, this new setting excels. There are vast swathes of rice paddy fields, perhaps too many, but otherwise it’s wonderfully varied.

An environment of epic scope

If its predecessor’s location was criticised for being a little bland and samey, then this is the racing game equivalent of a sushi restaurant – full of varied, vibrant colours, exciting tastes and a mish-mash of culinary delights.

Here are six highlights we’ve discovered so far, and there will be many, many more, once we’ve tried the full game:

• There’s the Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge-aping circular expressway on-ramp, which is delightfully satisfying to drift up in one smooth slew
• Some of the most detailed cherry blossom physics seen in gaming – they fly up after your tyres with all the elegance and grace of a… well, cherry blossom leaf blowing in the wind.
• Sinuous mountain roads towards a peak in the north of the map, perfect for drift practice. We could envision these being lined with snow walls seen in some of the unveil trailer footage once the game turns to winter. (This preview version is permanently in the spring season)
• Climbing even higher, and you’ll find snow-covered rally tracks, leading to a ski course (main article image), with a giant jump ahead of a large bowl filled with ramps, banked turns, ideal for some rally action.
• Then, down to the south, there are beaches and rich blue water, which look almost tropical.
• And it wouldn’t be Japan without a temple or two, would it?

There’s also one key omission, though – don’t expect to be able to scale Mount Fuji. It provides a breathtaking backdrop to your photo-mode shots, but it remains permanently in the distance and inaccessible.

Smaller details that excel too, from the uniquely Japanese homes with people fixing their compact vehicles outside, to the littering of suitable props such as boats, bicycles and diminutive cars.

There are ‘365’ stores, which ape the real-world 7-Elevens, and some of the NPC traffic is the actual Toyota JPN Taxi you see when visiting the nation.

Moreish collectables

As is to be expected with a title by Playground Games – with Turn 10 in support – there will be a surfeit of collectables. Despite these not being complete in the build we tried, and knowing our progress won’t be carried to the finished game, we couldn’t help but hunt down experience point boards and the hidden mascots.

They are the gaming equivalent of Cadbury Mini Eggs. So morish in their appeal, once you’ve smashed one, you feel the need to collect them all.

Another form of collectable presently is a range of ‘Aftermarket Cars’. There were a handful for us to find and purchase. Each, like the aforementioned Silvia, had aggressive exhaust notes, powerful engines and notable visual enhancements.

They are Horizon 6 at its best, with approachable handling, detailed bodywork and a proclivity for drifting, showcasing what the car creation team can do when let off the leash. Also, thank goodness the wheel can now rotate more than a few millimetres for those cockpit camera and wheel peripheral users.

We put these modified steeds to the test during Drag Meets and Time Attack challenges. Both are new game mode types, and both are fluid. There’s no loading screen or event entry; you simply drive up to the drag strip or circuit and, like magic, it begins.

Your score, time and relative results are all instantly tracked. Slick and clever tech, but we can’t help but feel the appeal is ephemeral. It looks like there will only be a handful of these, based on the map locations.

Time Attack in particular rewards smoothness, precision and repetition, not something befitting of a typical open-world driving game. Still, it’s somehow more enjoyable than a Rivals event in the ill-fated Forza Motorsport reboot…

These additions are welcome, but not something that noticeably sets 6 apart from its forebearers.

New structure remains unproven

What should do, however, is the wristband progression format, which looks to provide this latest addition with a clear structure as you work towards ever-grander events. First seen in the 14-year-old original, this format has taken a back seat of late. Horizon 4 and 5, although slightly improved with the latter, lacked a clear end goal and consequently could feel aimless.

Not so here, as we think we can see the Legend Island on the map, which only unlocks after further progression.

The central spine of the campaign – which can be played solo or via online co-op – was mostly off limits for now. We could test three main events, with AI assistant ANNA guiding us between. However, when it came to entering the Horizon Invitational to earn our first wristband, that’s when the preview ended.

Garage customisation was also available, but only for the starter location, and it seemed a little fiddly.

There are several other caveats to this preview, too…

Our entire hands-on experience was using an Xbox Series X – PC and PS5 testing was not yet offered. It should be noted that it is currently capped at 30 frames per second, which is low enough to give Digital Foundry an aneurysm. A 60 fps mode will be available at launch, according to Microsoft. Irrespective of this, the visuals are spectacular throughout.

Several pivotal features were absent at this stage:

• All online modes
• Car meets
• The Estate, where you can build up an area, and the revised Event Lab 
• Visiting the Autoshow to buy cars (although a handful could be purchased from pre-race menus)
• Barn Finds and the Festival Playlist were in the menu but blocked out
• As were Car Mastery, Horns, Treasure Cars and Gift Drops
• Three of the environment’s seasons were absent

We just want more…

The cadence at which new cars are acquired, and the Wheelspin system, couldn’t be tested here either. As Horizon is historically an absolutist when it comes to handing out vehicles approximately every six seconds, this is a key element if the wristband progression is to truly feel cohesive.

For this new game to excel, it really does need to be more than just a pretty environment with the same tried-and-true gameplay elements, even if that may be good enough for many.

Mind you, even if that was the case, the location alone seems to be worth the admission price. It’s a vibrant, undulating and surprising map with a sense of exploration rarely seen in driving games. We can’t wait to dive back in once the full game is ready in just a few short weeks…