It will have taken some time before discovering this second expansion so awaited by Forza Horizon 5 players. internal asked some questions about the follow-up of Forza and the continuation of the saga. Needless to say, we were expecting – like many other players – resolutely the release of Rally Adventure and we are therefore giving you our opinion after several hours of play.
Sierra Nueva: a magnificent new playground, certainly, but which does not reinvent anything
As you might expect, one of the most anticipated aspects of every Forza Horizon 5 DLC is obviously the map. Whether it concerns its size, content or visual appearance, discovering our new playground is always exciting. Honestly, we had some fears about Sierra Nueva: fear of too much resemblance to the initial map, little risk-taking on the part of Playground… We are ultimately rather pleasantly surprised.
Indeed, the global environment of Sierra Nueva is nothing revolutionary and the biomes resemble in all respects those that we already knew in the base game. However, the landscapes are much more beautiful, the nature more luxuriant and realistic than before and the same goes for the roads which are damaged and much less “smooth” than in the basic game. Despite the fact that the extension is centered on paths and off-road, the new portions of asphalt are very successful, technical and very enjoyable to discover with all types of vehicles (fans of drift will find their account).
Unlike the arcade and deliberately unrealistic universe of the Hot Wheels expansion, Rally Adventure is the opposite, surely offering one of the most authentic driving experiences in the Horizon saga. Sierre Nueva is not gigantic, but the work done on the level design gives an impression of density that is quite new and refreshing in Forza.
This is how the new universe of Rally Adventure is a success in our eyes, perhaps because we were rather skeptical before trying it. Admittedly, this is surely the least exotic DLC in the saga, less than Blizzard Mountain in Forza Horizon 3 or Fortune Island in Horizon 4, and we can blame Playground Games for the lack of risk-taking, but we would be in bad faith if we were going down Sierra Nueva. However, the other major strength of Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure is indeed the integration of the new rally mode.
Finally real rally racing in Forza!
During the first presentations of the DLC, we were very intrigued by the presentation of this new rally mode. We had doubts about the authenticity of this rally mode and we didn’t know how much Playground Games was going to push the experience. Once again, we were pleasantly surprised by discovering the nature of the new events of Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure.
From the launch of the expansion, the tone is set with the classic introductory race, always colorful, until the place of the new festival dedicated to Horizon Rally, you know the music. It’s just after the DLC takes on its full meaning when you have to go to the first events that form the body of this DLC (at the wheel of Colin McRae’s Focus WRC, a joy).
No more classic 12-vehicle races, Horizon Rally races are real stages in which your objective is to beat the times of other drivers. There’s a selection of 24 new sprint-style races, each split across three different themed championships: Horizon Raptors for the classic mixed rally, Apex Predators for the road rally and Grit Reapers for the night rally.
You will have to complete these three careers and advance through them by completing challenges and races to climb the ranks and reach the maximum level of each career. When you have reached the end of each career, you will have to face the boss of each stable face to face and once you have beaten all three bosses, the Goliath of Sierra Nueva will be unlocked.
The visual indications added during rally races are welcome even if their role remains limited, but we especially appreciate the fact that Alejandra, Alex or Ramiro (depending on the championship) give indications and serve as co-pilots from the helicopter following us during the race.
In short, the new rally mode is a great success that will interest many players and which can renew the Forza Horizon experience, especially online, because only your pilot skills and your mastery of your vehicles and tracks will make the difference.
Note that it is still possible to complete these tracks in a classic race against other cars and that this is even necessary to complete the DLC at 100%. You will have to complete the 24 tracks in Rally mode and Race mode, the three Showcase events and the Goliath race, then complete the new challenges while respecting vehicle restrictions and more or less wacky rules. In addition, 20 new challenges such as stunts, speed zones and others have been added to the delight of completionists. New hidden signs are also present, but we haven’t finished them at all so far. Count about 4 hours to complete the campaign of the DLC Rally Adventure of Forza Horizon 5.
Rally Adventure: perfect for rediscovering the wonder of the beginning, but for how long?
Overall, Forza Horizon 5: Rally Adventure is a good extension that really extends the experience of the game. We have stated its strengths above and as picky as we are about the Horizon saga, we must admit that the satisfaction of discovering a new environment is at the rendezvous. Some landscapes are really grandiose and it’s a real pleasure to travel these new tracks alone or with friends, despite the fact that the map is not huge.
The observation is just as positive on the gameplay side with the Horizon Rally experience, which is a first in the license and which will delight fans of pure and hard racing, depending solely on the talents of the driver.
However, after long months of waiting, we can criticize the lack of risk-taking for this second extension so awaited by the community. Indeed, the wonder is likely to be short-lived for many players – including us – and it will be necessary to count on the creative talents of the community through the Event Lab, but also on the follow-up of Playground Games to keep Forza Horizon 5 alive as long as possible.
The Rally Adventure DLC is available since last night on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC via Steam and the Microsoft Store. The extension will of course be included in the Premium Add-Ons bundle. The base game is included with Xbox Game Pass, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Cloud Gaming.
