WRC Generations takes us to the 2022 World Rally Championship with a review of the new episode

From WRC 10 to WRC Generations in the latest iteration of the licensed game dedicated to all terrain motorsport. The rally experience of the French developer, KT Racingis released as the final stage of the world championship is being staged in Japan. First of all, it is a year in which some important innovations are hidden, such as the introduction of hybrid engines in the WRC of the same name in the maximum category.

As a result, the official game was also supposed to bring the same changes, forcing developers to devote more time to incorporating them into the built-in annual development mechanism. But WRC Generations is not a revolution for the series, but the sum of the last six episodes developed by KT Racing. In WRC Generations, the evolution from old to new is linear and moderate in almost all aspects, due to the strong connection on a technical level with previous generation consoles added to the other continuity elements we will explore. with ours WRC Generations review.

Career and single player offer

After the tutorial that introduces the basic driving mechanics and those dedicated to the debut of hybrid engines, WRC Generations takes us straight to the career that allows us to start a new season. In the first, we participate in a small “Youth” or WRC2 circuit, as sponsors will only allow us to participate in the maximum category after verifying our skills.

We can experience it in a classic driver role without deepening the team mechanics or instead exploring the managerial aspects, managing the calendar, economic and human resources, or deciding on the improvement path of the research and development department. Depending on how much we want to embrace the management factor of WRC Generations, we can either move forward with an existing team or build one from scratch.

Built strictly according to the racing game creation guide, WRC Generations regular game modes: career, challenges, competitive multiplayer and on this occasion an aesthetic skin rendering system made more complete and “shared”. The new layout of Rally Sweden brings the length of the entire WRC Generations track park to 750 km.

There is nothing particularly new for the WRC series, but certainly over the years a fairly complete and rewarding picture of activities has been described, albeit simple and not very diverse.

Climbing the leagues is a step-by-step undertaking

The system is much larger multiplayerThe competitive front is split into leagues from Beginners to Legends to allow all players to face opponents of the same skill. By playing and winning you will rise in the ranking. At the end of each week that makes up the season, a sync phase takes place where category changes are made, all leagues are effectively rebalanced, the qualifying rank is raised, and the lower ranked players are demoted.

Every week there are events corresponding to the classical rallies. There are qualifying events, weekly and daily events, that offer a different event for almost every login. Everyone can participate both individually and as a team, but in the latter case all the dynamics of participation and competition are managed individually and in the end the results of all team participants are summed up.

Always the usual KT Engine

On a technical level, the WRC is a light evolution compared to its predecessor. The simul-arcade game engine is nice, requires no special experience and gives good feedback to both the steering wheel and the pad in hand. You will soon become familiar with the results of weight management, the effectiveness of hard or soft tires or suspension tuning. We’re seeing an improvement in the handling of collisions off the “track”, with very little error remaining in corners and collisions between car and environment.

The innovation of the game system, physics Of the three hybrid racing cars for which he is the spokesperson for the 2022 World Championship: Ford Puma Rally1, Hyundai i20 N Rally1 and Toyota GR Yaris Rally1. WRC cars have an additional hybrid engine that provides an electrical boost. The battery recharges during braking and the accumulated power is released during acceleration. The in-game efficiency packs itself well, unlike fully endothermic engines.

Even noise, sound has been recommenced accordingly. It’s almost a shame that the high frequencies of electrical circuits are unpleasant to listen to, so much so that the WRC’s sound is a compromise that should be accepted rather than a pleasant experience. There are three hybrid response modes that can be adjusted to offer maximum start-up from one at maximum power but short duration to the smoothest but long duration delivery.

A “generational” chart

The “proven” game engine brings with it all the strengths and weaknesses of the past. There graphics are not very expensive, but it’s also nothing short of fascinating. There are no notable improvements over previous episodes, and the production maintains PS4 and Xbox One generation standards. A few nude scenarios are always noticeable, especially in the countryside.

Ultra-wide monitor support is unconvincing, in the face of well-managed in-game camera there are few assets adapted for this resolution, and many graphic elements are incorrectly stretched. Monitors with an aspect ratio greater than 21:9 are frequently used in the racing field and therefore should be given more attention. Beyond this question, although the work in the interface and menus is excellent and in line with that of the last few chapters, we can only appreciate it.