In early 2018, developers from Bigmoon Entertainment (now Saber Porto) announced licensed races from the Dakar rally environment. The game from this setting has not been on sale for a long time, so I met its announcement with open arms. However, in the end the product did not live up to expectations. The game was marked by the inexperience of the team, which until then had only helped develop the WRC series and the fourth FlatOut. The ambitious licensed open-world racing game was simply too much for the relatively inexperienced team at the time, which manifested itself mainly in the technical side of the game and the driving model.
However, even then it was clear that the authors know perfectly well what the Dakar rally itself is. Because of this, Dakar 18 had a sophisticated open-world navigation system that was easy to get lost in during a stage. Therefore, I am glad that the developers were given the opportunity to work on a sequel called Dakar Desert Rally. I also take positively the fact that after the unsuccessful Dakar 18 we will see the new part only in four years, which I consider enough time to develop a full-fledged sequel.
The game was presented at Gamescom only to selected journalists in a closed part of the exhibition center. I appreciate it all the more that I finally got to try the game in person. The developers have brought the game to PC and steering wheel, which is always a good sign for racing games that lean more towards simulation. Even before I could start playing, the developers presented me with the most significant news of the new part. Let’s start with the license itself, which covers three years of the famous race. 2020, 2021 and 2022 motorcycles, ATVs, SVS small buggies, cars and trucks will be available.
Of course, this will not be a complete list of real years. However, the most famous teams and drivers are not to be missed. Already published materials have shown that we will also see leading Czech crews and teams in the game. In trucks, these are, for example, Martin Macik, Aleš Loprais or the Tatra Buggyra team. Then the crew of Martin Prokop and Viktor Chitka will be in the cars. For lovers of the Dakar, which is very popular in the Czech Republic, this is certainly important and positive news. The three releases also tie into the new environment that the real Dakar Rally has also moved into. Instead of South America, this time we will go to Saudi Arabia.
As for the track offer, you can look forward to 30 official stages. However, this number can be significantly increased thanks to the presence of the track editor, thanks to which each player will be able to create their own routes in the open world, and then share them with others. Another novelty is the presence of a sticker editor and the ability to create your own team. In addition to single player modes, multiplayer for up to 4 players will be available.
But back to the gaming experience itself. The developers warned us from the very beginning that they wanted to satisfy both arcade and sim fans. Therefore, they basically divided the game into arcade mode and simulation mode. The arcade mode will offer classic racing in which several racers compete at the same time on a pre-defined track. I would probably compare this mode most of all to the fifth Dirt, which, at least within this mode, clearly inspired the developers. In this mode, it is a relatively lively, fast and action-packed race, during which there is contact with rivals, and in fact it has nothing to do with the real Dakar Rally. However, I had fun playing it and was genuinely surprised that in terms of sheer playability and driving experience, the game so far has a lot in common with the aforementioned Dirt.
After completing this race, I was still very excited to try the simulation mode, which follows the real Dakar rules, for a change. The emphasis on speed in this mode fades into the background. On the contrary, navigation comes to the fore, the system of which has already been at a very good level in operation since 2018. So the developers did not have to change anything extra in this direction. As a result, the game presents you with an open world where you can go almost anywhere. But the goal is to pass predetermined checkpoints that will gradually lead you to the stage’s destination. Like real racers, you should know these moments from what your co-driver dictates to you. You also have a compass to help you determine the angle you should be walking. The third clue may be some specific objects that will help you navigate in space. It is the navigation system, taken from the real race, that remains the biggest attraction of the Dakar game. You simply won’t find a similar game on the market.
Unlike the repeatedly mentioned part from 2018, the developers do not rely only on the navigation system when developing the Dakar Desert Rally. For example, a visual and mechanical damage system will be available in the game. Also new will be the change of weather, time of day and season, which, as in the fifth Dirt or Forza Horizon, can revive, in particular, the aforementioned arcade mode. In both mentioned game modes, I had the opportunity to try only the car class. Unfortunately, due to limited space, there was no time left for other categories. Specifically, it was a Toyota Hilux 4×4, which I quickly got used to driving.
In terms of controls, I can characterize Dakar Desert Rally as a game on the border between an arcade and a simulator, which, in terms of its basic settings, is still closer to the arcade. The only problem in terms of the driving model was sometimes not very realistic physics, which manifested itself in collisions and impacts after jumps. However, it is possible that the authors will finalize these things before the release. At the moment, the behavior of motorcycles and ATVs hangs under a big question, which was completely different in the previous part. As I have not been able to test bikes, I cannot now judge whether the situation has improved in this direction.
What I can appreciate, on the other hand, is the visual aspect. Compared to its predecessor, it has undergone certain changes for the better. However, the game still shows that the authors are struggling a bit with the optimization of the open world. The result is well-developed car models and, on the other hand, not quite worked out and detailed environment and objects adjacent to it. In short, this is a solid evolution in this direction, but it is still not enough to match the visual side of the leading racing games, for example, from the Codemaster studio.
In general, Dakar Desert Rally demonstrates the experience gained by the authors in the development of the older Dakar 18. The new part seems to be a more complex and meaningful game that could be of interest to fans of arcades and simulations. The question mark still hangs over the motorcycle driving model and optimization, which significantly reduced the previous part. If the authors manage to bring the game to mind, we can expect a truly non-standard racing game that will be of interest not only to fans of the real Dakar.
Dakar Desert Rally kicks off October 4th on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
The Gamescom 2022 report on ZING.cz features Acer Nitro gaming laptops with processors up to Intel Core i7.
Source :Indian TV
