Forza Horizon 5 is the upcoming racing simulator that we have all been waiting for. Set to hit our shelves and, notably, Gamepass on November 9, this title has followed the tradition and is poised to be the largest and most ambitious installment yet. Jam-packed with fresh features, bells, and whistles – FH 5 has us counting down the days until release.
An Immense World to Explore
In a large contrast to the game’s previous setting – the United Kingdom -, Forza Horizon 5 will be taking place in Mexico. Furthermore, Playground Games’ Art Director, Don Arceta, has revealed that by using this locaton, they have been able to create a far more diverse environment. From ancient ruins and urban streets, to deep jungles and arid deserts; Forza Horizon 5 will play host to numerous new and interesting biomes.
Another deciding factor in Forza Horizon 5’s locale was the wildly differing weather conditions. Playground Games’ Creative Director, Mike Brown, spoke to IGN about blizzards atop volcanos, while the sun could be blistering the tarmac just a few miles away. With this in mind, it’s easy to see why Mexico was the chosen home for the latest genre-leading title.
The Cars of Forza Horizon 5
As is usually the case, Forza Horizon 5 will have a vast and eclectic range of motors from launch. As new seasons begin, it’s inevitable that new cars will be introduced into the selection. A full list of the confirmed cars so far is available at Windows Central. It seems we are sadly to say goodbye to the Little Tikes car from Horizon 4, but expect to see plenty of weird and whacky additions as new seasons roll out.
A ‘Deep and Meaningful Campaign’
On the official Forza website, we are promised a ‘deep and meaningful campaign’ where many characters will be met. While the Forza games have previously been lacking in the storyline department, it seems that the fifth game in the apex franchise is to change this. We’re quite interested to see how they will approach this and, more importantly, how it will work out in a game where previously the freedom to roam was a defining factor.
Forza 5 – Customization
Another promise from Playground Games was the announcement that Forza Horizon 5 will feature the deepest customization mode yet. With a plethora of new rims to be made available along with new visual modifications and an abundance of performance upgrades (said to be in the thousands), it seems that the boys and girls at Playground Games have finally realised what we, the players, really want.
While it would be nice to see a system akin to the likes of Need for Speed Underground 2, it’s likely this won’t be the case with so many licenced cars in the game.
To place a proverbial cherry atop an already tasty cake, some performance upgrades will now noticably alter the way your car sounds. The video below shows how this works in a little more detail:
Alongside these changes to the car customization, Forza 5 will also show an improvement on the character customization. You will now be able to further customize your avatar with plenty of new customization options including prosthetic limbs, voice modification and pronouns.
Summary
As a long-time fan of the Forza franchise, Forza Horizon 5 has my interest piqued. I’ve always enjoyed the relaxed ‘do as you please’ gameplay, however, and can only hope that this ‘new and improved’ storyline doesn’t work to take away this freedom.
Moreover, we are told that ray tracing will only be available on the Series X and even then will only feature in the Forzavista mode where you view your car. While this is a solid blow to the kidneys (especially for us Series S owners), we highly doubt it will cast much of a shadow over the high-octane package that will be hitting our systems (Xbox Series S/X and PC) on the 9th of November. Strap yourselves in and prepare for one hell of a ride.