Review: The Art of Rally

"feather-throttle-not-hair" (feather-throttle-not-hair) 09/25/2020 at 11:00 • Filed to: None

10

19

As its name would imply, The Art of Rally is gorgeous. The stylized cars, lack of textures, bright colors and low polygon count all point towards a relaxing, simplified take on the racing genre. The game appears to be a breath of fresh air, a modern racing game with the volume of intensity turned way down.

Into the Stratosphere

And in many ways it is. The aesthetics of the game are practically screaming at you to smile. The menus are easy to read and simple without looking bare. There isn’t any sort of upgrade system and the career mode randomizes races rather than giving players a set progression through the various tracks. There’s a pared back feeling to the game that seems like it would lend itself well to an arcade racer, or even a mobile game that could be played in small increments.

But there is one thing getting in the way of this narrative: The designers of the game, over at Funselektor are evidently very passionate about cars. And it’s the car models themselves that give the first clue as to the true nature of this game. Low polygon or not, the vast majority of the vehicles in the Art of Rally are relatively faithful reproductions of old rally cars. And while their names have been changed for licensing purposes, you don’t have to squint at the “119” to see a Porsche 911. The car is more or less rendered as accurately as possible given the style of the game.

Funselektor’s previous game, Absolute Drift was also a top down car game, one that was surprisingly realistic despite the forced perspective. The Art of Rally continues in this vein, with physics that are far more complex than what the simplistic art style hints at.

Sharp corners need to be navigated slowly and with care. That means lots of braking before the corners, but not too much braking during those corners because weight transfer is absolutely ‘a thing’ in this game. Which makes sense, because while weight transfer is important on a road course, it’s doubly so on a gravel road. Get on the gas pedal in The Art of Rally and you’ll feel the front end lighten up, while mild applications of the brakes will cause the rear of the car to move around. It all comes together on corner exit, where careful throttle control can lead to that perfect balance between loading up the rear tires and overwhelming them with power.

Outta my way!

It’s not a “one size fits all” physics system either. Mid engined cars are noticeably quicker to rotate, while rear engined cars tend to understeer if you don’t do your work to get the back end pointed in the correct direction early in the corner.

MMmmm1

That said, the game is not a rigorous simulation like Dirt Rally , it’s far more forgiving and not even as accurate as something a bit more casual like the Forza Horizon series. Physics wise, it reminds me a little bit of the old Project Gotham Racing games. Which is to say grounded in reality but still heightened and stylized.

Which is good, because as charming as that overhead perspective is, it does occasionally get in the way of gameplay. The biggest problem is that weight transfer is easy enough to witness visually in a vehicle from every angle but above. And weight transfer is crucial in this game. In addition, good track design involves a lot of elevation changes and The Art of Rally has some pretty good track design, but judging hills, valleys and yumps can be difficult when seeing them from above.

Funselektor have obviously thought about these issues by offering some clever quality of life features in the game. The most important thing they’ve done is tweak the camera to be at a slight angle, rather than directly over the cars. This sort of hybrid overhead/3rd person view works decently enough and allows you to see a bit further up the road than you normally would. But it’s not perfect, as elevation changes and weight transfer can still leave you squinting at the screen. Other quality of life features include a “bubble” around your car that appears when traveling under trees or foliage to always ensure a good view of your vehicle. The game also has prominent and progressively created skidmarks to help judge when the vehicle has reached or exceeded the limits of traction.

For the most part, it all works together as a cohesive experience. For the casual gamer or car enthusiast, The Art of Rally will be surprisingly deep and challenging. For sim racing aficionados, the game will instead be every bit of the casual and relaxing journey that its simplified visuals seem to promise. Either player should be able to get quite a bit of enjoyment out of the game, provided they enjoy mildly challenging racing titles.

Only 100hp, but you can still feel the engine over the rear axle

The downside is that The Art of Rally may not be as frantic and exciting as the arcade-like visuals suggest. There is no wheel to wheel competition in the game (or in any true rally racing for that matter.) There are also no power ups, or nitros, or anything of that nature. If you want more to do than simply gas, brake and steering, change the transmission to manual, start using the clutch or try switching off the stability control and ABS. The game is a love letter to classic rally cars, not a love letter to classic racing games.

Walter Ruhroh

With a price point of around $25, The Art of Rally is on the expensive side for an indie game. Most buyers will expect a lot of polish for that price point and the game more than delivers on that front. Content on the other hand, is a trickier proposition. Funselektor advertises over 50 cars in the game along with 60 stages. But the game can feel repetitive, primarily because there are only five different locations for those 60 stages. Funselektor didn’t knock it out of the park in regards to content, but I still think there’s enough on offer to not wait for a sale if this is a game you’re interested in. Especially if you’re a rally nerd or any type of fan of racing sims. The game is beautiful, unique and challenging. Furthermore, it’s a game with a palpable sense of passion and enthusiasm. If you’re anywhere close to as enthusiastic about rally cars as Funselektor are, the price of entry for The Art of Rally is well worth it.

The game is currently available on the Steam store for PC.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 11:07

1

I watched FailR ace’s review on Youtube and I LOVE the art style. I don’t really play video games anymore, but I might pick it up to mess around with here and there.

The way they named the cars made it very clear that the folks that made this are seriously into cars and rallying.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 11:07

0

I really wanted to buy the game at $15 or even $20 but $25 is a lot. I’ll probably snag it if and when it goes on sale.

I always find myself surprised at how expensive some older games on Steam can be too. Games there isn’t much reason to play when they’re the same price as their newer counterparts.

Milky > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 11:09

0

Not PS?! I would have dropped $25 just because it looks pretty :(

Tripper > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 11:11

0

Loved Absolute Drift, def giving this a try

Taylor Martin > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 11:51

2

Nice write up my friend , but I’m still a bit concerned about the level of content. It looks and feels a bit like a mobile game, and while the physics may be fun, it seems like a lot of the same, simple stuff. I’ll absolutely get it when it’s on sale though, it sounds like an excellent time killer (and a very pretty one to look at).

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 11:55

1

It’s currently 10% off on Steam through the 30th. Not a huge sale, but if $25 was too much, maybe you’ll like $22.50 better? I bought it.

JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t > Milky 09/25/2020 at 11:56

1

I would LOVE to play this on the 65" 4k living room TV, In fact I probably will, I’ll just have to get out the long USB extensions for the controller so I can leave the laptop next to the TV.

(or pair one of the DualShock4s to the PC so I can run wireless...)

Oh, wait! I keep forgetting I have a SteamLink. :P shows how often I use it!

sn4cktimes > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 12:15

0

If they dump this onto the PS store I’ll be on it. It does look gorgeous.

Good review, thanks for the multiple perspectives on it. I’m more into arcade racers vs hardcore sims. I do however like physics at least grounded somewhat  in reality.

MonkeePuzzle > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 12:31

1

I downloaded the demo, I didnt enjoy it.

I found the physics too demanding for the kind of fun I was expecting from the game. It needs an arcade mode to suit the aesthetics of casual play.

Keep the fancy driving dynamics in, but let me choose to just have some mindless fun.

Also, I hate driving third person. 

just-a-scratch > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 13:42

0

That’s a nice and thoughtful review.

Excellent Oppo.

feather-throttle-not-hair > MonkeePuzzle 09/25/2020 at 15:11

0

It’s a tough sell for people who like first person in their racing games. I also have a lot of nostalgia for stuff like the original micro machines game and RC pro am on NES. So that may influence me a bit.

feather-throttle-not-hair > sn4cktimes 09/25/2020 at 15:13

0

It’ll probably head to console eventually. The developers last game did make it to Xbox and PlayStation. This is a much more “complete” game than that one too. I suspect they just need to sell some copies first on PC to get the funding.

feather-throttle-not-hair > JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t 09/25/2020 at 15:14

0

It would definitely benefit from a bigger screen.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Taylor Martin 09/25/2020 at 15:14

1

It’s a bit bigger than your typical mobile game, but not as big as anything AAA would be. No shame in waiting for a sale.

sn4cktimes > MonkeePuzzle 09/25/2020 at 16:17

0

I’m the opposite. I much prefer 3rd person driving games. I think it’s from all the years I spent playing 1st person shooters in the 90’s. Field of view makes a big difference in my engagement level with games. 

sn4cktimes > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/25/2020 at 16:19

0

Yeah, and first wave patches and whatnot are easier to deal with on PC as well. Not sure if they still are, but I know a few years back Microsoft was VERY restrictive with patches on games through their Live system. 

Wheelerguy > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/29/2020 at 02:11

1

I already iterated the thing I wanted to have in the future (seriously a track/environment creator will infuse so much replayability for this game) , but the one thing I wish Funselektor to do the most is to bring this on Xbox Gamepass and the Nintendo Switch. In those places, I reckon it makes the $25 price worth it.

CaptDale - is secretly British > feather-throttle-not-hair 09/29/2020 at 12:50

1

Ok, I bought it and the OST cause damn that is some good music and it is on sale.

feather-throttle-not-hair > Wheelerguy 09/29/2020 at 13:19

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It seems like it’d be perfect for switch. I know their previous game was eventually released on Xbox and Playstation, but I don’t think it made it to switch.