At the time of writing there are approximately 460 racing titles available on the Xbox One console. Some 360 of them are arcade type offerings while a meagre 100 offer a hard core, bare knuckle racing sim experience. Ok, all of those facts were made up. But statistics (true or not) are used in the same way as a drunk uses a lamppost: more for support than illumination. My point? That there are a shed-load of racing titles to choose from at the moment. And with the unveiling of Horizon 4, you might be forgiven for asking ‘what can anyone do that’s not been done to death already?’ Well, the developers at Bigmoon Entertainment (those of Police Simulator 18 fame) may have an answer to that question.
For the uninitiated, the Dakar rally or – as it’s known in racing circles – ‘The Dakar’ is a tough annual off-road endurance event organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The rally has been going since 1978 and involves crossing dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks and other hazardous terrain. Unlike most racing events where you have a straight forward route, The Dakar tasks you with crossing several waypoints before you get to the chequered flag. There is no map or ‘correct route’ to follow and the fastest to hit all the checkpoints wins the race. If you miss any of the waypoints you lose points. If your vehicle breaks down, you have to repair it yourself and you’ll lose time and points. Get the picture?
Originally titled Paris–Dakar Rally, The Dakar is now held in South America and individual races can be as long as 900 kilometers (560 miles) per day. For these reasons, The Dakar is widely considered be an event that’s tougher than a bear armed with a flick knife.
For the Xbox One game, Dakar 18 offers a sprawling 5,791 square mile open world spanning the distance between Peru and Argentina. You get to choose from five different vehicle types which include motorcycles, cars, trucks, quads and UTVs, all of the usual race types, a section for checking your profile – the characteristics of your favourite vehicles, how long you’ve raced in them, how many crashes you’ve had etc. And there’s the exploration page. This was probably our favourite section as it offers you extra training that’ll help you get to grips with the cars and various terrains and a brilliant free roaming treasure hunt option.
Dakar 18 offers a challenging racing sim experience that helps the game stand head and shoulders above its nearest rivals. Races can last up to an hour (we mentioned the fact that this is an off-road endurance event, right?) and if you’re a careless driver, chances are you’ll be penalised a lot for damaging your vehicle as you race from checkpoint to checkpoint. At this point it’s worth mentioning that, although you don’t have a map, in vehicles with passenger seats you do have a co-driver who’ll be giving you instructions and telling you where to go. The fact that he shouts at you (a lot) makes the game fun but sometimes frustrating as, quite often, you’ll want to stop the vehicle and throw him out mid race.
Graphically Dakar 18 offers photorealistic and immersive terrains ranging from sand dunes to wet or muddy regions to traverse. The game offers great draw distance and zero clipping on the Xbox one. The weather effects are the among the best we’ve seen in any game and each new location offers its own challenges and surprises. Bigmoon Entertainment has spent so much effort in making everything look just right that you’re given the chance to get out of your vehicle and explore on foot. Although, this isn’t recommended if you plan on winning many races.
Each vehicle in Dakar 18 handles differently and it’s up to you to choose which one suits your racing style. As we mentioned, the game comes with a tough penalty system for damaging your car, truck or bike. So whatever you choose, choose wisely.
Dakar 18 also offers a robust multiplayer option that allows you to play online or split screen. We didn’t spend too much time here as there’s so much to do in the single player mode. However, the multiplayer is a pretty straight forward affair that simply asks you to choose your vehicle, track and race. Excellent.
The fact that Dakar 18 is a pretty tough game to master is probably its only drawback. With the vehicle damage system and lack of set maps to follow, the game really challenges you to use all of your skill and judgement from the minute you turn the ignition to the moment you cross the last way point. However for many this level of difficulty will come as a breath of fresh air in a genre that’s over populated by ultra-easy hand holding, re-wind and replay arcade titles. We loved every minute of Dakar 18 and, if you’re a real racing fan, we’re sure you will too.
9 out of 10