Review Forza Horizon 5 – Gamerverse

We watched with awe at the impressive reveal of Forza Horizon 5 at E3 earlier this year. Barely six months later, we are already tearing through the beautiful world that Playground Games has conjured up from their hat. The expectations for the fifth Forza Horizon, set in Mexico, were very high, but they are easily fulfilled. Building on a winning formula, Forza Horizon 5 may not do much to differentiate itself from its equally excellent predecessor, but it does have what it takes to be the best racing experience I’ve played to date. It also helps that this is also one of the most beautiful games ever made.

Throw it over the exotic bow again

Where Forza Horizon 4 was set in the gloomy and not very exotic United Kingdom, the Horizon festival in the fifth game moves to tropical Mexico. The Mexican setting is very diverse with no less than eleven different biomes that have their own landscape, vegetation, fauna and architecture. That makes for incredible natural diversity, and Forza Horizon 5 bundles all of these areas into a gaming environment roughly fifty percent larger than that of Forza Horizon 4.

You will recognize the colorful city of Guanajuato, with its winding alleys and underground tunnels that you can race through. There is a wide open desert with sand dunes, tropical rainforests full of ancient ruins, mountain ranges with an active volcano, arid landscapes full of cacti and white beaches with beautiful azure waters. This enormous versatility makes for a magical playground that you will enjoy exploring every virtual square meter of. Mexico is an amazing country and the perfect setting for the fifth edition of the Horizon festival.

sandstorm

The biggest novelty in Forza Horizon 4 was the addition of seasons. We also find that seasonal cycle in this fifth part, but Mexico is a fairly large country with varying seasonal influences in different regions. You can also see that in the game. It’s still four seasons, but the Mexico of Forza Horizon 5 supports different weather conditions in different parts of the map. It creates scenarios where the landscape in the high mountains is covered with snow, while at the very same moment it can be scorching hot on the coast. The weather is also a lot more extreme at times: you race through dust storms in the dry season or brave tropical storms where the rain falls from the sky in torrents. These weather conditions look very impressive on the horizon as you approach them, but inside it is largely limited to very limited visibility and has less of an impact on the driving experience than expected.

Salivating

If the more than 500 cars, worked out in the smallest detail, don’t make your mouth water, then you will certainly be amazed by the beautiful world that Playground Games presents here. You just have a beautiful view everywhere like I’ve never experienced before in a racing game. I’ve played the game on Series X and this is technically the reference to show what that console is really capable of. Forza Horizon 4 was already a very beautiful game after its X|S optimization, but this is just breathtaking at times and you have to see it to believe it.

The cars already look great, but the environment also shines down to the smallest details. This is ensured by the improved lighting (for example when sunlight shines very realistically through the trees in the jungle), the increased density, the convincing ground surface and the greatly improved textures. I myself am someone who often dives into photo mode to capture the splendor of games and Forza Horizon 5 is so beautiful that some of my screenshots can hardly be distinguished from a real photo. Not bad for a cross-gen game.

Quality or performance?

On Xbox Series X, players can choose between performance (Native 4K at 60FPS) and quality (also native 4K, but at 30FPS). The former flattens the images for a smoother refresh. You see a little more pop-in and you see a little less details in the distance, but when you speed through the area at a speedy pace, you hardly notice it. After all, it remains visually a very impressive game and the experience is so much more pleasant with a flawless frame rate of 60FPS. HDR is supported across the board, while ray-tracing is unfortunately only possible in Forzavista mode where you admire the cars up close. There are still plenty of loading screens, but on Series X they are thankfully very short and never last more than a few seconds.

It certainly helps that Forza Horizon 5 sounds as good as it looks. From the music selection on the soundtrack, to the roaring engines that respond correctly to the environment to the sound effects, everything sounds as it should.

Go your own way

When it comes to gameplay, Forza Horizon 5 feels less groundbreaking, but as the fifth in a spin-off series, it’s not surprising that the core concept hasn’t been rethought. This is actually exactly what I expected: more Forza Horizon, but bigger and above all much more beautiful. There’s nothing wrong with that, because Playground Games has now perfected the Horizon formula and sharpens it even further in this part.
As the superstar of the Horizon event, you take part in various races, challenges and sub-stories to earn accolade points that unlock new events and eventually get you into the Hall of Fame.

The main progression route is even more flexible this time around, so you can achieve it in the order you want by playing the type of events you enjoy the most. You can just ignore things you don’t like doing. Would you rather focus on street racing and not be concerned with off-road at all? No problem. The strength of Forza Horizon 5 – and really the series as a whole – is that everyone can do whatever they want.

Expeditions

With the arrival of the Horizon Festival in this new Mexican setting, it’s all about setting up different outposts, each related to a specific racing category or activity. Here you will be introduced to the so-called Expeditions. These expeditions offer story-driven scenarios that stand out from the rest of the game with large set pieces, optional objectives, and some minor narrative elements. Nice addition, just a shame that the dialogue regularly raises eyebrows. Fortunately, the game’s natural progression offers meaningful rewards that surpass any monotonous story dialogue.

That progression is associated with braces. You can earn them in absolutely any way, along the path you set. You are constantly rewarded for your time and effort and when you collect enough, you open a new chapter in your adventure. It delivers a satisfying sense of progression and performance.

Huge amount of content

Forza Horizon 5 is a game with a staggering amount of content that always delivers something new and exciting. The map eventually becomes awash with icons, with an abundance of potential fun on every corner, and you are constantly showered with rewards and new cars. The huge variety of things you can do (the traditional mix of various racing disciplines, barn finds, PR stunts, huge jumps, and so on) prevents any feeling of boredom. Then there are the game modes specifically designed around the social aspect of the game, such as the EventLab that allows creative players to create endless new tracks or the crazy Horizon Arcade challenges.

Playing nice again

It also plays so amazingly well. The controls and the car feel are the best ever. The feeling of speed as always incredible. This is still a more arcade-like experience, but one that is firmly grounded in reality with rock-solid racing physics. It’s possible to go under the hood and tinker with every aspect imaginable or create and download custom liveries, but it’s primarily an arcade party where you can dash through low walls, undergrowth and cacti with no problem. a Ferrari goes off-road cruising or rides on a ramp at 400km per hour for a 800m jump. The Forza Horizon games have always been about making racing fun and accessible to everyone, and Forza Horizon 5 is no different. Driving through Mexico is a real pleasure and the constant reward had me racing through the diverse environments with endless enthusiasm.

Verdict

Forza Horizon 5 is a fantastic new entry in what was already a very strong series. The sky-high expectations are easily fulfilled, because this is a game that excels at everything. The versatile landscape of Mexico provides the perfect setting for the Horizon Festival. The environment and cars speeding through it have never looked so powerfully beautiful and detailed, and there’s an almost endless variety of races and things to do. Forza Horizon 5 is a joy to play and one of the best racing games on the market. It’s a simple recommendation as part of an Xbox Game Pass subscription or even the main reason to consider an Xbox. A must have!