Forza is a franchise with a longstanding reputation as a tough, realistic racer. But does that reputation still hold true today? Let’s take a closer look at Forza Horizon 5 to determine whether the game is notably more difficult than other racing games on the market today.
Forza Horizon vs Forza Motorsport
There are two branches of the Forza canon which are worth knowing about when discussing difficulty and realism in the franchise. These are Horizon and Motorsport. Forza Motorsport games unfold on the track, aiming to achieve impressive levels of realism, and thus difficulty. Forza Horizon games are a bit different, allowing players to explore an open world with a far more arcade-like experience. Of course, Forza Horizon is bolstered by some aspects of realism built into the game engine, but it’s a game far more interested in “fun” than realism.
What is the competition?
Racing games have always been a staple genre. And while they may not be as widespread today as they were a couple of decades ago, there are still plenty of games to choose from. Those titles range from light-hearted Mario Kart clones to intensely realistic titles like Assetto Corsa Competizione, Project Cars 2 and plenty more.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at four key elements in Forza Horizon’s difficulty.
Driving Assist
Like any other modern racer, Forza Horizon 5 offers a range of driving assist modes. Raging from steering assist and braking assist to stability control. These really simplify controls for new players, helping you get to grips with what can be a punishing physics system.
Almost all other racers on the market offer similar features. But given Horizon’s focus on player enjoyment (over realism) its driving assists are generally much more forgiving than more hardcore racing games.
Difficulty Settings
We’d all love to race on the highest difficulties, but even on happy-go-lucky games like Mario Kart that can be a real challenge. Don’t expect any difference with Horizon. Even the middling difficult settings are no slouch.
Horizon goes very far with its difficulty selection though, offering a much wider range of difficulty levels than most other arcade-style racers.
Vehicle Choice
While racers are about burning rubber, they’re equally about doing it in style. Thus, vehicle choice is always an important part of a racing title. Forza Horizon 5 offers up an impressive selection of vehicles, each offering up different personalities when it comes to handling.
Compared to other games in the genre, Horizon features an incredibly extensive amount of vehicles. Featuring more than your average racer, but lots of those piling into the same categories. For a casual player it is hard to unlock all of the vehicles, therefore players turn to buying Forza Horizon 5 Credits to unlock vehicles and other features quickly.
Track Conditions
Given its open world, Forza Horizon 5’s track conditions are incredibly varied. From dry asphalt to wet mud, the game’s tracks and environments offer up a vast variety of conditions, each of which presents a unique challenge of varying traction and aquaplaning.
Compared to more solely track-based racers, Horizon offers a much wider range of track conditions. However, you may find each of said conditions being much more forgiving than more hardcore racers. Overall, Forza Horizon 5 strikes a balance between challenge, accessibility, and enjoyment. Bringing a touch of realism from the motorsport franchise while pumping the tires full of forgiving arcade fun, which helps to level the playing field between racing fans and a more general gaming audience.
To answer the question of this article, Forza Horizon 5 lies in the middle of the genre when it comes to difficulty. It’s a complex and competent racer that goes far beyond casual racers, but it also takes a step back from the racing simulation genre—finding a glorious midground where most players will have an absolute blast.
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