Test Drive Unlimited: Solar Crown
It was heartbreak hotel when KT Racing announced the Hong Kong Island-based TDU: Solar Crown was to be delayed for an indefinite amount of time beyond its previously stated September 2022 release date. As of now, we don’t know when the first TDU in over ten years is to debut, though sources close to the project insist it's due this year, our confidence is rocked. What we can say is that we’re glad they’re taking their time with it. Fans of the franchise love it for very specific reasons and this game needs to honour the legacy of those going forward.
Thankfully, so far, it sounds like it will, and then some, with devs saying recently that “the idea is to be more simulation than The Crew or Forza Horizon, which are quite arcadey. Part of the enjoyment of driving is to have something that’s realistic but not too simulation. But we want to give players the freedom to tweak driving aids to get something that’s closer to simulation if they want”.
Features expected to return include working indicators, windows and roofs on cars, authentic dealerships and a selection of player purchasable and customisable homes. Also semi-confirmed are changeable driving modes, with e-mode possible in the hybrid Porsche 918 Spyder, for instance. Devs have also spoken about a more rewarding system of progression and a more intimate connection with your cars, calling out Forza’s propensity to throw the best cars at you almost on the daily.
There will be character customisation and a car list featuring everything from Bugatti to Land Rover, Aston martin, Audi, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Lamborghini and more. The driving engine will be borrowed from KT Racing and be a development of that used in the WRC series.
The full 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong Island has been teased as offering a variety of environments for drivers to explore, from urban cityscapes to beaches, marshes, mountains and forests. Though more compact in terms of land mass, the map is said to be dense with drivable roads, doubling the mileage of Forza Horizon 5. There will be something of a more adult theme running through the game, compared to the likes of Forza Horizon, with the latest teaser suggesting a possible 17+ rating. The Casino will make a return and the trailer also suggests that nightclubs and general nightlife will be a feature, too. Let’s have it sooner rather than later, KT…