It’s been a while since we saw or heard anything about the upcoming Test Drive game, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, but publisher Nacon has released an in-engine video of what to expect.
Set on the streets of a digital Hong Kong recreated at 1:1 scale, Solar Crown looks like it’s aiming to be a sleeker, more serious interpretation of the Forza Horizon open-world formula. The video features a Chevy Corvette ZR1 pulling up to the “Cyberport Workshop,” a location dedicated to car modification, as its name suggests.
Par for the course, the mods available appear quite extensive. For the sake of our limited attention spans, the video whips through the mods at breakneck speed but powertrain components, chassis settings, and, of course, tires will all be upgradable. The game also boasts a pretty extensive cosmetics and livery editor where you can plaster your car in custom colors, funny shapes (no phalluses please), aftermarket wheels, and even swap interior colors, a function rarely seen in other racing games, or indeed in real life.
Another feature not seen very often in racing games is the presence of Driving Modes for cars. Detailed in a developer blog post, players will be able to set up, customize, and toggle between Driving Modes for their cars and label them things like Sport, Trail, Dynamic, Off-Road, Rain, Circuit, Cross-Country, or Relaxed. Like, y’know, the drive modes you might find in a real car. Each car will have a stock preset and then three custom presets.
Taking the Corvette for a spin, it looks like Solar Crown will, like Forza Horizon, feature a mix of closed-circuit racing and street racing. Regarding the latter, it doesn’t look like the next TDU game will include police to engage with in any Need for Speed-style chases, but it’s nice to see Hong Kong’s iconic red taxi be represented. Apologies in advance to all of the virtual cabbies I will undoubtedly ruin the days of on my way to victory.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is set to release sometime “early 2024” for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.
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