In 2021 I went through a bit of a rally phase with WRC 9, as I discovered the joys of watching people play rally games beautifully. And as much as I enjoyed my brief stints with those semi-realistic rally games, I’ve since longed for more of a blend between a rally-er and a colourful arcade jaunt. For those seeking a similar swinging-the-back-out experience, I’d recommend giving #Drive Rally‘s demo a go. It might not be as colourful as I’d like, but it’s got lovely, errr, dirt feel?
#DRIVE Rally – Reveal Trailer
As the name suggests, #Drive Rally keeps things nice and simple: you have a blocky cartoon rally car and you’ve got to blast around a course in as quick a time as possible. The demo’s home to three courses set in the woods of Holzberg, and while I’m no expert, they presented a nice balance of tricky corners offset by gentle curves that let you unleash some throttle.
Alice first spotted a lovely #Drive Rally clip for this Screenshot Saturday post not too long ago, but sadly I found the demo tracks blended into a green and brown paste. It’s probably asking a bit much, but I would’ve loved a bit more pop and some more landmarks to make each of the courses seem more unique. Their stage page does show off a desert stage, though, which does look a bit cheerier.
Still, what really captured me about #Drive Rally was how it nailed the all-important feel of the car. Unlike some other rally games, the car felt suitably weighty and it didn’t feel like each of my turns automatically chucked the back out or had me sliding about like an ice skater. It struck a nice balance between the ease of arcade and the precision of a simulator.
If you’d like to give it a go, you can find the demo over on its Steam page.
