It’s been over a decade since we’ve seen a new Test Drive Unlimited game. Solar Crown seems to deliver more than fans were expect in the latest update by the KT Racing team
The free-roam open-world simcade racing games (as I like to call them) market has been neglected for what feels like forever. The Forza Horizon series has always filled in this genre gap until recently when Microsoft’s racer games became more arcade oriented.
Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown seems to deliver what everybody was missing: A realistic driving game set in an open-world environment with online multiplayer role-play elements such as buying clothes for your avatar and customizing your houses and garages.
In the latest Steam newsletter update published by the KT Racing team (developers behind Solar Crown), we are shown a ton of details for the upcoming open-world racer.
Features
- Set in Hong Kong, TDU Solar Crown has actually 1:1 recreated the HKI island, which is not surprising as the team behind the Test Drive Unlimited series is known for their massive and accurate representations of real-world locations: The original Test Drive Unlimited was set in Honolulu and Test Drive Unlimited 2 was taking place in the Balearic island of Ibiza.
- New terrain types were added, hopefully, better than in TDU 2, now being able to compete and roam around the countryside of Hong Kong in your performance SUVs.
- Windshield mechanics will be present in the game, helping you wipe off mud and rain.
- A dynamic weather system will create unique racing scenarios across the HKI map.
- The new day/night cycle promises to change moods similar to how it works in Forza Horizon 5.
- Changing tyres for specific road types will now be a feature so make sure to equip the appropriate wheels for each race, just like in Gran Turismo.
- The TDUSC map will contain 600 km or 370 miles of unique road. Explore all of it and get rewarded.
- Wrecks will return so make sure to explore the map in order to find parts for iconic classic vehicles, something like how Barn Finds work in the Forza Horizon series.
- You can expect classic TDU features such as Speed Traps and Head-to-Head instant challenges to be back in Solar Crown. Let’s hope personal pick-ups and super-car deliveries will also make a return.
- Gas stations will be used to restore the vehicle’s visual appearance and wash them (possibly even a refuel feature?).
With the experience gathered from previous WRC games, the developers at KT Racing transformed the 1:1 Hong Kong map recreation into fun gameplay explains Alain Jarniou, the Creative Director of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown.
To increase exploration options, we used our expertise from WRC games to transform certain walking and hiking paths into small mountain roads that a car can use. It’s up to you to discover all the island’s secret areas by driving down routes that aren’t always shown on the map! It takes time for HKI to give up all its secrets…
There will be 14 distinct areas to explore for each type of player. Whether you’re a competitive racing driver or a relaxed type, there are activities such as events and objects to collect for all driving styles.
Release date
While Nacon or KT Racing haven’t yet announced the release of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, we can expect a fall 2023 release. In their latest newsletter, they state at the very bottom “See you next month”, probably referring to the next newsletter post, where hopefully we’ll get a release date.
Until we have a solid release date for Solar Crown, make sure to check our list of best racing games for PS5 which are out and about!
