Developer: Kylotonn Games
Publisher: Big Ben Interactive
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox One
Tested on: Xbox One
WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship – Review
They say there is a selective group of race drivers in every category. Some people like high speed circuit racing, others may enjoy putting the car sideways and drift. Then you have the rally car drivers, they find their thrills in high speed off-road racing through rural territories and mountainous roads. From gravel to dirt or snow, no track is too dangerous for them. This is where WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship comes into play: to safely enjoy the excitement of rally without the cost and danger of losing your life.
Story
The story takes us in the finals of a championship where you are competing for first place. This is all done with renowned rally drivers. After the first introduction races where you are explained how the game works and you finish the championship this story sadly ends with a loss. After that the game tells us to make your own version of the WRC story, bringing this all in a well thorough introduction sequence. These events will put the gears in motion to start your own rally career, starting at the bottom as a junior driver. As the years go by other sponsors will offer you contracts and promotions are made, moving up in the WRC chain.
Graphics
WRC 6 is a game that focuses more to bring a perfect rally experience than making it look good. Graphically the game is decent but nothing to write home about. Weather conditions are portrayed in a fairly cheap fashion, while the cars stand out more, distracting you a bit more from the more bland details. Cars have visible damage, but not as much as in the previous titles, all while your car also collects dirt from the many tracks you’ll have to plow through. The latter can only be cleaned by performing repairs.
An other enjoyable fact about the graphics is that the scenery is explicit, what makes flying off a mountain pass more terrifying. Various weather and time conditions have an effect on your driving, seeing snow, rain and fog limits vision in the day, you’ll have to rely on your headlights during races at at dawn or at night. Don’t worry about driving blind: you cannot damage the lights; however you can decide to turn them on/off whenever you like. This paves the road for more fun challenges as well, and the light may aid you in bad weather altogether.
Sound
To bring more immersion into the game a lot of work is put in sound effects. Each car has their unique sound, the engines rev and pop lovely. Every action is perfectly answered with a sound corresponding to what’s happening: tires squeal, exhaust bangs, blow of valve whistles etc… One of the most well known things in rally is the co-driver. He tells you instructions about what comes next, he informs you what kind of turn, where and how harsh it is, or if there is danger, and what to do. Important here is clear communication in the race, and this is (like the rest of the game) well executed.
Next to all that, the whole experience of the game is a bit mute. The menus or races themselves don’t really offer a musical background; the main menu only has this calm morgue music playing. Not bothersome we must say, but sometimes we remember back at older race games that used to play loud rock music to keep the adrenaline pumping. While never games take the more professional approach when it comes to ambient music.
Gameplay
WRC 6 is a rally racing game in which you must control your car trough various stages and dangerous routes. When starting the game for the first time we are greeted with an introduction asking us if we are new to rally games and how we like our driving experience: more fun (arcade) or realism (simulation). After the first initiation race you can decide to use semi-automatic or manual gearshift. Selecting manual will prompt us with the weird placing of the shift controls, don’t be afraid though: these can be re-mapped in the options menu. Next to the initiation is also a driving test: this driving test will tell you what the best difficulty is suited for you (don’t worry, you can manually change it if you such desire).
What makes WRC 6 stand out from the crowd is the realism used in game: damage is well existing that alters the handling of your vehicle. While a damaged engine or transmission lowers the power output and slows you down, damaging suspension or a punctured tire could mean a win or loss, unless you have true control and dedication to finish. Health is carried on from stage to stage until a day is complete, cosmetic damage is carried on as well giving the impression no time is spent in between stages to fix her up.
The game feels solid and the cars handle smoothly, no unexpected crashes due to lack of decent driving engine. Controls are very responsive giving you the feeling that you are in complete control of the vehicle. With control also comes a responsibility: this means different surfaces have different handling. Snow can be extremely slippery and tarmac is a dream to drive on. During breaks you are allowed to fine tune the settings of the ride: wheels, suspension, transmission and brakes. All is adjustable to your own desire, too bad that although the whole game is very keen to hold your hand, in the fine tune section you don’t get one word of advice.
Career mode follows the story of you: a new WRC driver aiming to become the best. To become that you will need a sponsor, sponsors will contact you with each their own cars and demands. Your driving also has great influence within the team: drive well and the team has a high morale, drive poorly and your team might leave you hanging.
If you rather fancy something else WRC has a few fun options available: take any car and track in quick race, build your own custom championship to your desire, go head to head in local or online multiplayer or compete in one of the challenges presented in the main menu.
For a game with richly filled contend the loading times are incredible fast, restarting happens instantly and the pre-race countdown is not pinned down. This means that you are allowed to start early but be warned: a penalty will be given. Penalties are acquired in various ways for cutting corners or having more work done on your vehicle, having the game respawn you if possible.
Conclusion
WRC 6 FIA World Rally Championship is an almost perfectly built racing game with responsive handling, quick loading times and enough content to go around. Although we miss the explosive driving of older titles, this newer simulation version gives us a smooth and enjoyable experience. It’s only because of minor setbacks like the sometimes cheap graphical effects and no tuning assist that made this game fall short of being a nearly perfect title.
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