I won’t be acting like I know anything about off-road racing, because to be honest, my knowledge is very little. Developers over at Saber Porto have claimed to have made the ultimate rally simulation experience with “Dakar Desert Rally,” and I’m inclined to believe them, even if there are quite a few bumps in the road (literally and figuratively). I don’t believe the graphics are quite on par as perhaps the latest “Gran Turismo” or “Forza” titles, but it’s certainly up there, so fans of this specific racing genre I believe will be rather pleased with this entry.
With the first game in the Dakar franchise since 2018, as well as the first game published by Saber Interactive, it appears the wait will be worth it. With over 30 stages taking place in the gorgeous landscapes of Saudi Arabia, there is a lot of beauty and attention to detail within many of them. One could argue “Dakar Desert Rally” does a great job at advertising Saudi Arabia as a beautiful place to visit when traveling. As far as your rides are concerned, you will be given a plethora of licensed vehicles for multiple different racing types such as motor bikes, rally cars, trucks, quads, and side-by-side vehicles (SSVs). The SSVs were my personal favorite, but ultimately, they all felt difficult to drive, the grip always feels extremely loose, making my vehicle slip and slide constantly by even the slightest turn. I know the game is trying to go for simulation, but it takes a lot of the overall fun as a gamer out of it for me, making the races feel a bit of a chore.
There is a little bit of flexibility in the difficulty, though, with three different gaming modes. For all beginners, I recommend going with Sport Mode where things can be a bit more forgiving and giving you a more arcade-like experience. Then, there is Professional Mode where things are just amped up a bit, such as the waypoint beacons being taken away, the AI racers are more difficult, and the cost of repairs to your vehicle get more expensive. The final mode is by far the hardest, which is Simulation Mode, where it does everything it can to simulate the real-life experience, making everything stated previously even more difficult, as well as doing things like taking away checkpoints. If you aren’t great at the game, the cost of repairs will begin to get expensive, so as stated before, playing in Sport Mode is the best way to accumulate currency that you will undoubtedly need for repairs and purchasing more vehicles.
For hardcore fans there will be a lot to enjoy, if you want to get into the super nitty gritty of things, such as something like a “Gran Turismo” the game does offer that, such as being able to only repair specific areas of your vehicle instead of just hitting the “repair all” button like me. But as a normal Joe, this title can be difficult to suck you in completely. It will dazzle you with its amazing visuals at first, but when you’re constantly trying to keep your car straight and constantly trying to dodge little logs or rocks that can completely stall you, your frustration level can start to rise rather quickly. I even encountered a good amount of frame drops that really screwed me up in very critical areas, so there are still a bit of rough edges that need to be sanded out. Unfortunately, I personally did not click with “Dakar Desert Rally” as much as I wanted to, but that doesn’t mean it may not be the right racing game for you. What was accomplished here, overall, was very well done, so I am sure the game’s target audience will be quite happy.
7/10
For more information, visit: https://www.dakarthegame.com/en/
Related: Reviews by Nick Navarro
Gaming since I was given an original Nintendo as a kid. I love great storytelling and unique ingenuity. When both collide in a single game, I'm a happy gamer. Twitter/IG @NickNavarro87
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