Art of Rally begins with a Buddha rising from the ground to encourage players. It will take patience and determination to become a rally master, the Buddha says before disappearing into the earth. This encounter sets the tone for a truly special racing journey, one that leads to enjoyment and tranquility but only if players are willing to learn and overcome their rage. Which is initially easier said than done. Although the gorgeous, minimalistic aesthetic and unusually removed camera read as an arcade experience, one crash-riddled race will reveal the far more intricate, physics based mechanics that underlie the game.
Considering Art of Rally’s celebration of rally and evangelism for the sport, which it is very successful in conveying, it would be nice to provide beginners with any sort of tutorialization considering the difficulty of its mechanics. Granted, it offers free roam to practice and ghosts of top players to attempt to learn from, but this is rarely enough to clarify mistakes that players are making. Thankfully though, the game encourages players to simply progress through the campaign seasons and is uninterested in if they win them, dolling out unlockables for refraining to use restarts rather than for wins. And the joy comes from this slow progress, going from season to season becoming slightly more familiar with the courses, techniques, physics, and philosophy behind rally. Eventually players will find themselves winning more and in control, at which point Art of Rally is simply a delight to play. The final couple seasons of the campaign almost feel like a victory lap, offering players fun cars to match their increased skill.
This is not to say that there are not frustrations that persist until the end. The camera angle, while novel, makes reading the terrain difficult. This could have been solved by any sort of co-driver indicators, but those are fully absent as well. Add in some, at times, wonky collision and jump physics as well as occasion frame dips at inopportune times and the game can become infuriating. But that is not majority of the Art of Rally nor does it meaningfully diminish the highs of when you get in the groove, flying past the beautiful country side to the vibes of the perfect synthwave soundtrack. It becomes so easy to slip into the trance of the game yet it holds up to the alert competitiveness of time trials. Whatever players are looking for, Art of Rally’s journey will bring them someplace special if they are willing to persevere.
Considering Art of Rally’s celebration of rally and evangelism for the sport, which it is very successful in conveying, it would be nice to provide beginners with any sort of tutorialization considering the difficulty of its mechanics. Granted, it offers free roam to practice and ghosts of top players to attempt to learn from, but this is rarely enough to clarify mistakes that players are making. Thankfully though, the game encourages players to simply progress through the campaign seasons and is uninterested in if they win them, dolling out unlockables for refraining to use restarts rather than for wins. And the joy comes from this slow progress, going from season to season becoming slightly more familiar with the courses, techniques, physics, and philosophy behind rally. Eventually players will find themselves winning more and in control, at which point Art of Rally is simply a delight to play. The final couple seasons of the campaign almost feel like a victory lap, offering players fun cars to match their increased skill.
This is not to say that there are not frustrations that persist until the end. The camera angle, while novel, makes reading the terrain difficult. This could have been solved by any sort of co-driver indicators, but those are fully absent as well. Add in some, at times, wonky collision and jump physics as well as occasion frame dips at inopportune times and the game can become infuriating. But that is not majority of the Art of Rally nor does it meaningfully diminish the highs of when you get in the groove, flying past the beautiful country side to the vibes of the perfect synthwave soundtrack. It becomes so easy to slip into the trance of the game yet it holds up to the alert competitiveness of time trials. Whatever players are looking for, Art of Rally’s journey will bring them someplace special if they are willing to persevere.