We had the opportunity to test Dakar Desert Rally after several years of absence since the last episode dates from 2018. Here is what we can tell you about this 2022 edition.
The Saber Porto development studio wanted to allocate more creation time for Dakar Rally and therefore not offer anything in 2020 and 2021 after the 2019 episode. This time the Portuguese studio is particularly ambitious for its automobile game since he offers us a huge playground: Saudi Arabia. So in real life, since 2020 and for five years, the The Dakar Rally, which older people know mainly as Paris-Dakar, takes place in the oil kingdom. Any environmental controversy aside, it must be said that it is a very beautiful destination, at least for a video game. The country is reproduced on a 1:5 scale (5 times smaller than the original) which in terms of proportions is still larger than a country like Germany, the more time passes the more games of race allow this kind of excess and it is not to displease us.
For all tastes
This rally raid proposes to embody many world-famous drivers with no less than 150 vehicles available in 5 different categories, namely: car, motorcycle, truck, quad and SxS. We find for example Nasser Al-Attiyah and his Toyota hilux gr sport, winner of the last Kakar. On our side for the campaign, we chose the duo Dominique Housieaux/Pascal Delacour and the MD Rallye Sport. The game remains affordable for the neophyte while being full of references for Rally pros. In fact, Dakar lovers are even very well served since it will be possible to unlock pilots and above all many cult vehicles. For this you will have to be determined since you have to win each race in Sport mode in the five categories of vehicles. In short, a use that is reserved for the most gifted and the most courageous.
The revival of driving
If the last Dakar game wasn’t really part of the driving pleasure, we can note a nice improvement here, even if it’s difficult to do well everywhere, especially when you know that there are all the same 5 categories of vehicles which are on top of that different depending on the type of view. Indeed, between pilot cockpit view and exterior view, the flavors are multiple and we apprehend the road and the dirt roads differently. If you are not the most gifted pilot, we clearly recommend the exterior camera, it is the one that provides the most sensation for a neophyte and which above all allows you to admire the unforgettable scenery that is offered to us. Because yes Dakak Desert Rally is really for everyone with 3 game modes namely:
- A “sports” game mode arcade and easy to access with a not too aggressive AI, saves between each stage, etc.
- A “Professional” game mode with realistic navigation, more expensive repairs, etc.
- A “Simulation” game mode without saving during races with all difficulty sliders at maximum. True realistic navigation.
The sport mode is accessible to all comers and it allows you to fully enjoy the magnificent landscapes of Saudi Arabia. The game is particularly beautiful and a real visual success. It is all the more very coherent and realistic in terms of effects. We never tire of admiring the clean chassis of our car, accumulating mud, sand and dust after a few minutes. The details are numerous and the dynamic weather also contributes a significant part to the immersion and the impression of navigating in a living and plausible world. Rain, sandstorm, storm… There is a travel side and very postcard in Desert Rally and it would be misguided to relegate all that to the rank of simple immersive bonuses. However, you will need to have a good machine to enjoy the game in the best conditions and the Xbox Series X version is a little stuck in the mess with frequent framerate drops.
Multiple Modes
The keystone of Dakar Desert Rally are its three difficulty modes. Once you have acquired your vehicle with your 500 Dakar points, you will have to keep it until you can unlock enough points to buy another one. Note that before each purchase you can try the vehicle on a circuit to get an idea. Uncompromising with the losers, the title forces you to finish in the top eight to finish a special under penalty of having to start all over again. Sport mode offers a competition very close to a Forza Horizon experience with real-time competitors and beacons to reach between each race stage. Markings on the ground also appear to guide you in the best way possible. It’s the purely visual Rallye experience, but without all that makes it so charming.
Between exhilarating experience and frank disappointment
Players who want more challenge will go directly to Professional mode. You will thus be able to follow your co-driver’s road-book, you will have no other assistance and you will come across your opponents much more rarely who have a staggered start to yours. And that’s good because the AI is quite catastrophic and very often we wonder if we are witnessing a Rally or a demolition derby. In our opinion, this is the perfect game mode to feel the experience of the Dakar without necessarily undergoing the very punitive aspect of the Simulation mode which will demoralize you very quickly. The Pro mode also allows you to take advantage of the environments as well since the road-book is essential and forces you to take into consideration the elements of the scenery such as rocks, houses or trees.
The famous Simulation mode only unlocks at level 25 anyway. And if that’s your quest, you’ll have to hang on seriously. For the moment this mode is a little limited and it only offers the first stages of the Dakar 2020 and 2021 as well as the last stages of the Dakar 2021. You will have to wait for the free DLC Saudi Arabia Extended Map to have all the events of the Rally Dakar 2020-2022. We wonder why all this is not available from the start in the game. We feel that Dakar Desert Rally came out a little too early if only with this sad observation, and it is very harmful for someone one who, for example, does not follow video game news. In simulation, the slightest error is catastrophic and forces you to start over a step in its entirety. This is obviously the most uncompromising and difficult mode but also the most interesting for the ultimate Rally fans. Finally, still the dark part of the picture, we will note the totally mind-blowing weight/power ratios with the possibility of crashing into the scenery in the car because of… a motorcycle. A very capricious physics which will at least have the merit of making you laugh (at first).