Arcade-style rally racing game #DRIVE Rally made its pit stop at the Summer Game Fest to promote its console release, and we took a short demo run.

License to Drive

Players will have a variety of vehicles to choose from, along with alterations such as tire sizes and more. The simplistic, low-poly designs make these vehicles and the courses look stylish and visually entertaining. Unfortunately, the vehicles don’t feature officially licensed cars, as all of them are fictionalized. Some cars are inspired by and pay homage to real vehicles, such as the Toyota AE86 and other cars from the 80s and 90s.

While playing, we tried out a few vehicles and tested several courses. The game offers a co-driver system that calls upon you when to initiate your turns, and depending on how you do, they’ll react. If you make a mistake, your instructor will criticize you. I do like how the game gives you options to view the driving from different perspectives, making each one feel remotely different.

Going for a Test Drive

When I first started driving, I had some challenging experiences when I constantly initiated my drifts. One curve I would do great on, but then I start to falter as I continue the course. Trying out different vehicles, I needed to start at a lower speed and one that gave me more traction control. I have made numerous attempts and observed my vehicle overturn; however, if you are unable to regain control, the game will reset your vehicle to the designated track. When driving, I felt the game gave a clear visual perspective on how fast you’re driving to help make those tight turns.

I started to feel more at ease with the game after mastering the basics. When finished with the course, my score can be posted on the online leaderboard, making it more of a reason to keep coming back to get your race results. It’s an entertaining retro racer, especially when you race with few to no accidents. You can race multiplayer, though it wasn’t available to try during the demo; it’s only local play.

If you are looking for a stylish, colorful racing game, #DRIVE Rally is likely to be a perfect fit for you. If you’re not used to racing games or drifting, the learning curve can be tough. The ability to play the game on a portable device like the Nintendo Switch makes it a more worthwhile purchase.

#DRIVE Rally is available now for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information and purchasing options. We appreciate PM Studios giving us the opportunity to test drive the game at the Summer Game Fest.