Having raced the upcoming WRC Generations at Gamescom, the World Rally Championship game developed by KT Racing will be its best yet.
I sit in a cockpit with the official World Rally Championship licensed wheel in front of me, hooked up to a Fanatec CSL DD wheelbase and hooked up to a fly-off handbrake.
Now I always want to set a fast time, but this time the pressure is higher than usual as the Kylotonn development team is standing behind me watching. It’s also a day over 30°C in a convention center, leading to perspiration. My soggy shirt has everything to do with the temperature and not the tension, to be honest…
However, I needn’t have worried. The handover system created by the Paris studio since the WRC 9 of 2020 has always inspired confidence. When you’re in the zone, the pacenotes are flowing and the steering wheel is properly calibrated, it’s the best long-term rally experience today.
A name change
Following last year’s WRC 10, WRC Generations eschews the numbered nomenclature for two good reasons: there’s a new generation of WRC machines in the real world and it’s the last official title created by KT Racing, the team that will win after seven at the end of 2022. year at the helm.
That means Generations will not only simulate the 2022 season, but will also bundle all the cars and stages from the previous game’s 50.e Anniversary mode plus various rallies from past WRC games like Corsica last seen in WRC 8 and Turkey last seen in Episode 9.
Each has been given a mild spruce to bring them in line with the visual evolution since then thanks to new spectator models and more detailed vegetation.
But it’s the content that is new for 2022 that is the star of the show.
An electrified WRC
For those unaware, the championship has kicked off this year with a new set of regulations, with cars now based on a motorsport-focused tubular chassis and featuring electrification. That means an extra 3.9 kWh battery that can deliver a dollop of extra torque in addition to the already banzai combustion engine.
This is done in a realistic way. It doesn’t work as a push-to-pass button, but before the start of each stage, you choose from one of three hybrid cards. One will deliver more power but for a shorter time, another less power but more sustained, and a third in a balanced middle way.
So the trick is to combine the ideal electrified card with the length of the stage, but also with the type of surface. Too much power on wet roads or snow, and you’ll spin your wheels too much and lose momentum.
In practice, it is initially difficult to spot a difference. But as you progress through a stage, especially a slow one like Psatha in Greece, you really notice the extra response coming from hairpin turns. This is something your driving style has to adapt to, almost predicting what might happen based on the on-screen electric power meter.
Despite this new addition, however, the biggest change in your driving style this year is the switch from a six-speed to a five-speed.. On well-known stages, used in WRC 10, a ‘two-left’ turn as it is now often taken in first gear, which is a longer ratio than before. My Gamescom-ridden brain had a lot more trouble finding a rhythm with the acceleration than with the hybrid boost.
For better or worse, some elements remain constant
Fortunately, the suspension systems remain as trendsetting as ever. Trust me, if you find a rhythm and you ride a device that can run the game smoothly – the PC release has been delayed by a few weeks compared to years past to hopefully ease the process – this is a rally purist’s idea from heaven.
Unfortunately, the engine noises remain stuck in a Welsh ditch. They sound flat, bland and don’t match the deafening sound you can hear when watching. The development team was able to visit a team and capture audio samples for Generations, but there is still work to be done before the final version becomes available.
Apart from that, the all-new Swedish location is a breath of fresh Scandinavian air. Often one of the oldest sets of route designs within the WRC games, this season the event moved further north to Umeå, resulting in faster and narrower stages – the layout of which is replicated here.
You can now lean on the snowdrifts if you go into a corner a little too fast, as you should. They are also a definite improvement visually, with typically tall trees, spectator fires and Swedish buildings adorning the sides.
Cross platform comes into the mix
Elsewhere, the online leaderboards and Clubs modes are now cross-platform enabled, allowing players on PlayStation, PC and Xbox to compete, as well as a revised livery editor that allows for uploading and downloading of user-generated content regardless of platform. Traditional race stages and the innovative co-driver mode, however, remain device-specific.
There is also a brand new Leagues mode, also cross-platform. Daily, weekly and monthly challenges can be completed, ranking your score. So you’ll be pitted against those with similar abilities to compete for XP and level up, unlocking livery editor items as you progress.
In theory, this will help those who are good at the esports level find relevant competition, as well as those new to the series who use a gamepad to find like-minded drivers.
The version we tried was obviously not final, but it was impressive. As for my performance, I successfully navigated the course without crashing and picked up the pace from there. Much to my relief it wasn’t too embarrassing and spending time with the Nacon and KT Racing team is always a pleasure as they really ‘understand’ the sport.
This latest release is a window into the progress the team has made since WRC 5 in 2015.
“Before WRC, we were nothing,” said Alain Jarniou, Creative Director of the development team.
“Then we grew up with this game. It has been a huge adventure.”
WRC Generations will launch for select consoles in October as the final game in the series created by KT Racing. Traxion.GG will have a full review of the final release version before then.
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