Forza Motorsport was born as a prestigious series, an ideal showcase to show off the technical power of Xbox consoles, and incidentally expand the small catalog of exclusives in the green brand. In 2012, and after four editions in which the cult of cars was the engine behind each title, Playground Games ventured with an unexpected spin-off of the series, leaving the simulator part behind (at least at the same level of depth than Turn 10) and betting on an open world, one where music and speed would come together perfectly.
Forza Horizon debuted without much success on the Xbox 360, but its style and tenacity would be rewarded on Xbox One, where three sequels saw the light of day and made the potential of the Horizon Festival clear to all gamers. Horizon stole the starring role in the Forza series, and was even one of the first Xbox One exclusive titles to show off the so-called Xbox Game Pass Day One perks. But its true strengths are found when we take the wheel in our hands, letting ourselves be carried away by the beautiful European and Australian landscapes, with snow falling on the windshield or a beautiful English countryside hiding in the sunset. Forza Horizon gained strength under the shadow of Halo and Gears, hidden as an inevitable jewel in the best of Xbox One lists or as a clear reference to the power of the console.
Xbox
If there is something that characterizes Forza Horizon, it is its setting and growth, elements that continue to evolve more gradually than sandbox or driving. Each game is renewed by taking us to different parts of the world. Playground Games leaves us free to drive a dream vehicle, but the hours we accumulate playing are not only due to the speed, realism or the challenge offered by each festival, but also to the place we have to visit, the mountains we have to travel and the extensive fields full of flowers that we can destroy. Forza Horizon feeds on the world to continue growing, and its new stop has become the ideal setting to perfect every last detail of the series. Forza Horizon 5 has arrived in Mexico, and it's just as incredible as you imagined.
This is how Mexico feels, this is how Mexico feels
Since E3 2021 it was confirmed that Mexico would be the venue for Forza Horizon 5, which left us with an incredible trailer that seemed to be made by the Secretariat of Tourism for the state of Guanajuato. And yes, as we saw in that revelation, Forza Horizon 5 is a charming portrait of some of the most beautiful and emblematic places in our country, with a clear emphasis on settings that serve as race tracks for the dozens of events available. and an interesting mix of places that go from Baja California to Yucatan.
Just like in the third and fourth installments, Forza Horizon 5 puts us at the center of the Horizon Festival, an extravagant celebration where music, cars and millionaires come together to do all kinds of crazy things aboard the fastest and most luxurious vehicles of all time. For this occasion, our character (fully customizable) comes to Horizon as a superstar, so everyone wants to have him as a guest at their race track or special event. But fun is not our priority, because before strolling along the beaches and deserts, we have to do everything possible to open up to the last of the events that take place at the festival.
If you've already played any of the previous games (mainly 3 and 4) you probably won't be too surprised by the mechanics available. In broad strokes we have to run and run and run for hours to unlock races, gain experience points and open special events. This may be the biggest gripe the series has, as the amount of races and time we have to invest to unlock all the content is overwhelming and little varied most of the time. Yes, it's a racing game and there's little to do, but the complaint has spread between each installment because of the creative side or the available circuits, where there are few new features or not very exciting situations.
Xbox
This is where Mexico becomes the star of Forza Horizon 5, mainly due to the enormous variety of scenarios available, which results in less monotonous races and more entertaining events. It definitely weighs down the fact that we know the territory and it's exciting to see the virtual version of Guanajuato or Teotihuacán, but the pace is more entertaining than the huge empty fields that were in Forza Horizon 4. It also helps that the campaign builds through 5 different categories, where we can find street races, "extreme" events or dirt tracks. However, this division was already available in other games in the series, so it is inevitable to point to Mexico and its ecosystems as the key piece of this fifth edition.
That's why I mentioned at the beginning that Forza Horizon has been in charge, to a certain extent, of prioritizing the scenery before the realism behind the vehicles. Playground Games does not overshadow Turn 10, nor is it interested in surpassing the realism of MotorSport, what this English studio does very well is a fun game. Forza Horizon is like a Need For Speed with stronger ideas, an open world that feels alive, and environments so diverse that they're perfect for putting your foot down on the gas. Therefore, Mexico, full of precious jungles, challenging deserts, beaches bathed in unforgettable sun and cities where colors steal all our attention, is the perfect setting to get lost in a Lamborghini or an all-terrain Jeep.
Having such a particular setting, Playground Games takes the opportunity to create circuits that surround and cross the pyramids of Teotihuacán or night races through the streets of Guanajuato. And best of all, attention is not looking for intense realism that is only hyper-realistic, so from one race to another we can go through an active volcano or a circuit where we can knock down giant bowling pins. In addition, the activities include events related to other Mexican elements, without (fortunately) falling into basic stereotypes... that is, there are wrestlers, tacos and vochitos painted in the Iron Man style... but at no time is it offensive and combines perfectly with the game experience and the stage.
Xbox
In fact, all of the above corresponds solely to the indications of the game, that is, the available missions, challenges and other events. But aimlessly exploring Mexico is a different thing entirely. And yes, this section is totally subjective for me (and surely for many players) because we are visiting places that are not only close, but that we know and have even visited. I have to admit that in previous games in the Horizon series I never thought about the setting, I knew it was in California or Australia, but the combination of places seemed “natural” or simply irrelevant to me. Going from the snow, to the desert, and then to the city is completely normal in any video game.
But in Forza Horizon 5 the experience has been very different, since the game was announced I was looking forward to the combination of places, especially since I know that you can't get from Baja California to Guanajuato by a huge straight line or that it is impossible to drive a few minutes to go from the Riviera Maya to Teotihuacán or that there are not always hot air balloons in the sky. All those things are typical of a video game, but they take on a strange force when you know what that place is like in reality. I haven't felt that feeling since Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, and it's even much more personal than that version of the Federal District. The reason? I guess the stage design. Playground Games combines much of Mexico in a contrasting map, which at the same time gives a feeling of realism and respects the folklore of its inhabitants; impressive and exciting work.
Xbox
I think Forza Horizon 5 makes clear the level of detail behind the recreation of Mexico in Guanajuato; the colors of the houses, the light meters next to the black hallways, the cobbled streets, the television antennas and the bars on the windows. Going around requires a pause of several minutes in which it is inevitable to observe the details of the entire street, and out of pure curiosity we activate the photo mode to see through the windows and even begin to identify the stalls on the streets. The same happens on the beaches, with palapas ready to be rented and plenty of plastic chairs on the sidewalks, more modest buildings near the sea, and a unique color combination bathed in the intense Mexican sun. In particular, I prefer the charm of Guanajuato, because it is the closest to my reality, but the enormous work of this Mexico is in every corner of the game.
Oh God blessed soil
I've already talked at length about how Mexico feels inside Forza Horizon 5, so it's time to get into the gameplay of the game. Once again, the idea is basically the same as we know from the series: run, gain experience points, run again, gain more experience points, unlock a new event, and so on until the end of time. The advantage, in addition to running in Mexico, is that Forza Horizon 5 is the final amalgamation of everything we've seen in the last 10 years.
For starters, the collection of cars available is insane and seems unattainable, so there's a good variety to replay races or roam the map with your favorite car. Then there's the sheer number of races and stories, which will surely steal every last minute of the rest of the year, and that's if you get through them first from the start. Then there are the collectibles and side missions, as well as the special challenges that you can find in the game menu. And of course, you can also spend hours and hours raising experience points to improve the vehicles available in your virtual garage and, incidentally, have more cars to see in Forzavista. We can acquire properties, there are a lot of clothes to buy and hundreds of paths to discover, as well as photographic challenges and much more. Forza Horizon 5 is not limited in content.
Xbox
How did you achieve all of the above? Well, driving, and that implies quite a challenge to master at least one vehicle to drift, one more for the mountains or a car to travel the map at full speed. Forza Horizon bets on an arcade game system, so the challenge is considerably less than in the simulator. However, increasing the difficulty helps make the experience more interesting when we remove the aids and seek a greater challenge; Which translates to more experience if we win the race or huge frustration that makes us addicted to rewinding if we don't manage to get the perfect corner. All this without mentioning that most of the vehicles are totally different and will respond in a particular way in a street race full of narrow roads or in a circuit of more than 15 minutes where drifting and accelerating in time and form are key to winning.
All the possibilities offered by the game are embodied in the map of Mexico, a small hub where we can select our next destination and even schedule a fast trip, which is never recommended (drive whenever you can!). The bad news is that this map is a bit outdated, so sometimes we end up in a race we already did or a challenge that doesn't correspond to the event we want to play. There are so many icons on the map that it is very difficult to identify what is next. And if you think that running on the map is the solution, I'm sorry to tell you that it can be too overwhelming, since again the number of events available is immense, and difficult to follow, so it is very likely that you will get lost before so many options. It's about time Forza Horizon paid attention to mission tracking, especially when there are so many events going on at the same time.
Xbox
During my review I would have liked to take a closer look at the Drivatar, these ghosts that appear in our game and are created from the way our Xbox Live contacts play. However, since a couple of Forzas I think I'm the only one on my list that gives these racing games a chance and I guess that affects the performance of the "machine". I hope that once multiplayer is open I can better understand how this idea has evolved in the new generation of consoles... or maybe it's time to get some new friends that do get into Forza. I guess thanks to Xbox Game Pass, there will be a bigger community within the game and that's always a highlight.
If I die far from you, let them say I'm asleep
I had the opportunity to play Forza Horizon 5 on an Xbox Series X. Inside this console there are two graphics options: Quality, which works with graphics in higher quality but only at 30FPS and in Performance mode, with less impressive graphics, but at 60FPS. I usually go for Quality mode, but this time I was delighted with the 60 frames per second, especially because of the fluidity that the game offers when you keep pressing the accelerator on top of a Lamborghini Murciélago. I hope that at some point the game will be updated with a mode that allows the best of both worlds.
Forza Horizon 5 is still committed to Xbox One, which prevents us from seeing a drastic change from what we can find in Forza Horizon 4 running on a Series X. It looks like we'll have to wait a bit longer for the series to come out. of a firm step in the new generation, which could happen with the next Forza Motorsport and a couple of years later with the Horizon series.
Xbox
Taking into account that I already talked about how good the landscapes of Mexico look in the game, it goes without saying that this is the game that looks best on an Xbox Series X. Whether it's the details in the architecture, the game From lights, shadows, the design of the sets and the intense and bright colors, everything looks spectacular and completely immerses you in the experience. And to this must be added points for the excellent sound work that is inside the game, especially for the way in which the sounds elevate the experience, be it a roaring car engine or a painful head-on collision with a poor tourist .
My only complaint regarding the sound sections is in the dubbing and music. I was a bit disappointed with Forza Horizon 5's “strawberry” voices and stilted dialogue. While the locations feel real for things as simple as a paint-stained façade or rooftop water tanks, the game's voice acting doesn't feel real. Mexican, and beyond the lack of Mexicanisms, it is the formal and graceless interpretation that leaves us with conversations in which I could not stop thinking "nobody speaks like that in Mexico." Things like calling the Volkswagen Beetle "the vocho" and that this is even part of the story of the game and the script are appreciated, but in general the work is quite artificial. And the same goes for the music, where the stations maintain that Californian idea of the first game, which is far from working on a Mexican beach or on a highway to Teotihuacan. Forza Horizon 5 lacked neighborhood.
Xbox
The good
The bad
Verdict
Forza Horizon 5 is a memorable journey through Mexico. Through the roads, jungles, deserts, beaches and even archaeological zones we can find an exciting, fun adventure full of colors and unique moments in the world. Playground Games took the best of its past installments to give us the perfect open world, with an ecosystem that subtly changes in a few minutes and never loses our attention. Yes, there are thousands of bonus points for the way the developers portray our country, with all the attention to detail. But it is impossible for all this to work on its own without a gameplay that allows you to explore every corner of Mexico in extravagant ways, with fun races and challenges that transport us to emblematic places inside cars that we can only have in our dreams. Forza Horizon 5 is one of the best video games of the year.
