WRC 9 Review

The world of racing games has always had a very comfortable seat in the gaming industry. The market has titles for all needs, whether it is the most casual user or simulation racing enthusiasts. The rally environment, in this sense, represents a real gold mine for developers, as you will see in my WRC 9 review.

This is the latest chapter of the popular series created by Evolution Studios that began in 2001. After many vicissitudes, the title rights passed to the French studio of Kylotonn. It is always difficult to innovate a product that must necessarily comply with certain pre-established methods.

Moreover, these are games with limited possibilities when it comes to the distinct features. This shouldn’t be misleading, though. The developers from Kylotonn were able to vary the experience enough to satisfy even those who don’t live in the racing world and are approaching this type of product for the first time. Here is my WRC 9 review on Xbox One.

A GLOBAL RACE

The WRC series has always had a very complex history. Over the years the series has seen many developers at the reins of the project. Started in 2001 with Evolution Studios, it then received an abrupt interruption until 2010. From that year onwards it was the Italian’s at Milestone who published four more chapters.

Since 2015, the developers at Kylotonn were in charge of the main development of the game. However, Codemasters secured the rights for the game that will last from 2023 until 2027. Just like the world of rallying, in short, WRC is a series with an international flavor.

The ninth chapter proposes to the player to live the career of a growing driver who will have to make his way to the sound of drifting in a very competitive environment. In addition to this, of course, there are other modes with more immediate use, such as, above all, the online mode. In short, the package is definitely very complete. But is it fun?

RALLYING UP THE RANKS

The single player mode of WRC 9, as you will see in this review, is quite detailed with the features that it already has. The developers have not introduced many additional features compared to the past, limiting themselves to making some minor additions in purely quantitative terms. The world championship is back, with the addition of tracks in Kenya, Japan, and New Zealand.

As you know, no competitions were held this year due to the pandemic still in progress. There are currently up to fifty official crews from WRC, WRC-2, WRC-3, and WRC Junior available for you to choose from. There are some minor additions, such as the Challenges, where you must overcome specific conditions stipulated by the developers.

The primary focus of the single player, however, is the Career mode. This mode does not bring any substantial changes and you still need to compete with your driver, starting from the WRC Junior category up to the highest levels of competition. This mode consists out of a substantial management section in which you will have to make some very important decisions regarding your team and your calendar.

The Career mode runs on a week to week basis, during which you will have to choose the activities that need to be carried out, whether it be competitions in extreme weather conditions, or participation in a rally. You will be able to decide which types of technicians to hire in the team based on their characteristics, and sometimes you will have to respect certain conditions imposed by your team.

The success of the races you take part in will affect the morale of your team and your relationship with the business partner. The periodic repetition of events makes Career mode particularly addicting, also thanks to the possibility of unlocking new personal skills for your driver. Progress to the highest ranks in the rally world is very satisfying and will delight many fans.

CONSIDER EVERY DECISION

When moving on to the WRC 9 driving model, it is good to specify that you are not dealing with a fully simulative title. Kylotonn and Nacon’s game allows for some turns towards arcade, especially in regards with the impact of the car when it comes to obstacles and the consequent overturns.

WRC 9 allows you to get back on track after accidents that in reality would be fatal, and the damage simulation is still permissive towards the most reckless players. The physics of the car, however, is more than decent, especially when you drive in adverse conditions or with the car heavily damaged.

It is in these situations that WRC 9 becomes very fun, as it forces you to consider every decision. Object physics is also really good, with a fair amount of interaction between the vehicle and its surroundings, including bushes and road signs.

DRAMATIC SOUNDTRACK

I know that musical accompaniment isn’t exactly the strong point of titles like this, but why is Kylotonn and Nacon’s WRC 9 soundtrack so dramatic? During my gameplay, I felt a lot of tension in the main menu of the Career mode, even if I was only deciding when to place the rest day.

The particular combination of ambient and electronic music would have been perfect for a thriller. Seriously, there is no shortage of quality songs, even if some seemed out of place with the artistic direction. The technical sector, in fact, is of a good level when it comes to the lighting system and the splendid reflections of the cars and water surfaces.

When playing the game you will definitely appreciate the technical sector in night races. The variety of environments is very high, and it ranges from sultry deserts to the frozen mountains of Sweden, without disdaining some more Central European locations.

The WRC 9’s graphics engine, however, felt a little heavier than expected and could cause more than a few issues on some configurations from a few years ago. I could not find any particular improvements compared to the last edition, but I have often encountered some crashes and some sporadic drop in frame rate, otherwise it was fixed at a stable sixty frames per second.

Do you want to try Kylotonn and Nacon’s WRC 9? What do you think of my WRC 9 review on Xbox One? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. Are you interested in more racing games? Check out our reviews for WRC 8, Project Cars 3, F1 2020, MotoGP 20, TT Isle of Man: Ride On The Edge 2, Monster Energy Supercross 3, and GRID.