When you’ve been following alongside on my try and gush about all the Forza Horizon collection, chances are you’ll be asking your self “why are we going to sport quantity 4 after you probably did 1, after which 6?” Initially I used to be going to do all of them so as, beginning with my Forza Horizon 1 Retrospective, however once I determined to speak extra about Forza Horizon 6, I figured perhaps I ought to take issues a special route.
First one within the franchise, first one you’ll attempt shopping for in 2026, and now the primary one I ever bought into taking part in. Finally video games 2, 3, and 5 will get their time to speak, however for now I need to speak about my time with Forza Horizon 4, what it’s all about, and why it’s nonetheless one in all my favorites.
The Background
Beginning with the sport itself; identical to each different sport within the Horizon collection, it’s been developed by Playground Video games; a studio based mostly in England that’s labored on precisely 7 video games in complete. That’d be all the Forza Horizon franchise and the upcoming 2027 launch of Fable.
Having gone by way of Colorado, the coast of the Mediterranean, and a great chunk of Australia, it made sense for the workforce to simply deliver it again dwelling to the UK for a undergo, and I’m glad they did. Taking a wonderful map and packing it full, with seasons and extra? They knew what they have been doing, and did it properly.
As for me? It might exhibit the “youth” I’ve to some, however I picked up Forza Horizon 4 throughout my Sophomore 12 months of school in 2019. It was virtually the one sport I performed throughout winter break that 12 months, and it carried me fairly properly into the COVID pandemic as properly when 2020 rolled round.
The primary time I needed to quarantine over that for every week, it was mainly me and the Xbox One S, as my PC was nonetheless packed away on the time, which meant placing a majority of my time alone into that sport.
I’ve been on and off of it since, particularly with Forza Horizon 5, and all the writing I’ve completed for RH. However I lastly picked it up for PC in 2024 when it was going off the Steam Retailer, and since then I accomplished the DLC’s of their entirety, and have come again much more once I simply need to really feel one thing.
It’s been featured in not less than one thumbnail since I can now correctly play it on a handheld, and now I’m simply attempting to complete as a lot as I can whereas I’ve bought the time. It’s a sport I’ve been having fun with for 7 years, and even with 5 different video games within the franchise it’s straightforward to see why.
The Gameplay
This half’s going to be fairly easy, I need to point out it simply in case somebody hasn’t realized it but, however Forza Horizon 4 is a racing sport, the place you are available as a fairly well-known driver, and also you’re competing in races till you attain the highest echelon of efficiency. You go sooner, the vehicles get sooner, the races get larger. Full the primary “story”, full the sidequests, and end the earlier Forzathons to get extra vehicles, extra money, extra houses.
It’s a fairly repetitive gameloop in the event you’re correctly in your third, or fourth run within the franchise, however the factor that made Horizon 4 refreshing was the place it was particularly. The surroundings was nice, the seasons have been unimaginable, and the music stored you eager to do exactly one other race.
Horizon 5 and 6 refined this as they went, albeit with some downturns like “elevated wheelspins” in Horizon 5. Admittedly, my massive criticism with Horizon 4 has all the time been that they reward you too simply, however these dopamine hits certainly do higher for a few of us than others.
The Vibe
This feels like a little bit of an ungainly subject to place, however the vibes of Forza Horizon 4 are immaculate, and stay my favourite of all the franchise. The one one which’s actually come shut in my view is Horizon 1, although 6 positively has its personal type that ought to be appreciated. As the primary sport to introduce seasons, Horizon 4 mainly needed to design 4 separate maps to make up your seasonal expertise.
Regardless of hating it in actual life, Winter driving has been my favourite because of all of the frozen over lakes and rivers you’ll be able to truly drive on. That being stated, Fall has all the time regarded the very best and there’s little doubt in my thoughts Spring and Summer time are nearly equivalent minus the rain.
Horizon 4 stays a sport I really feel comfy simply driving in with the soundtrack operating. The large open fields, and particularly the windfarm stay a few of my favourite locations to simply let unfastened, whereas Edinburgh might be now the third finest metropolis behind Tokyo and Surfer’s Paradise to tear by way of corners in. All of this put alongside one in all my favourite DLC’s within the franchise, and besides, one in all my favourite soundtracks.
This sport is my vibe, even after attempting each different Horizon sport. That being stated, my largest complaints come from the sparse elevation modifications largely positioned across the mountains within the far north, and the random massive bushes you simply can’t crash by way of. Minor inconveniences although.
The Soundtrack
Talking of the soundtrack, in the event you’ve talked to anybody in regards to the music in any of those video games, one track that’ll most likely come up is ODESZA’s A Second Aside. The title display screen track for Horizon 4 it’s the very first thing you hear and has been burned into my thoughts eternally. I could have loved songs from different entries, however this one actually takes the cake.
Outdoors of 1 actually unimaginable track, Horizon 4 was dwelling to seven completely different radio stations. Bass Enviornment, Block Get together, Pulse, XS, Hospital Data, Timeless FM, and in the event you had the LEGO DLC; Radio Superior, which as you’d anticipate, solely performed Everything is Awesome from the unique LEGO Film.
All of those lined a variety of genres from Classical, to R&B, up by way of Rock, Various, or simply Pop. Once I first performed, I left the sport on Timeless FM as a result of comedy of In the Hall of the Mountain King taking part in whereas I barrel throughout a discipline of sheep that may simply get out of my method.
These days, although, I’ve left it on Horizon Pulse much more with songs like Be Good 2 Me by Luxxury, Never Say Die by CHVRCHES, and Deadly Valentine by Charlotte Gainsbourg being explicit favorites. Although Block Get together has some good songs as properly like Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) by Digible Planets. The hosts themselves additionally added to the ambiance. And whereas some might have been too tacky, it was nonetheless an ideal addition to a automotive themed music competition.
The Aspect-Tracks
The Story
One factor I’ve been attempting to do with Horizon 4 just lately, has been to finish all the facet tales. Whether or not that’s disproving wild insurance coverage claims, transporting geese as quick as attainable, or counting down the highest 10 vehicles in video games; I’ve been attempting to complete them. They’re tacky, they’re quick, and in some circumstances they’re a bit irritating, but it surely’s been enjoyable attempting to finish these sidequests.
Horizon 5 has tales however they don’t really feel as fleshed out, and actually Horizon 6 feels even worse in that regard. The worst of the tales to me was probably the High Gear Horizon Particular. Whereas I don’t blame Chris Harris, it simply didn’t have the identical attraction to it that the older Forza collaborations did with the unique High Gear trio.
These could also be tacky add-ons, however they’re tremendous enjoyable to return on and 3-star. Particularly once I can cheat them by driving on the frozen lake.
The DLC
There have been two DLC for Forza Horizon 4; LEGO Velocity Championship, and Fortune Island. I’m going to look shortly over the LEGO DLC as I wasn’t an enormous fan. Merely put; drive your quick vehicles on LEGO tracks in a LEGO world and construct your LEGO home out of LEGO whereas the LEGO individuals watch you beat your opponents. It was numerous LEGO, however actually didn’t really feel too particular to me.
Fortune Island however was unimaginable to me. The intense elevation of the mountains, the novel ocean entrance views on each edge, and the extraordinary climate results felt completely different to me, and have been a lot enjoyable to drive alongside. The Drift Membership story line felt good right here, and the Trailblazers turned one in all my favourite PR Stunts because of this DLC.
The map wasn’t large, but it surely genuinely felt like one other sport within Horizon 4. I’ve accomplished nearly all the things there, if not all the things together with the treasure hunts, however I nonetheless return to drive these roads.
I additionally benefit from the race that goes across the mountain the place I can “by chance” bump somebody off the sting and watch them fall into the ether. However that’s simply me having fun with an arcade sport.
The Vehicles
There are over 750 vehicles on this sport, and I can’t cowl all of them. So I’m going to level out just a few ones that I notably loved driving round within the sport. The Mclaren Senna, each the title automotive and a enjoyable one to drive round. The Volvo Iron Knight; actually silly, but additionally surprisingly enjoyable to drive by way of the town which arguably feels method tighter due to it.
The Alpine A110, whereas a standard quick automotive was one which was enjoyable to have a look at, and enjoyable to drive. And lastly the aptly named “Audi 2 Audi Sport Quattro S1”; my favourite offroad and rally automobile within the sport. I simply want I used it extra.
Closing Ideas
So the place do I stand on Horizon 4? Now that I’m out of the Honeymoon Section with Horizon 6, I believe it nonetheless tops the record for me personally. It was the right mixture of panorama, music, and vehicles with out feeling horribly overwhelming. I want extra individuals would get the prospect to play this sport once more, however identical to all the things with licensed music, it needed to get delisted finally. I’m most likely going to return and eventually 3 star all the PR stunts, however I can simply see this pushing me properly into the 100-hour+ mark on Steam. Particularly figuring out I already had round 70 on Xbox.
Subsequent up might be going to be a downturn, as I ought to most likely speak about Horizon 5 sooner or later, however now that I’ve bought an Xbox Collection X I can pop my discs for Horizon 2 and three in, and provides these a 4K go round. Whether or not it’s Italy, Australia, or Mexico, I’m going to search out one thing to like out of the final three within the collection that I need to cowl. It’s only a matter of when. And if there’s one other collection you suppose I ought to dump my life into for some time; please let me know. I do take pleasure in gushing about good racing video games.