My Review

[Dark]

For some reason, the review box on the store page isn't working, so just to do it, here it is:

So, here it is. My review.

At time of posting, I have all the achievements and have 50 hours in the game.

First of all, just a general comment: I love this game. It has a great, smooth game engine and the controls are fairly easy to me. It wasn't too hard to pick up, and learning some drifiting from Assetto Corsa and driving my Miata IRL, I can say that the physics are very realistic and it's easy to apply those skills into this game.

Here's a list for the TL:DR, and it's at the top (you're welcome):

Pros:

- Smooth Game Engine
- Difficulty Settings are Spot On
- Controls on Every Difficultly Setting are Great
- Music is Great (Especially C41; sorry Nyte, your music is still great, lol)
- Colors are Great
- Online Leaderboards
- Fairly wide selection of Maps
- Driftkhana, Drift Tracks, and Mtn Drift settings are awesome to choose from
- Game is Updated at a Good Pace
- Game as a Whole was Tailored for a Wide audience
- Wide Range of Adjustable Graphics Settings to Fit your Performance Needs
- Different cars fit different people, but aren't too unbalanced in terms of full capabilites.
- Free-Roam. Yesssssss...
- Less than 500 MB (currently)
- Very Fair and Rewarding Point system that pushes you to try harder

Cons:

- Non-customizable Controls (Steam Controller's Reprogramming Defeats this Con)
- No-multiplayer, yet (for reasons)

Otherwise, this game is perfect in my opinion.

Okay, now the novel:

Personal Comments

I have owned this game since August 2015 and have really been off and on with it. I can tell you that once I got a Steam Controller, everything changed, and I loved how the game played with it. Honestly, I couldn't play it on anything but the highest difficulty.


Physics

The physics are phenomenal. I don't think I have ever played such an arcad-ey styled game with such realistic physics. It totally replicates real life (or damn near it) and the developer did such a great job with it. From what I have seen, there are no current bugs in the game's physics and I see no reason for the physics to be modified at all.


Graphics

The graphics are great aswell. I think that the color theme is perfect for the (not so much) "JDM/Dorifto" and (but more) Japan feel. It is a little brutal on the eyes when you're in a dark room or are very tired, but otherwise, it is very fun and keeps you alert. I really enjoy how the tire marks work. They really help when you are drifitng if you need to see if you're angle is going too far (genenrally more than 90º), and they look cool. The graphics, in general, may seem a little bland at times, but it really keeps you focused on what you're doing. Plus, this game isn't really about looks, it's more about the gameplay.


Gameplay/Controls

Any kind of controller (I use a Steam Controller) is nearly a must. Keyboard is simply not enough to fully enjoy and get good at this game, but it is still playable. It really sucks that you can't change the controls in game, but the Steam Remapping or something like motioninjoy could help with that.

The actual controlling on all difficulties is great and accurate to their names. The hardest difficulty feels butter smooth and is what I use all the time. If you take your time, you can really learn the game and get good with a car that fits you. I personally work well with "The Original," but who knows what you might be great with. Also, there is always a mixture of challenging yourself, the music, and the map you're on that can give you different moods within the game.

This game is also very fun and easy to get back into and keep with. I think that in general, it may get boring after you completely master (rank 1) all of the maps and finish the campaign, but it would take a long time (probably no less than 150 hours) before you get to that point. At least for me, the game pushes me to try harder and be the best at any map I try. I am currently, as of this review, number 4 on Mt. Nikko with about 300,000 points to go to number 1. It's taken me about 15 hours to get to that point and I don't plan on stopping until I am at number 1.

Last Words

This game is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ amazing. I don't even think curse words can explain how awesome this game is. I think that the game has come a very long way in the past 9 months and I think that it has amazing potential.

funselektorlabs deserves a lot of credit for the creation of this game. I can't wait to see how this game evolves because it would be a shame if it were to stop where it is. However, it wouldn't be horrible, becasue the game is already amazing as-is.

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Points System

The point system is very fair and I think I have it figured out, in general. Here's my thoughts:

- Depending on drifting direction, a sideways-sliding score is given, and it's when the most rear wheel in a drift (if you're going right, it's the rear right) is farther out than the forward wheel (if you're drifting around a right corner, it's your left front, and vice-versa):

- This is the general "drifitng score."
- The wider the angle up to a 90º drift is more points
- You get a multiplier based upon how long you have been drifing "continuously"
- If you're going too slow, the points stop adding
- If you go over 90º, the points stop adding
- If you hit anything, except bonuses, your points are summed in the total and you lose your multiplier
- If you stop drifing for too long (I think about 5 seconds), your points are summed in the total and you lose your multiplier

- Extra points are given when you go around a bonus pole:

- The closer you are, the more points you get
- The faster you are going, the more points you get
- If you're too far away or "aren't drifitng" near one, it doesn't count
- If you hit one, it doesn't count, but doesn't get rid of your score or multiplier

- Extra points are given when you hit a red block:

- If you hit it you get points
- If you don't hit it, you get no points
- Faster and more Sideways you are, you get more points

- Extra points are given when you go around a donut circle (driftkhana only):

- If you finish the donut indicated with the increasing red circle, you get more points
- Faster and more Sideways you are, you get more points
- If you hit it, you get no points

- Extra points are given when you spin in a "spin-zone" (driftkhana only):

- If you finish the spinning indicated with the increasing red circle, you get more points
- There's really no downside to these...

- Points are inceased exponentially (I don't know how much the curve is) if you stack bonuses in one "continuous" drift:

- If you keep getting bonuses, they'll exponentially increase
- If your current score is reset, so does your bonus stack