Forza Horizon 6’s Japan made open-world racing finally click for me

It seems like pretty much everyone I know is in Japan right now.

Whether it’s my good friend and occasional MobileSyrup contributor Andrew Mohan or a bunch of colleagues and old coworkers, my social media feed has been dominated by posts about the East Asian country. Naturally, I’ve had more than a little bit of FOMO.

But as luck would have it, Xbox was starting previews for developer Playground’s Forza Horizon 6 around the same time, giving me the opportunity to at least visit a virtual recreation of Japan. And man, I’m so glad I did.

Admittedly, I’ve never really vibed much with racing games outside of the arcade-y, item-filled chaos of Mario Kart. Even Xbox’s acclaimed Forza series is something I’ve always appreciated more so than actively enjoyed. But a combination of timing and actually sinking a few hours into Horizon 6 has me finally falling in love with the formula.

First and foremost: the appeal of Japan itself. I’ve been fortunate to visit the country three times now, including last year, and it’s truly a magical place. From the bustling and dazzlingly bright streets of Tokyo to the serene rural locales of Kyoto, it’s such a lovely country. Even after my trio of trips there, I’m always eager to go back. And so, that alone makes Horizon 6 stand out for me more than previous instalments. (No offence at all to Mexico or Britain.)

As I started the preview, I knew that this would be different from my previous attempts to get into the series. Right away, I’m thrown into a countryside race between multi-coloured fields, zipping alongside bridges at speeds rivalling the shinkansen (bullet trains) zooming by us. This vignette-style intro then took me high above to a sun-soaked mountain trail covered by sakura (cherry blossoms), the bright pink leaves scattering in every direction as I drove over them. It’s a quick tutorial, but that brevity is effective in succinctly showcasing Japan’s stunning geodiversity. And, of course, it just feels exceptionally tight to control — not surprising considering Playground is arguably the best in the business at racers.

But outside of the high-octane races, what I really came to appreciate during my demo was the quieter moments. Indeed, racers naturally condition you to want to reach the highest possible speeds, but Horizon 6 being set in Japan — an arrestingly beautiful and tranquil country — encouraged me to take things slow. After a guided Prologue mission took me through parts of Tokyo City, I returned in Free Roam, driving at a much more leisurely pace to take in the gorgeously photorealistic sights. The many konbini convenience stores and brightly coloured vending machines. The overlapping bridges across streets. The neon-coloured buildings and advertisements, especially in the iconic Shibuya Crossing. All of the ramen restaurants, arcades and other cozy little shops tucked neatly away between it all.

Then there’s the beauty of the open-world format. Free from any pressures to keep going fast, I could just explore. And that feeling extended well beyond Tokyo. In the city’s outskirts, I drove between all of the classic, minka vernacular door houses and lively crop-filled gardens surrounding them. In the northern regions, I headed towards a temple structure that beckoned to me like a lighthouse in a storm and found a 2020 Hammerhead ATV that I purchased, allowing me to smoothly skirt down snowy hills thanks to its big, bouncy wheels. And when I went past a marker for a cross-country race between wind farms, I ended up on a beach below towering windmills.

And of course, there’s plenty more to do if you so choose. While the preview was limited, naturally, the final game will have a full campaign, various open-world activities like races, challenges like continuous drifting across winding ramps, and collectibles to find. With all of this content, I was grateful that there’s a “Recommended Content” tab in the menu suggesting events I could tackle. It’s a nice and completely optional way to provide a bit of guidance.

I’ve long argued that one of the many unique appeals of video games is their ability to provide a form of virtual tourism unlike any other medium, and that’s exactly what Horizon 6 does so well. While many games are set in Japan, from Ubisoft Quebec’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Sucker Punch’s Ghost of Yōtei to RGG Studios’ Yakuza/Like a Dragon series, they almost all focus on some sort of combat and RPG-like systems. Those are great in their own ways, but as games continue to become more numerous and bloated, there’s something so beautifully pure about being able to just drive around without a care in the world.

And that’s the feeling I’m taking out of this preview. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with so much going on, and sometimes, all you need is to go for a drive. That I can ostensibly do that in Japan is all the more enticing, and I’m now very much looking forward to playing the full game.

Forza Horizon 6 launches on Xbox Series X/S and PC on May 19. A PS5 port is also planned for sometime later this year.

Image credit: Xbox