Art of Rally is a stylized casual rally simulator from the authors of the racing arcade game Absolute Drift . And this is probably the best arcade racing game of 2020.

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Many rally fans still believe that the near-unlimited Group B cars (1982-86), which were banned by the FIA in 1986 after several serious fatal accidents, were the most interesting and spectacular in the history of motorsport. Others will object that the first seasons of the WRC, in which almost production cars of Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4 participated (1966-82), were more honest and more demanding on the skill of the pilots. Still others will say that the cars of the short-lived Group S are also interesting, and the Group A cars that replaced the monsters of Group B (oh, those Subaru Impreza WRX and Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution) were also good and gave racing fans a lot of pleasant moments. Well, Art of Rally is ready to reconcile everyone, this game tells about the golden age of rally – racing and cars 1966 – 1996.

And don’t be put off by the appearance, which has something in common with numerous arcade races on mobile platforms. Behind the stylized and actually fantastically beautiful low-poly graphics hides a quite wealthy arcade simulator in which you will need the same skills as in WRC 9 – the ability to drift corners, observe the speed limit, the ability to perform a Scandinavian flick, use it correctly steering and hand brake.

Small cars in Art of Rally behave no worse than their realistic prototypes in some “big” rallies set to balanced difficulty. They roll and turn very realistically, they react differently to different surfaces and behave completely differently in rain and snow. Front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive models are seriously different in behavior, moreover, the same cars with engines of different capacities show themselves differently. In a word, despite the frivolous appearance, from the point of view of car physics, Art of Rally will give odds to many “serious” races in 2020.

Six groups, five rallies in each group, a championship for each year from 1967 to 1996. Five large locations – Finland, Sardinia, Japan, Norway and Germany, with dozens of different special stages each. No, these are not the official stages of the classic championships, but the tracks built by the authors of the game are no less interesting and contain high-speed sections, difficult serpentines, treacherous turns and dangerous jumps. Moreover, at different times of the day, in different weather and on cars of different classes, the tracks feel completely different.

Since this game is about classic rallies, you can’t do without classic cars. Lancia Stratos HF, Alpine A110, Ferrari 275, Ferrari 308, Lotus Europa, Porsche 911, Opel Kadett, Ford Escort, BMW M1, Audi Quattro, Alfa Romeo 75, BMW 528i (E28), BMW M3 (E30), Ford Sierra RS500 Cosworth, Honda Civic, Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, Nissan Skyline DR30 RS, Renault 11 Turbo, Subaru RX Turbo and Subaru Impreza WRX, Toyota Celica Supra, Volvo 360 and others. There is simply no more classic. Unfortunately, the authors of Art of Rally did not agree with either the FIA or the automakers. Therefore, BMW in the game turned into DAS, Ford into Esky, Alpine into La Montaine, Fiat into Nonno, Lancia into Wedge, Ferrari into il Cavallo, Renault into Cinq, Volvo into Brick, Audi into Hammer, Alfa – in il Gorilla, etc.

Nevertheless, all the cars, despite the low-poly models, are recognizable and even behave almost the same as their counterparts in serious rallies. Art of Rally even has a damage system, although without external manifestations, apart from the smoke from the engine. Not only that, small cars are covered with dust or snow while driving, but on repetitions you can clearly see how their suspension works out in corners and the brakes overheat when braking. Yes, between the stages, as in real rallies, there is a limited time to fix your car.

The only thing to complain about is the lack of a navigator or at least a map. And although a high camera, placed on a drone 30 meters behind the car, gives a good overview, sometimes, especially in the rain, at night and in fog, a navigator would be very useful.

Yes, this race, like Funselektor Labs’ previous game, Absolute Drift, uses a high rear camera, which may scare away real rally fans. And in vain, because despite the fact that Art of Rally sometimes looks like a mashup of Micro Machines and WRC, this, as we have already noted, is quite a serious race. Why, rally fans can even connect a steering wheel to this game (check out the list of supported models and forums first). According to reviews, driving cars on such a controller is quite authentic. But still, personally, I would not refuse a lower camera, say, right behind the car, as in most arcade racing, especially since such a camera is available in replays and in Photo Mode, as you can see from the screenshots.

Yes, for screenshots. I shot over 300 screens in Art of Rally and believe me, it was very difficult for me to choose the ones that will go to the review. Despite the use of low-poly vehicles and environments, as well as frankly sprite grass and trees, Art of Rally looks fantastic. The low morning or evening sun bathes the fields of Sardinia in gold or paints the blooming gardens of Japan in a nostalgic purple. Fog makes memorized routes surprisingly mysterious and unfamiliar. The night turns the race into a mystery. Of the small pleasant details that enliven the world are onlookers-observers crossing the road in front of your car. And even though these are just multi-colored parallelepipeds depicting people, they look very cute and funny. The game looks great from any angle, in any weather and lighting conditions. Pure colors and simple models make it look like the work of primitive artists, and every shot you take makes you want to put it on your desktop as wallpaper. Yes, I am aware that low-poly will alienate adherents of the sect of realistic graphics, well, who is to blame for them.

One more thing. The soundtrack for the game, and this groovy electro, stylized as compositions of the 70-80s, was written by our compatriot, Vyacheslav Korystov aka Tatreal from Krivoy Rog. By the way, the OST for the game can be purchased on Steam as DLC or as part of the Deluxe edition.

And while Art of Rally doesn’t look like what fans of real rally simulators are used to, I would recommend this game to anyone who is interested in racing. This is truly a work of art, and made with great love for motorsport. And it really evokes nostalgic memories of the good old days. Do not miss.