Review for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown

Initial release date: September 12, 2024

Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X and Series S, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, GeForce Now

Developer: Kylotonn

License: proprietary license

Genres: Racing game, Massively multiplayer online game, Adventure game, Massively Multiplayer

Publishers: Nacon, Bigben Interactive S.A.

Series: Test Drive, Test Drive Unlimited

For Xbox, it’s either Forza Motorsport or Forza Horizon. Gran Turismo reigns supreme on PlayStation, while Assetto Corsa Competizione continues to captivate PC fans. Even those who play on the Nintendo Switch can enjoy Gear.Club. And they can retain it despite the disappointing release of Gear.Club Unlimited 2 on Xbox.

But boiling beneath those behemoths is a driving series beloved all over the world; a cult racer that has been inactive for more than ten years. That franchise is called Test Drive Unlimited.

Test Drive Unlimited debuted in 2006, with a sequel, Test Drive Unlimited 2, released in 2012. That later game had serious flaws at first – some would call it a disastrous launch – but it was gradually rectified enough that a community could continue to race.

After great anticipation, and significant delays, we now have Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. With Nacon and KT Racing lending their expertise to the driving experience, how could it fail? Well…

It’s time to race for the solar crown.

I can’t sit here and claim Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is in perfect condition. However, this is an MMOR (massively multiplayer online racer) – a live service experience that will and must evolve over time. That’s all we can hope for, because while the roots of Solar Crown exist, they’re buried away, and the rest of it is currently in disarray. We’ll blame the servers, but happily, it’s something that can be addressed, and they have been during our time with the game thus far. Slowly and steadily, we should see Nacon and KT overcome the live service problems and transform this into a true podium racer.

using that stated, we’ve had a lot of fun using Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. And, to be honest, we’re too old to notice early game failures and server issues. For when this game works, it truly works. That is what we are going to focus on in this review.

So, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown is an always-online racer. Set in a 1:1 recreation of Hong Kong Island, you are recruited by the Solar Crown organizers. This is a futuristic organization that oversees all street racing, settling on the streets of Hong Kong to allow for it, with Alyss, your AI partner, assisting you in navigating the vast area. After an initial opening cutscene or five and working through a limited character creation, you’re left to cruise the streets, which are slightly vacant but full with pop-ins. It must be noted that those roads periodically slow Solar Crown down to a crawl, especially when objects are dominated by high-rise structures, causing the game to stutter and rip.

Fortunately, except from that, Solar Crown functions smoothly. It’s mainly smooth, as quick as a racer should be, slowing down as you traverse tight paths, roving the streets, looking for hidden surprises, events, garages, and more. To be honest, I had no idea Hong Kong Island was so damp and had such few sunny hours. The majority of our time here has been spent with the headlights and windshield wipers turned on full. That’s probably something KT should address.

Hong Kong Island awaits.

As with other racers, your ultimate goal is to compete in races and cross finish lines before everyone else. And in those races, you’ll compete against AI racers as well as people from your world. While internet racers inevitably generate pandemonium at the first corner, the AI requires some improvement. They’ll presumably be sprinting away with things at the front, nearly untouchable, or falling far behind. There appears to be very little in between, and we expect KT Racing to change that AI in the future.

Races are frequent, with a range of event kinds. There are typical circuit races, point-to-point events, time trials, and more. We particularly enjoy Domination – checkpoint racing, where racers receive points based on their location through gates, as well as select Hot Head events that have leaderboard ranking chases. Whatever your poison, there is plenty to engage in with Solar Crown as you strive to establish yourself a champion.

Progression is achieved through levels, which unlock additional races and events, car types (you’ll have to work hard to get behind the wheel of a hypercar), and Hong Kong Island. It feels well-paced, with just enough content available before new unlocks appear. There are plenty of hidden mysteries sprinkled over the area, including Radiant Prizes, level gains, and automobile wrecks, to keep you busy. This is one of those games where you can easily spend hours hunting.

In Solar Crown, the pleasure of fans will determine your success, but so will a couple of Clans: the Sharps and the Streets. These are two distinct racing organizations that add a’street racing community’ flavor to Solar Crown. You’ll be able to ensure that your clan comes out on top during the game, as well as compete against Clan members in what should be interpreted as a play on pink slip racing. We’re not sure if the relationships with these Clans are that appealing, but it does add to the material.

Offroading, if you want it.

Of course, despite all of the fluff surrounding them, the automobiles are the stars of Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown. There are many of those, too, ranging from daily drivers to off-road vehicles, grand tourers, supercars, hypercars, and so on. However, as of the time of writing, while there are numerous real-world marques accessible, don’t expect to see much more in early-hour racing than fields full of powerful Audi TT RS 2017. In Solar Crown, four-wheel drive reigns supreme, making it nearly worthless to come to the grid with anything else. It’s similar in other classes, with what appears to be a standout option that powers away from the rest of the grid. That’s a shame because the majority of the cars available feel distinct from one another.

However, there are numerous different automobiles to experiment with, and each one can be modified in terms of both performance and looks. You’ll need to unlock the available gear, but as you go through the levels, you should be able to customize your ride to your own specifications. Solar Crown has a good selection of liveries, external and internal colorways, and other options. There are numerous different car setups and driving modes. to also enjoy.

So, while we were generally impressed with Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, there were some issues. We’ll continue to avoid server problems because they appear to be hit-or-miss, but this is obviously a game full of bugs and glitches, to the point where it’s difficult to be confident that what you’re doing will be valuable, with a save bug always on your mind. Perhaps this will result in the loss of a few minutes, if not hours, of work. There are also visual issues; we’ve driven through steel fences without incident, collided head on with other cars that appeared right in front of us while we were doing 200kmh, and been slowed to a walking pace by a tiny barrier, races ruined. Solar Crown’s offerings may leave you feeling frustrated.

And there’s no denying that this is a game that, at moments, feels like it was released in 2015. Cutscenes and character models are incredibly low-quality, and any voice acting appears phony and dialed in. Some car models are also terrible, albeit most of these are NPC cabs that may be found roaming freely about Hong Kong. I believe it depends on how much importance you put on those elements to determine what you will receive out of Solar Crown. For us, the racing is the most exciting part, followed by the freedom to travel the world. With that in mind, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown truly succeeds.

A superb racer governed by issues

Ultimately, a dozen years after Test Drive Unlimited 2, and over half a decade after its first announcement, Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown launches with issues. However, if you can get beyond the glitches, bugs, low-quality cutscenes, slow lifestyle components, and frequent server troubles, you’ll discover a fantastic driving experience.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown allows you to tour the beautiful Hong Kong Island while participating in some exciting racing. Only time will tell if future updates to this MMOR will be able to flesh things out even more.

Review Overview

Gameplay: 72%

Controls: 74%

Aesthetics: 77%

Content: 70%

Accessibility: 75%

Value: 72%

Overall: 73%

FAIR

Summary: “Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown” provides a solid open-world racing experience, but it falls short in some aspects. While it has entertaining driving mechanics and a visually pleasing world, the repetitive content and occasional graphical flaws detract from the overall enjoyment. The game is a good value for racing aficionados, but it may not please those wishing for a more polished and innovative racing experience.