Review for Gravel. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 27/02/2018
La Milestone, a development house specializing in racing games, such as MXGP3 e MotoGP 17, back on track in this first part of 2018 with Gravel, a new title with a very arcade flavor.
Gravel is the ideal racing game to relax and enjoy a few hours of adrenaline and speed without too many collateral complications. Contrary to the standard now for the racing genre, in Gravel we will not be called to interpret the role of a driver engaged in the various seasons of a car championship, whatever the category.
In Gravel we will take part in a kind of reality show, a web show broadcast in streaming entitled Offroad Masters, with very simple rules. Competitors, including us obviously, will have to participate in different types of races around the world, accumulating points and reputation "stars", which are essential to access the tracks and challenges of the next episode. Yes, because the show is structured in episodes, each of which consists of four separate events.
The type of events is very varied: they range from the classic track race to the timed course, passing through the classic rally stage, off-road routes and time trials. A specific car category is available for each individual event. In addition to the base model of each category, we will be able to unlock new models and new liveries as we advance with experience points and, consequently, levels. Every few bets, we will be called to challenge one of the previous Offroad Masters champions head to head.
In addition to good placements (which also allow us to earn the stars necessary to access the following episodes), we can also get experience points with our feats on the street, drifting, performing perfect jumps, ramming opponents and so on and so forth. . Keep in mind that, in general, the more aggressive and reckless our driving will be, the more points we will bring home.
As we said at the beginning, the soul of Gravel is above all arcade. Obviously, there is the possibility of putting our hands on the tuning of our vehicles, but this is certainly not fundamental as in other racing titles. The gearbox is also set to automatic by default (and obviously, as well as the assisted braking, they can be easily deselected from the options menu). In Gravel you get in the car and you give gas. The rest is pure adrenaline and fun.
The great variety of machines and challenges, as well as the inevitable opportunity to challenge other players online, both casual and friends, and the very balanced learning curve, make Gravel a very suitable title for both newbies to the genre and for enthusiasts. hardened. Everything ok then? Unfortunately not ...
Despite the very high level of detail of the various cars, the goodness of the physical models that regulate the collisions and the tightness of our vehicle and the reactivity of the track, in Gravel we will unfortunately find elements made in such a banal way as to be annoying. The wallpapers, for example, seem to come out not from the previous generation, but from the one before! Not to mention the public and the objects on the track. The first looks like that of a 90s coin op, without detail and with a single repeated animation, which makes people look like so many swaying puppets. Ugly to look at but, for the purposes of the race, irrelevant. Much more problematic is the issue of objects on the track (and some, rare on the track), since we will never be sure if a certain object is "investable" or forms a barrier. By keeping a rather “cheerful” driving style, even to accumulate more points, we will undoubtedly find ourselves maneuvering at the edge of the track. The tragedy is that, at times, we will be able to pass unscathed through bushes and trees that will fly away like leaves, then crash into a immovable plastic stake, the kind that hold up the orange grids, so to speak. Ditto for the unfortunate audience.
Wanting to go and find the nit, we could also contest, in case of going off the track, the lack of animations of the rollovers etc, but this is really trivial stuff.
Ultimately, Gravel remains an excellent arcade game, fun and simple to play, but complex to fully master. Too bad for some problems, really gross, which manage to visibly out of tune in an otherwise excellent ensemble.
► Gravel is a Driving-Sport game developed and published by Milestone for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 27/02/2018
