Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Review – Take It To The Garage

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Review

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown has arrived at a crossroads of nostalgia and fresh ideas by building on the heritage of its iterations, while striving to embody the essence of open-world racing gaming experiences. Crafted by Kylotonn Studios, Solar Crown is the latest entry into the esteemed Test Drive Unlimited franchise that first gained prominence in the early 2000s as a trailblazer in racing games. Unfortunately, while Solar Crown was promised to offer a racing adventure in an intricately designed open-world setting with rich details and depth to explore, it falls short of meeting the high standards set by its predecessors.

One of the most underwhelming aspects of Solar Crown is its visual design. Set on the sun-drenched island of Hong Kong, it offers players a backdrop of urban landscapes, coastlines, and winding mountain roads. While an appealing premise (much as Oahu and Ibiza were), Solar Crown suffers from inconsistencies in detail—particularly in the environment. While a few areas are rendered with impressive fidelity, others lack the polish players expect from a modern racing title. Moreover, the characters and their animations are utterly atrocious. The vehicles also look dated. They are far from the gorgeous automobiles you’ll find in games like Gran Turismo 7 and Forza Horizon 5.

Tough Drive

For a game that appears as rough around the edges as Solar Crown does, it’s baffling to see how poorly it runs. I’ve been playing it on the PS5 over the last week and would love to see its PC counterpart, but as of now, the state Solar Crown is in is unacceptable. Choosing the fidelity mode locks Solar Crown to the 30 FPS. Twenty years ago, this framerate may have been acceptable. As an avid racing game fan in 2024, it isn’t. But the real kick in the pills is that Solar Crown still looks unimpressive when resigning to it. Performance mode offers 60 FPS but also locks things to 1080p, making the visual shortcomings even more pronounced.

It’s a damned if you do, damned if you don’t situation. Upon launching Kylotonn’s latest for the first time, I’d imagine the vast majority of players will all agree that this one needed more time in the oven before hitting the streets.

Some Good, Some Bad

Thankfully, Solar Crown does capture the essence of open-world exploration that Test Drive is known for. It allows players to traverse the island at their own pace, which is excellent. Discovering hidden locales and participating in spontaneous street races is reminiscent of what made the original Test Drive games so appealing. However, that sense of freedom is contrasted by an underwhelming take on Hong Kong that fails to replicate the magic that was exploring Oahu and Ibiza in previous entries.

The truth is, Kylotonn’s take on Hong Kong is rather dull. I distinctly remember being excited to explore the locales offered in Test Drive 1 and 2, but Solar Crown, for the most part, doesn’t quite capture that essence. There are lots of fun roads to drive in Solar Crown—there’s no denying that—but most of what surrounds them blends together into a forgettable, indistinguishable setting.

Handle With Care

What really matters, though, is how Solar Crown handles. I’m aware that I may be in the minority here, but I’ve been enjoying its arcade-style driving system. Test Drive has never been a driving simulator, and Solar Crown is no different. Cars grip the pavement in ways they don’t in real life, but for my money, that’s okay. There are plenty of games that emulate driving a real car better. If I want an experience like that, I’ll play those. Test Drive has always been more about celebrating the lighter, goofier side of racing games; in this regard, Solar Crown succeeds. Cornering, hitting high speeds, and outmaneuvering opponents with clean racing are all entertaining. There’s a solid blueprint here. If Kylotonn can bear down and improve upon Solar Crown’s shortcomings, we could, one day, have a game that lives up to the Test Drive name.

Vehicles also sound excellent. Solar Crown’s greatest triumph undoubtedly is its ability to mimic the sound of a roaring engine or a screeching tire. The changes in audio cues when rolling down your driver-side window. Or the distinct thuds when driving over brick. As vital to the experience as anything else, sound design in a racing game is tricky to pull off. When done correctly, it can add life to a game that otherwise feels dead. This is the case with Solar Crown. Whenever I would find myself underwhelmed, it was the audio that would pick my spirits off the ground.

Grinding Gears

However, it was never long before something else would grind my gears. The progression system suffers from pacing issues. Let me make it clear that I appreciate it when racing games make purchasing a new car something to be celebrated. Solar Crown does this, but it fails to strike a balance between fun and grindy. Cars are expensive, and races pay entirely too little. I hated being awarded supercars within the first hour of Forza Horizon 5. I also wouldn’t say I like the feeling that I need to make a career out of Solar Crown to buy new stuff. This can easily be amended with a patch, which I anticipate will be the case. But, as it is, Solar Crown suffers as a monotonous grind.

Solar Crown grapples with an identity crisis between nostalgia for its roots and the necessity to innovate. For the title to realize its potential and capture the hearts of new players and longtime fans, Kylotonn must prioritize refining existing mechanics, deepening content, and providing a visual overhaul that demands players to explore.

Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown carries the weight of its heritage but has yet to deliver the whole experience expected of a modern racing title. While it is evident that the developers have a clear vision for the game, the execution leaves much to be desired. It can be fun if you go into it with expectations in check. And I do have high hopes for what is still to come. Though, as is the case with so many games these days, this is not the launch anybody would have been hoping for.

*** A PS5 code was provided for this review***