Forza Horizon 5 Is Great, But It Could Be Even Better

Improvements on the Horizon?

Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5

Forza Horizon 5 is arguably the best this long-running series has ever been. The open world of Mexico is an absolute joy to explore, with lots of varied biomes that give the world a lot more to discover than just green fields and the occasional city. The gameplay and physics are top-notch, which isn’t a surprise as the Forza Horizon series has been at the top of the game for years now, and there’s more content available here at launch than perhaps there ever has been in a FH game.

I’m getting the praise out of the way now, but I want to make it clear that Forza Horizon 5 is a definite contender for Game of the Year as it is. The Horizon series has always existed on the periphery with regards to the Xbox’s game library, in the sense that the games have consistently excelled, but they’ve been largely dismissed by the wider audience because racing games don’t compare to huge narrative adventures. “Who cares about your Horizon? We have robot dinosaurs in our Horizon.”

Now, it feels like the Forza Horizon series is being taken seriously, thanks in no small part to the success of Game Pass. In just a few short days after launch, the game has managed to surpass 5 million players, which is still climbing, and has broken Forza Horizon 4’s concurrent player peak three times over. With more eyes on the series than ever, the future has never been brighter for the racing game series — but part of me can’t help but think it could be just that little bit better.

Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5

Again, it’s not that Forza Horizon 5 is bad. Far, far, far from it in fact, but I’m Augustus Gloop and I want more, and there’s a few areas where Forza Horizon 5 could make some genuine improvements. For starters, Forza could do well with taking some gameplay inspiration from Ubisoft’s Riders Republic, just so long as they don’t take their obnoxious characters and grating vibe anyway.

The defining feature of Riders Republic, and to the same extent fellow Ubisoft racer The Crew 2, is the fact that it accommodates for multiple disciplines. Both games allow you to tackle their open worlds from both the ground and the air, and The Crew 2 even has boats for some added extras. Players can even swap seamlessly between each of these disciplines, allowing them to reach some ridiculous locations. If you ever felt like doing bike tricks while on top of a hot air balloon, you can.

While I’m not suggesting that the Forza Horizon series should immediately pivot to busting out sick tricks while snowboarding down a mountain (though I will take a new SSX if anyone’s offering), I think Riders Republic showcases Horizon’s potential for expansion. It doesn’t need to be through wingsuits, planes or boats, but something like motorcycles would make for a truly transformative Forza Horizon experience. Hitting danger signs or winning cross country races on dirt bikes as part of a Forza Horizon game sounds like a dream racing game experience.

Riders Republic
Riders Republic

Heck, the showcase events in Forza Horizon love pitting you against some kind of motorcycle stunt (the first event in FH 5 even has them use wingsuits) and those events make riding around on a bike look like fun, Imagine being able to do that in the open world too, joining forces with your four-wheeled brethren to complete Forza Arcade challenges and so on. Just be glad collisions are turned off in the open world, at least — so many riders would just be yeeted off bikes by malicious drivers and you know it.

The other aspect that sticks out in my mind where Forza Horizon 5 could improve is greater character customisation options. Between the games already mentioned, open world racing games are making a habit of trying to sell a life or lifestyle outside of the cars you drive. Sure, the vehicles and how you customise them will always be the driving focus, but your digital avatars in open world racing games like Forza Horizon, Riders Republic and The Crew are becoming more and more prevalent, and yet the options available could be so much better.

To Forza Horizon’s credit, the ability to add prosthetic limbs, pick from a wider range of racially diverse avatars, choose your own pronouns and wear whatever clothing you like is a great addition in terms of visibility and representation. The options on offer in Forza Horizon 5 are certainly better than 4’s, but for the most part, you’re picking from a select group of preset avatars, then choosing from a wardrobe and that’s your lot. At least Riders Republic had the option to give your avatars a beard. Does facial hair not exist at the Horizon Festival? Security just kicks you out if you possess even as much as a five o’clock shadow?

Forza Horizon 5
Forza Horizon 5

I know that the idea of someone decrying the lack of beards when Forza Horizon 5 has done so much in terms of inclusivity in other ways seems a bit entitled, but I’m not the only person to think this way. Since the launch of the game, there’s been multiple Reddit threads written by those unhappy with the lack of beard options, and while some of the comments and sentiments veer swiftly into some abhorrent anti-inclusivity and transphobia, the point that a 100GB game doesn’t have at least a couple of beard options in its customisation still stands.

There’s no reason Forza Horizon 5 should offer a Black Desert level of character customisation, with ridiculously minute sliders for brow height and shape. That’s perhaps a bit too much for a racing game. I understand the need for simplicity when you’re spending ninety percent of your time staring at a rear bumper, but there’s some definite oversights here. Even just more customisable body types would be nice.

There’s a new character in this game called Ramiro, a bit of a thicc boi and arguably the best character in the whole game. I love that dude, but it would have been nice to allow the player avatars to select that option too, instead of just selecting “generic skinny body type masculine” or “generic skinny body type feminine”. I’m a wide lad in real life, so let me live out the wish fulfilment of being able to drive a tiny supercar without making a tit of myself getting in and out of the thing, beard flapping in the breeze the entire time.

Like I said at the top of the article, Forza Horizon 5 is still an incredible game, and it’s worthy of all the praise and accolades, but there’s room here for the formula to either evolve or grow in some way. To put it simply, I want Forza Horizon 6, or even DLC for 5, to introduce something that changes the dynamic, or improves on what’s already been added. Forza Horizon 5 is the highest watermark for the series, and I just know it can get higher.

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