The Test Drive Unlimited (TDU) series is getting a new entry, named Solar Crown, video game developer KT Racing announced on Tuesday 7th July.
Set to relaunch the franchise, TDU Solar Crown is said to modernise the series’ DNA – fast cars, racing, luxurious locales and an emphasis on lifestyle and social status. The last release TDU saw was back in 2011 with the sequel to the 2006 original – both titles have since grown somewhat of a cult following.
Admittedly, not much was revealed during the game’s announcement. Though Alain Jarniou, KT Racing creative director – who formerly worked on both of the previous TDU games – did mention that the team had been working on Solar Crown for ‘several months now’ and that he hopes to ‘share more about it very soon’.
That being said, there’s still some exciting info to talk about right now, so here are five features to sink your teeth into…
The Solar Crown championship and its ‘mysterious stakes’
As you can tell from the game’s title, Solar Crown will be based around the championship of the same name, much like the second instalment. During the reveal, Jarniou described the competition’s concept as ‘not a closed championship where the player is restricted to doing certain things.’
He added: ‘We wanted to give players a variety of things to do and the freedom to progress through the game however they want.’
Exactly what game modes are involved in this ‘variety’ is yet to be fully known, though it could consist of expanding on the categories of vehicle events present in TDU 2’s Solar Crown – asphalt, off-road, classic and motorcycle.
One excerpt from a recent Nacon (the publishers of TDU Solar Crown) press release (https://corporate.nacongaming.com/en/press/nacon-connect-recap/) I found interesting was: ‘Players will compete against each other in the Solar Crown, a competition with mysterious stakes, to elevate their character’s status within the community.’
‘Mysterious stakes’ – could this be hinting at the tone and direction the game’s plot/narrative will take? Is there more to the Solar Crown than initially let on? Of course, this is pure speculation at this point and it’s just something I found rather, well, mysterious – in a good way.
Physics engine and background in WRC games
Arguably KT Racing’s most famous series consists the WRC World Rally Championship games. TDU Solar Crown is said to be getting the same physics engine used to drive the cars and Jarnoiu stated that the studio’s experience producing WRC titles has aided the development of ‘an engine which can reproduce very diverse driving conditions, whether its gravel, asphalt, etc.’ This means if you want to get a taste of how driving will feel in Solar Crown, WRC 9 is set to release on September 3rd of this year, so I’d start there.
Don’t go thinking, however, that this means TDU’s highly-anticipated third instalment will be a rally game, as Jarniou stressed: ‘When I play Test Drive Unlimited, I obviously want to buy a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Bugatti, so it’s a unique world in terms of the cars you can buy.’
Confirmed cars
Speaking of cars, there are a few manufacturers, as well as a few models, that are confirmed to be in the game. Apart from the ones previously mentioned, through copyright information we can see that Dodge, Koenigsegg and Porsche also will have cars available to take out for a spin.
From the short trailer and copyright information, the likes of, for instance, the Koenigsegg Regera and Agera, as well as the Porsche 918 Spyder and 911, are seemingly confirmed to be present in Solar Crown.
1:1 scale island
Regarding the setting of this third TDU entry, Jarniou said: ‘To add more realism to Test Drive Unlimited, we created an island at 1:1 scale which is important for authenticity and the game experience.’
While no mention was made to the name and size of this ‘island’ (as of yet), the fact it will be a 1:1 scale replica is very exciting. Not only that, but, in Jarniou’s words, ‘everything you can see, you can visit’. This means no invisible walls and, I think it’s safe to say, the only boundaries present will be the surrounding ocean.
Realistic, exotic island settings have been a staple of the Test Drive Unlimited games, with previous settings consisting of the Hawaiian island of Oahu (TDU 1 and 2) and the Spanish island of Ibiza (TDU 2) – both of which were modelled using satellite data. Will we be returning to one of these locations in Solar Crown or will a new island play centre stage?
Character customisation, focus on social status and PEGI 18 rating
Anyone who’s played either of the original two TDU games will know that the franchise has always been more than just an open-world racer. With features such as houses to buy (with different sized garages), car and motorbike dealerships to discover and visit, clothing shops to change your character’s style, etc., TDU is as much about racing as it is about building up to and living out your millionaire fantasy.
Thankfully, it seems this will carry over to Solar Crown. While, again, not much (in terms of details) has been revealed when it comes to the extent of lifestyle-focused features, Jarniou did confirm, during the presentation, that one of these activities will be making a return: ‘In terms of your avatar, you have lots of customisation options, like luxury clothes and accessories.’
Further to that, like the previous two instalments, Solar Crown will have a large emphasis on social status. So much of an emphasis in fact that, under the game’s listing on Steam (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1249970/Test_Drive_Unlimited_Solar_Crown/), social status is described as being ‘everything in the world of TDU’.
Another feature that sets Solar Crown apart from other racing games is its age rating. Currently, the short trailer shows a provisional PEGI 18 rating. Could this mean the return of some form of casino as in the second game? Either way, it will be interesting to see what the 18-rated racer comes out with which warrants such a classification. I, for one, am glad the studio hasn’t been limited by keeping it under a certain age rating and can implement whatever features the developers feel will make the new TDU the best it can be.
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