What would an automotive festival in Hawaii be like? The Crew Motorfest aims to answer this question. The new thing from Ubisoft – which arrives today on PlayStation, Xbox and PC – is a mix between an arcade driving game and the large open worlds to which the French company has already accustomed us. Hundreds of cars to choose from to explore the main island of the Hawaiian archipelago: O'ahu.
As in Forza Horizon – the saga that The Crew has always been inspired by – one of the main attractions of the game is driving freely through the open world. And go from the ash slope of a volcano, to the paradisiacal beaches of O'ahu, to the humid and lush jungle or to the streets of crowded Honolulu. All this choosing from more than 600 vehicles with options dating back to the 1950s.
The Crew Motorfest content is organized into playlists. There are 15 available at launch, but Ubisoft plans to release more throughout Season 1. Each playlist is a small themed campaign, and upon completion the player is rewarded with a unique vehicle. When you enter one of these specific matches, not only do the vehicles change, but the island of O'ahu is adapted and decked out for the occasion.
In the Made in Japan playlist, for example, Honolulu is filled with neon and in the Lamborghini campaign the island adopts a more Italian aesthetic. But the most interesting game mode is the Vintage Garage, which invites players to explore the evolution of cars between the 50s and the 90s. In this playlist, the gameplay adapts to the technology of the time so get ready to driving without ABS or power steering. In addition, GPS did not exist, so orientation in races is based on photographs and maps.
As the name of the game indicates from the outset – Motorfest – the new thing from Ubisoft is an automotive festival. Those looking for a simulator here would be better off waiting for the next Forza Motorsport, since in The Crew they will not find realism of any kind (except in the graphic section). In this sense – and continuing with the comparison with the Microsoft franchise – The Crew Motorfest is very similar to Forza Horizon.
Beyond playlists, Ubisoft also offers several online game modes. These range from 28-player races to a Demolition mode with eight teams and a total of 32 players. In fact, everything you can do at The Crew Motorfest can be done cooperatively or competitively with friends online.
Another of the strengths of this new The Crew is collecting. In total there are more than 600 different fully customizable vehicles and a beauty and style contest is held weekly to evaluate the best designs. Additionally, those who have played The Crew 2 can import their collection into Motorfest to retain their progress.
Automotive fans are in luck. Those who want a lighter but very complete experience full of content can join The Crew Motorfest party. While those who prefer simulation and realism can wait until October 10 to compete at the highest level in the new Forza Motorsport. Both games, rather than competing, complement each other.
The Crew Motorfest is an enthusiast proposition and is primarily about scale and variety. Surely there is a game mode for you, whether with a Japanese or vintage setting or testing to see who tunes their car the best. And the arcade gameplay is accessible to everyone and is designed to be fun regardless of your ability. It's a party and everyone is welcome.
The Crew Motorfest llega hoy a PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PC y Ubisoft Connect.
