One of the most successful racing game series is back. Does Gran Turismo 7 manage the balancing act between car collecting nostalgia and an adequate sim racing platform?
It’s been almost nine years since the last numerical part of one of the most successful racing game series. Not only that, with Gran Turismo 6, the last part was released in 2013 still on the PlayStation 3.
In 2017, developer Polyphony Digital released Gran Turismo Sport for the PlayStation 4, which shook off all the classic aspects of the series and focused consistently on competitive online racing. This alienated the old hands to such an extent that a compact career was added in an update. Instead, the sports part became a serious competitive platform for high-quality racing eSports.
Gran Turismo 7 is out today, 4 March 2022, on PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4 for €79.99, and €69.99 respectively. It should make no less than the whole GT family happy. Both the old car collectors and new sports enthusiasts. Can this succeed?
Clear line to start with
Gran Tursimo 7 is packed with 400 cars, over 90 tracks, endless content and different modes. From a purely numerical point of view, it’s easy to lose the overview at the beginning. However, the racing game prevents sheer overload by limiting you at the beginning.
It takes a good eight hours or more to unlock every nook and cranny on the overview map. This also means that online races are only available after three to four hours. On the other hand, GT7 makes it easy to get started: new information comes in small bites, but is explained clearly and comprehensibly.
Those who have never played a part before will quickly feel at home. But car collectors of the first hour are also taken by the hand. The focus is on the love of the automobile.
Right at the beginning, there is a new mode in the game with the music rally. Here, Sunday drivers are allowed to drive laps around the course to music until the time runs out. Classic arcade checkpoints extend the Sunday drive.
Later on, racing scenarios, multiplayer modes, photo mode, various car dealerships, the tuning workshop and the styling shop add to the variety of possibilities on the world map.
Which one is your next?
The hub of Gran Turismo 7 is a café. Here there are central tasks to complete and thus a guide through the new World Tour. Mostly, collections of three cars have to be collected, which can be earned in certain races. Other tasks unlock new areas, such as scenarios, online modes or further car dealerships to visit.
So the whole extent opens up leisurely, but quite charmingly staged via dialogues and camera movements. During the playtime, a time travel through automobile history unfolds. Special features of classic to modern model series and types, as well as track peculiarities are highlighted and introduced by fictional characters.
Since cars can be unlocked, an instinctive buying spree is prevented for the time being. Good, because money is scarce at the beginning. A Pokemon-like collecting pull develops.
Once everything has been unlocked, there are many ways to unleash the collected favourites onto the racetrack. The prerequisite for many races are the classic racing licences known from the previous parts.
Through ten exams each with special topics, not only can the basic knowledge of racing be learned, but confidence in the latest driving skills can also be strengthened.
For the joy of driving
Through a wide range of settings, both Sunday drivers and racing cracks can celebrate immediate success. Everything is possible, from arcadian track guidance to driving aid-free purism.
The DualSense controller of the PlayStation 5 passes on important information of the track conditions and the balance of the vehicle. The driving experience of Gran Tursimo 7 is a haptic masterpiece even without a steering wheel via the controller.
Dynamic weather changes and day/night cycles make even short races seem unpredictable. GT7 drivers must constantly adapt their driving style to changing conditions, just like professional racers.
Changing light conditions mean that both blinding sun and low visibility are to be expected. Rain not only complicates conditions on the track, water swirled up by the driver in front leads to flying blind.
A great unusual feature are marker points at the edge of the track that indicate ideal turn-in and apex points. They replace the much-loved 3D ideal line and force a real view of the track. After all, a racer’s gaze always lands where he wants to go, not where he is at the moment. Marker points are thus optimal aids for a fluid driving style.
The AI also fits in with the authentic image of racing. The artificial opponents on the track react even to the most aggressive driving styles. No infamous pearl necklaces, no mindless ramming. There is always the fair vehicle width space that racing is known for.
Fair driving is also rewarded in the online mode “Sport”. Both one’s own skill and behaviour on the track are evaluated. Points are deducted for those who provoke collisions. Only those who practice fair racing can expect to advance in the league system. For everyone else, there is casual multiplayer, both online and in the splice screen on the couch.
Conclusion
Polyphony Digital really goes back to the roots with Gran Tursimo 7. The focus on licenses, tuning and collecting cars should appeal to GT veterans. With the diverse options of single races, championships, licences and scenarios, long-term fun seems guaranteed for the time being after about eight hours of play.
Those who have played Gran Turismo Sport can tune into online races on the Wold Map and compete with others in leagues, single races and time trials in Sport mode. In addition, the latest part is a feast for the eyes, especially on the PlayStation 5 in 4K with ray tracing.
Those who are active in the photo mode will hardly be able to distinguish shot pictures from reality. On the track, too, both the vehicles and the environment with their play of light and shadow look absolutely authentic.
The driving experience should appeal to beginners and racing specialists alike. In addition, there is an incredible amount of background information on cars and manufacturers. An interactive automobile museum awaits you here. A paradise for car enthusiasts.
Almost nine years of waiting for a full-fledged part have paid off. With an almost perfect balancing act, Gran Turismo 7 seems to be hard to oust from the racing game throne this year.
