Assetto Corsa EVO

With the start of early access of Assetto Corsa EVO, the latest iteration of the racing simulator of Italian origin, the KUNOS Simulazioni franchise evolves, aiming towards new free roam horizons.

Developer / Publisher: KUNOS Simulazioni / 505 Games Price: €39.99 Localisation: Texts Multiplayer: Competitive online PEGI: 3 Available on: PC (Steam) Launch Date: Already available in early access

According to the reception of Steam users, the only platform on which, for the moment, it is available, Assetto Corsa EVO did not start off in a memorable way. That “mostly positive average” is not very encouraging, however it must be given the correct weight because these are the first stirrings of early access.

The times are premature, it is better not to be in a hurry to draw conclusions also because there is potential in the trajectory of the project, even in its embryonic form one can already glimpse great ambitions and ambitious ambitions. It’s not so much a matter of modes or contents, those will come later, as Mina and Riccardo Cocciante would say, it’s a question of feeling: steering wheel but also pad in hand, in fact, EVO promises really well. Who knows what a show in VR!

AUTHOR’S KUNOS

Strengthened by the experience accumulated with the splendid Assetto Corsa of 2016 and Assetto Corsa Competizione of 2019, the official simulation of the GT World Challenge of which I propose the PC and PS5 reviews of TGM, KUNOS Simulazioni is shaping a racing simulator in which the spirit coexists integrity of simulators and the sparkling soul of arcades. Maybe I’m getting carried away, there’s little or nothing arcade-like in the new game, just the immediate and genuine fun that a car race worthy of the name can provide.

KUNOS Simulazioni is shaping a racing simulator in which the upright spirit of simulators and the sparkling soul of arcades coexist

Assetto Corsa EVO promises well in this sense: one race leads to another, curve after curve you don’t even realize you’re listening to the car’s engine raptly as if it were an inspiring muse capable, with its song, of pushing us beyond limits we don’t know about. we were aware. Limits of the car, limits of the track and all our own, internal limits, where the border between dreaming of being a driver and becoming one fades until it becomes just a mark on the asphalt.

Hard, very hard to run at night, and terribly exciting.

Assetto Corsa EVO in early access has little content, so it’s best to curb your enthusiasm as well as long faces for the various technical stumbles that may arise or for a crazy AI. For now we have to settle for Fast Race and Practice, two single player modes in which to test 20 cars of different classes – well differentiated from each other in terms of assorted feedback, grip, maneuverability and performance – on 5 circuits on 4 continents: Laguna Seca (America ), Brands Hatch and Imola (Europe), Mount Panorama (Australia) and Suzuka (Japan). You can admire the dynamic management of weather conditions and the 24-hour cycle in action, you can launch into some aesthetic and above all mechanical customization, stuff that, if KUNOS confirms its usual modus operandi, will make every virtual mechanic happy. Because the heart of EVO is simulation, it is better to underline it.

THE STRANGE MISSION OF ASSETTO CORSA EVO

Yet there is something strangely different about the latest arrival. I’m not referring to the new Kunos Engine which in any case is not at all unpleasant in terms of overall impact, effects, physics and details of the cars and optimization. Do I say it? OK: something reminds me of Gran Turismo. It will be the licenses to be unlocked to access increasingly high-performance cars, it will probably also be the new progression/game economy system through which to obtain XP and currency with which to replenish our in-game garage, the fact is that, when I talked about “arcade soul” , I had in mind the famous Sony racing game. But can you imagine a GT made by KUNOS? Before trying EVO it had never crossed my mind, now I can’t wait for autumn to arrive to find out what will come from this early access

The free roaming mode is very intriguing, a large map that can be freely explored

Clearly the curiosity also concerns the free roaming mode, a large freely explorable map set in the cities and villages of the Eifel surrounding the Nürburgring in Germany. Could a splash of Forza Horizon be the secret spice we didn’t know we wanted in Assetto Corsa? How will the simulation spirit of the franchise fare in the great outdoors? Many, too many questions and few concrete answers for a chapter which, net of the natural lack of content and the flaws resulting from the work in progress development phase, seems intent on starting a much deeper evolution than I expected.

Practice mode is useful for practicing. Who would have thought, huh?

We just have to wait, wish the Italian team good luck and trust the words of those who work to make our dreams come true: “In these wonderful eleven years, with Assetto Corsa first and subsequently with Assetto Corsa Competizione, we have always tried to do our best to offer our community the most satisfying simulation and competitive driving experience possible. Finally, after four years of development, we have arrived at the launch of the Early Access version of Assetto Corsa EVO, certainly our most ambitious project ever” declared Marco Massarutto, co-founder and Executive Director of KUNOS Simulazioni.

Assetto Corsa EVO is certainly our most ambitious project ever

“However, this important milestone is even more a starting point for us to make, thanks to your support, Assetto Corsa EVO, the automotive simulation that so many enthusiasts were anxiously awaiting, as demonstrated by the incredible interest we have witnessed in recent months . During the Early Access period we will continue to work to offer constant updates to content and modes, we will refine the experience based on the precious feedback received from the community to give our title all the depth it needs when its version is released this autumn complete.”

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