Few things in gaming make a bigger splash than a mainline release in the Gran Turismo series, something gamers are getting for the first time since 2013 with Gran Turismo 7.
This time out, developer Polyphony Digital has gone all-in on the traditional GT release to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the series. Technically a follow-up to Gran Turismo Sport from 2017, GT 7 isn't strictly focused on multiplayer like its predecessor.
It is focused on perfecting the details established in past releases and adding some all-encompassing features and ideas that aim to push both the series and the genre as a whole in innovative new directions.
Whether GT7 succeeds will determine if the series can keep moving the high bar other racers attempt to graze with fingertips with each release.
Gameplay
Traditional Gran Turismo is back.
After a brief tutorial and intro to a new game mode, that much is clear in the game's opening minutes. Players can peruse a bunch of different locales on a world map and earn medals, credits and unlocks by tackling license tests, the first of which just asks a player to come to a halt within a specified zone.
And it's very apparent from those opening moments that, in a word, GT7 feels great.
That's not a surprise given the pedigree of the series, of course. But usually, when working through racing games, it often comes down to discussing whether the game's vehicles feel too slippery or sticky and where it falls on the "arcade" meter.
GT7, though, lands strictly somewhere in the middle. Background simulations and work put into the finer details have created a racing game that feels true to life and will only dramatically vary based on the number of assists a player decides to enable.
New players will need those assists like braking and guiding lines too—otherwise, properly taking bends will be a massive challenge. The game is punishing without assists, though not in an unfair way, and it presents the sort of uphill climb that makes personal improvement so rewarding.
There doesn't appear to be an explicit gameplay mechanic aimed at giving A.I. drivers distinct personalities, but it's worth noting they improve and become more difficult right alongside the player's progression.
Complicating matters in a realistic sort of way is the accurate way weather changes how vehicles handle on tracks. That means the same stretch of track doesn't always handle the same, which is also true for vehicles in different classes.
Everything above gets dramatically amplified on the PlayStation 5 through the best usage of the DualSense's haptic feedback we've seen to date.
Most notable is that the weight of brake pedals vary based on the vehicle, meaning each vehicle has different feels on the controller itself. The vibration of the controller is wildly different across different surfaces too, which makes something as simple as going from a racing track off into the grass an actual treat of an experience.
The stunning use of the haptic feedback is also an amazing teaching tool. Understeering, for example, gives off a clear different vibration and one that players can react to and correct in order to improve.
As a whole, GT7 is as simulation-heavy and deep as a player wants it to be. Assists, both on the track and in terms of the extensive tuning options on an individual vehicle and track basis, still manage to make it a strong pick-up-and-play candidate for new players.
Graphics and Presentation
It wouldn't be Gran Turismo without the best work in the genre, if not gaming as a whole, in this area.
The game's 400 or so car models are individually recreated with love and care, as are the 90 track variations, some of those dating back to classics from 1997. As has always been the case, it's this attention to detail in this area, too, that makes every GT feel like a love letter to car culture.
GT7 spans real-world spots like Daytona International Speedway and fictional spots like Trial Mountain in jaw-dropping fashion. The lighting work might be what impresses the most. Shadows cast across tracks, individuals on the sidelines of races emerge from shadows and reflections off the vehicles are downright stunning to behold.
Sporting weather simulated based on meteorological data, even rainstorms are a feat of a visual treat, never mind an immersive one. The folks behind the game have scanned each real-world track and where puddles form the most and mirrored that into the game.
Pretty, but also nearly distracting to the point of causing the player issues if they aren't careful. Things are so dialed-in and realistic that parts of the track vehicles drive on the most during laps dry faster than the rest, something accurately reflected with graphical detail and controller-feel.
GT7 is so dialed-in on the details and giving the player agency that players can hop into the options and change the angle, depth and more of both the chase camera behind the car or the in-cockpit perspective.
Elsewhere on a technical front that happens to blend beautifully with gameplay, kudos go to Polyphony Digital for the effort put into the tuning settings screen and the "measure" feature. Players can input different metrics and tunings, then see a visualized representation of how the tweaks will impact the vehicle on a specific track on a specific time of day with specific weather.
Written another way, it's a great visual aid that rips apart a barrier that has prevented non-hardcore players from fully diving into and understanding tuning. It's a necessary, critical part of a simulation racer like this but has never been this accessible.
The wow-worthy presentation extends to the menus. Idle long enough, and the game will start to showcase some downright jaw-dropping screenshots of exotic cars in matching exotic locales, pop up some key points on the automobile's timeline, dive into a race with A.I. participants and back out again, all while the downright superb soundtrack plays in the background.
Gran Turismo Cafe, Esports and More
One of the first things players will do in GT7 is dive into one of the most-talked-about new additions to the game, the Gran Turismo Cafe.
There, players will obtain a Menu Book that asks the player to complete certain objectives. These function as quests that deepen understanding of car culture, dating back to its very beginning.
The first is simple enough—collect three cars by earning them via top-three placements at different events. Do this, and get a detailed chat from an NPC about that type of vehicle. They get more complex, if not interesting, as players progress.
Completing those to finish what is effectively a campaign mode will take up a lot of time for players. It'll also be doubly enlightening, especially for those not very familiar with the history of automotive culture. Note that this isn't an overly deep experience with player customization and a witty cast of interesting characters that tells a story. One could argue, though, the history and understanding passed on to players here is quite a bit more entertaining than anything fictional the game could have presented.
Music is a huge part of the experience this time out, perhaps in a way that's never been seen in a GT game before. The game's soundtrack features 300-plus songs and two new features to go with it.
Music Replay is what it sounds like and takes gameplay footage, plays a song in the background and randomly mixes up camera angles in tune with the beat of said song. Fun, in a word.
Music Rally is like this but leans into the player partaking in the party-like atmosphere. While the soundtrack pumps in the background, players can pass through gates on the track that extend the timer in an effort to reach the end of the song.
While it does feel a little out of place at first, it quickly becomes apparent it's nice to enjoy a more arcade-like experience while soaking in the versatile playlist of songs, rather than focusing in on every little screech of a tire while scratching and clawing for a checkered flag. It's there if players want it, and also easy to lose a ton of time to if a player isn't watching a clock.
Online features also slot prominently in the tale that is GT7. The Meeting Place is a spot where players can share liveries and car photos, if not hit a track in a free roam while chatting. It's sort of like a social space in other games and feels like an organic evolution for the series as it modernizes with the times.
Players who don't want to dive into the online realm much aren't stuck with only the cafe and Menu Books, of course. There are a gamut of other ways to play, including tackling missions, running circuits, mini games and acquiring Licenses.
The familiar-feeling GT Licenses hunt can get addicting too, as missing out on a gold medal by milliseconds will have a player smashing the button to get back out there and try again. These aren't just rewarding in a credits sense (the currency to purchase unlocks) either, as they guide a player along and help improve in a big way.
Besides pre-race tuning, GT7 also works harder than games in the past to let players customize vehicles, be it adding stickers, decals and other items to more places across vehicles than in the past.
Given an expected robust suite of online options, GT7 shouldn't have any problems commanding a juggernaut-like presence on the esports scene, either. Its predecessor, Gran Turismo Sport, was entirely focused on this area to similar results as it onboarded players with sportsmanship videos and ratings before turning them loose with a litany of options, be it custom lobbies or tournaments.
Driver Rating (DR) and Sportsmanship Rating (SR) carry over from Sport for players with experience in that game. Otherwise, seeing overall metrics like this continue is a good sign for the longevity of online scenes, be it pick-up-and-play or competitive.
Conclusion
Gran Turismo 7 is the type of game that can become the game for a player. And on a grander scale, it's the sort of release that can function like an eclipse, blotting out the rest of the market until somebody comes along and does it better.
Much of that is simply because the base of Gran Turismo remains intact. The gameplay, its wealth of options and the staggering photorealism of vehicles and tracks remain top dog in an industry with plenty of contenders.
But GT 7 takes praiseworthy steps in modernizing alongside the industry and organically expanding the series in new directions. For example, there's something special about just being able to kick back and enjoy music and the unmatched attention to detail of a car's interior—under stars simulated to real-world specifications—in the new Music Rally mode.
It's also nice to see the extensive resources poured into making the most true-to-life simulation doubly utilized to not just embrace a more casual community, but nurture and bring along players interested in fully absorbing automotive culture.
The latest in the sports world, emailed daily.
The latest in the sports world, emailed daily.
