The Crew Motorfest was developed by Ivory Tower and published by Ubisoft.

I love some racing games especially the Forza Horizon series so it was especially exciting to see that there was another challenger in this space. The Crew Motorfest is heavily inspired by the Horizon series and I honestly don’t think that’s a bad thing. The moment you fire it up for the first time and take control, those inspirations slap you right in the face immediately.

The vibrant open world is set in the beautiful tropical paradise of Hawaii all surrounded by a festival celebrating car and race culture. It feels familiar and safe but that’s ok. This shift in direction is a good thing and gamers will really appreciate it. The first 2 games were set in mainland USA and while that was OK, it never really captured the same level of pomp and bombastic feeling that I think games enjoy with the Horizon series.

The Hawaiian Island of Oahu is a stellar setting for the racer and simply existing in it and driving through its beautifully realized environments feels significantly more enjoyable than anything MotorFest predecessors had on offer. It’s also great that there are a lot of different biomes to experience across Oahu. The world is chock full of rainforests, some of the world’s most beautiful beaches, and even the bottom of a volcano, and each locale is gorgeous.

Another great feature is the time of day mechanics and weather mechanics. It just makes the race look and feel so different that it adds to the immersion and replayability of Motorfest and it all ran buttery smooth from the moment I stepped into the driver’s seat. I usually play on graphics mode and it was a real feast for the eyes.

I have to admit though, that I don’t love the NPCs or their witty banter/dialogue. I would often find myself eye-rolling whenever I would start a new event of race series. Still, I’m not here for the story – I’m here for the cars and the racing which delivers in spades and honestly, it’s not what anyone should be focused on. The main activities focus on playlists that put the player into the cockpit of different races and car styles providing the opportunity to really get a taste of how different each car feels.

Outside of the playlists, there are plenty of different activities to enjoy and from the looks/sounds of it Ubisoft has a lot of great content coming to the game over the coming months or longer and it’s sure to bring you back for hours of enjoyment into the future.

I think that The Crew Motorfest is easily the best arcade-style racer of the year. Ivory Tower has made some huge improvements to The Crew and they’ve brought this game to the upper echelon in the genre. The graphics are stunning and the racing is incredibly rewarding and meaningful as one should expect this style of game to deliver. The future of The Crew Motorfest is bright and you can’t go wrong here.