Skidmarks? Japanese Drift Master Is Amazing
Hopefully, it’s not too late to tell you that if you like drifting, go wishlist Japanese Drift Master now. I’d have written this sooner (if it made any difference to you downloading it during the Steam Next Fest), but for what it’s worth… it’s fantastic.
Downloading Steam demos around this time is always hard-drive roulette. I must have gone through about 70 ish downloads. Some of them got uninstalled within minutes, while others, such as this driving game from Gaming Factory, took up my time for good reason.
Immediately picking up whiffs of Initial D and Need For Speed, Japanese Drift Master did not disappoint from the get-go. Sure, the driving environment was restricted, and there wasn’t much in the way of objectives, but I still saw enough to make me go, “Wow!”.
As a Dreamcast fan, one of my favourite racers to play was Tokyo Highway Challenge. It was rubbish, but it had all the cars of my generation that I loved so much, including the RX-8 – a car I’m still likely to purchase in the next few years. But rather than fumble around with savings, I could buy one now and do it up here, right?
The demo has two cars – a Sprinter Trueno and a Silvia, though they aren’t licensed. We know, though, right? Being a customisation whore, I was impressed with Japanese Drift Master’s cosmetic options. No paint jobs or liveries were available, but there was a glint at some body kits, wheelsets and the like. Once fannying about with that, you can then install parts and customise the handling.
Like Drift21, a drift car’s handling is significantly different to most, and tinkering around with the settings has a significant effect (as does the new ECU you just installed and a new exhaust – you nutter). Driving around the streets of Japan is an absolute joy. Only, these streets aren’t those you see in Tokyo Highway Challenge, but the single lane, windy roads of Japan.
These types of roads are more common than you may think. As a former resident, I’ve driven through so many villages that are vaguely similar to the one in Japanese Drift Master, and it’s nigh on impossible to go much faster than 30 km or thereabouts. Also, the volume of sakura in the demo is perhaps a bit unrealistic. It looks pretty, though.
Anyhoo, visuals aside, the key part of a driving game is the handling, and I was so satisfied with Japanese Drift Master, that I can’t express enough how much fun it was. I’m just hoping there are wider roads and more open spaces in the full game, which is yet to be released.
If there’s any scope to play the demo after you’ve read this, please try it. I’m a massive fan and can’t wait for this to come out. Genuinely.