Italian studio 3DClouds has revealed Formula Legends, an Art of Rally-inspired tackle arcade-style, open-wheel racing that pays (unlicensed) tribute to over 50 years of Formula 1 racing.
3DClouds gave IGN an early take a look at how the sport is shaping up and, whereas components like AI behaviour are nonetheless being honed, the extent of dedication to recreating a spread of eras of F1 is already very spectacular.
Formula Legends will characteristic 16 automobile fashions, every with seven totally different liveries. The automobiles could also be chunky, toy-style caricatures of the actual issues however, clad of their off-brand odes to some of essentially the most iconic racecar designs in historical past, the inspiration behind each is very clear. Sound has been an enormous focus for the staff, which is good to listen to contemplating how essential that is to the id of older F1 automobiles particularly. Formula Legends may even characteristic modding help – from liveries to helmets and trackside sponsors – which has the potential to be fairly a lift.
Talking of tracks, every of the 14 circuits could have a number of variations to replicate how they’ve developed through the years, from the ’70s to the 2020s. These too are impressed by real-life areas.
Formula Legends’ story mode sounds significantly promising, with era-based championships set to take us on a tour by means of the defining moments of F1’s high-speed historical past.
There appears like there’ll be fairly a bit of nuance to the racing, too. Not solely will every of the 200 drivers in Formula Legends (together with the cheekily-named Mike Shoemaker and present championship chief Osvald Pastry) have talent perks to contemplate, however tyre put on, gasoline consumption, rubbered-in racing strains, harm, and dynamic climate may even all be components. How 3DClouds in the end blends these deeper components with an in any other case accessible arcade method might be attention-grabbing to be taught.
Producer Francesco Mantovani defined that the staff took inspiration from 2023’s New Star GP (which itself is an F1-themed throwback to early 3D racing video games) however wished one thing that was rather less outright arcade-oriented for Formula Legends.
“We tried to maneuver it in line between New Star GP and Art of Rally, in phrases of gameplay,” mentioned Mantovani. “Art of Rally was the principle inspiration we took for this recreation. We admire how they labored on the digicam and on the tracks.”
3DClouds’ historical past of racing video games has admittedly trended in direction of licensed racing video games for a far youthful viewers (together with video games like Paw Patrol Grand Prix, Quick & Livid: Spy Racers, and Scorching Wheels Monster Vans: Stunt Mayhem) however Formula Legends is described as a real ardour challenge for the studio, which it has created solely independently.
“I believe it’s a recreation that they’ve been eager to make for a very, actually very long time, and eventually we’ve the assets to do it,” confirmed government producer Roberta Migliori, noting the studio’s work-for-hire historical past has set it up simply as F1’s reputation continues to soar. “With the growing reputation of the game and the robust ardour, it simply appeared like the suitable second. The sport is utterly self-funded because of different video games we’ve labored on.”
3DClouds being situated in Milan, only a quick drive from Monza (Formula 1’s legendary Temple of Pace and the third purpose-built race monitor ever constructed) in all probability hasn’t damage, both.
Formula Legends will launch on Xbox One and Sequence X|S, PS4 and PS5, PC, and Change later this yr. The staff doesn’t at the moment have Change 2 kits, however Migliori confirmed they’ll “look into that chance as quickly as we’re prepared.”
Luke is a Senior Editor on the IGN critiques staff. You possibly can monitor him down on Bluesky @mrlukereilly to ask him issues about stuff.