New ninth generation consoles, amazing DualSense controller with great haptic vibrations and adaptive triggers, hungry fans of the series. There probably wasn't a better time to release Gran Turismo 7. Nevertheless, there were also great expectations. Polyphony Digital has mastered the print almost perfectly.
The basis of the series or realism. Next generation features will bring your gaming experience to an even higher level
The Gran Turismo series has always stood for realism. An advanced physics system that takes into account aspects such as the speed and weight of the vehicle, type of suspension or tires, as well as surface and weather conditions. All of this doesn't make Gran Turismo 7 just another arcade racing game where all you have to do is press the button responsible for refilling the gas, and the gameplay is varied with spectacular drifts at all corners. So is off-road – with the Japanese studio's production, jumping on uneven surfaces and leaving behind clouds of sand and gravel is no longer a carefree game.
It is worth mentioning here that the cars can be freely tuned. The creators give us complete freedom in terms of replacing air filters, silencers, pads and braking systems, suspension, weight reduction, tires, camshafts, gearboxes, pistons … Just virtually all elements. The changes affect the parameters and performance of the car – if someone is well versed in the automotive industry, they will certainly enjoy the tuning possibilities. For me, it was mostly limited to the blind pursuit of the highest possible PO, i.E. The statistic responsible for the car's overall performance, but it was still nice – I certainly wouldn't call it a "sad necessity".
Gran Turismo 7 is not called "The Real Driving Simulator" for nothing. For this reason, this series did not amuse me in any way in my younger years – I much preferred nighttime police chases in Need for Speed. But it was a few years ago, during that time I started driving in real life, and well … I was completely lost in the "seven".
With PlayStation 5, you can experience the realism even more realistically, and you no longer need a steering wheel to enjoy the real experience. Dualsense with haptic vibrations and adaptive triggers makes an amazing impression, which only improves the gaming experience. Every soft hit on the board or the car next to it, minimal departure from the asphalt to the uneven surface, too much throttle on a wet road … We feel everything in our hands, thanks to the new generation of controllers. The quality of DualSense has been felt in many productions – mainly PlayStation Studios titles – but Gran Turismo 7 definitely steps up to the plate. Alongside Astro's Playroom, this is the perfect showcase for Sony's latest controller.
Single player campaign, which is the perfect compromise for all players
Gran Turismo 7 features a single-player campaign that is the perfect compromise for both advanced and new players. We pick up the "missions" in the Gran Turismo Café. An atmospheric café in the middle of the forest is run by a smiling Luca, who has prepared a whole bunch of so-called menus for us – sets of cars we have to get, or the required achievements.
Of course, all missions focus on driving. Luca sends us back to World Circuits for races in North America, South America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Each continent offers different tracks – and one time we race on spectacular tracks with lots of turns, another time we race through narrow tunnels in Japan, and another time we test our skills on a straight French track or in wild wilderness. The reward for races, in addition to credits (in-game currency), are cars, thanks to which we increase the level of collectors, which allows us to buy … Even more vehicles.
Luca will send us into deep water more than once, challenging to win a trophy in special championships. But for such projects we need special qualifications, which can be acquired in the License Center. From National B to International A to Super License – and believe me, although all tasks are focused on learning how to drive in different conditions and turn appropriately, in the second license you often need many attempts to get only a bronze medal.
Besides the pure gameplay, which is incredibly fun, we learn about the history of the automotive industry while collecting cars for the menu. Luca and 6 specialists tell us the exact details of the specified models, the origin of the selected type of car and how they were manufactured. As a result, there is a lot of knowledge to take away from the game – one is therefore tempted to say that Gran Turismo 7 entertains and teaches.
In addition to the fictional main campaign, Polyphony Digital also prepared music rallies. An additional mode, available in the main production menu, offers timed races where we have to reach checkpoints in time to keep the tune going. Each checkpoint extends our time by a few seconds – as long as the clock doesn't hit 0, the fun continues. Although this concept didn't convince me much at first, the fight against time accompanied by classical music has its own atmosphere It is an ideal mode to relax after demanding races.
Multiplayer is also available. Fans of online battles will not be disappointed
If the multiplayer mode awakens real emotions in you – no problem. Gran Turismo 7 also offers multiplayer fun, both online and split-screen. The multiplayer fun is incredibly fun, but it's also usually very challenging – if you don't have the experience, you should practice in the single player mode first. While I passed the campaign on the easy difficulty, I brutally collided with reality and entered online battles. However, this has not discouraged me, quite the contrary. Online gameplay is really exciting and a lot of fun.
The number of licensed cars and the quality of their reproduction are very impressive
The number of vehicles available in the game also affects the quality and variety of online battles. Gran Turismo 7 offers more than 420 licensed cars and over 90 tracks on the day of its release. As a result, the production cannot bore the player – the amount of content is overwhelming, and if your goal is to collect all the cars in your collection, you can easily spend a few hundred hours with the game. It is also worth mentioning that all the vehicles have perfectly reproduced interiors, which further enhances the impression of realism and positive feelings.
Audiovisual setting. Gran Turismo 7 is a really beautiful production
The graphics in Gran Turismo 7 are simply breathtaking. Polyphony Digital's latest production targets native 4K resolution and 60 frames per second while supporting ray tracing and HDR. All this makes the game look crazy even in performance mode. Each track makes a great impression, the rain – despite the difficult road conditions – is wonderful, because the lights reflected in the puddles are beautiful. If you choose the first-person perspective of the driver while driving through the tunnel, all the passing lights are reflected from the windshield. We also see all the movements of the driver, such as z. B. Gear changes (which also feel thanks to the vibrations on the DualSense), regardless of transmission type. Gran Turismo 7 is a visual feast for the eyes.
The only drawbacks are the image quality in the mirrors, both side and inside, and the quality of textures outside the track – on some tracks trees in the distance or rally spectators on the side of the road look like underdeveloped models. I hope these aspects will be fixed, because the rest is really nice. All the visuals are much more eye-catching even in the post-race replays – and while that's understandable, wrapping it all up in an even nicer label leaves you feeling slightly dissatisfied. Nevertheless, the graphics are the last thing you could find fault with in Gran Turismo 7 – and paradoxically, those are the only shortcomings.
Musically, the creators have chosen the soundtrack very well. This isn't a list of songs that will stay with me forever, but as the background of it all, it works perfectly – and that's the role of the soundtrack in these kinds of games. The main thing is to hear the roar of the engine!
Gran Turismo 7 is challenging regardless of the player's skill level
Gran Turismo 7 will be a challenge for any player, regardless of skill or experience in realistic driving simulators. If you haven't experienced the series yet, it's best to start with an easy difficulty level that makes the AI-controlled cars run slower – this obviously means more fun for beginners.
If you feel confident in this type of production, the normal stage where AI-controlled cars drive at normal speed is ideal. For players who cut their teeth on driving simulators, a difficult mode has been prepared in which cars with artificial intelligence are much faster, which greatly increases the difficulty and competition.
Does Gran Turismo 7 on PlayStation 4 make sense??
I played the latest version of Gran Turismo on PlayStation 5, but due to ongoing issues with the availability of the next-gen console, I decided to check out how the title works on PlayStation 4. It's obvious that the production looks visually worse and doesn't run as smoothly (at least on the base version of the PS4 – I don't have a Pro, so it's possible that the framerate is higher on this model), but still … It was really fun to play. The biggest loss, in my opinion, is the lack of haptic vibrations – as these really take the gaming experience to a higher level – but aside from that, it's absolutely positive. If you've been waiting for Gran Turismo 7, or are just hungry for a good racing game and haven't managed to snag a PlayStation 5, you can safely try the title on the eighth-generation hardware. It might not make a big impression on you, but you will not be disappointed.
Gran Turismo 7 Review – Summary
Gran Turismo 7 has everything a representative of the genre needs. Beautiful audiovisual environment, amazing gameplay, a high level of realism and knowledge of the automotive industry make it hard to tear yourself away from the console – and all of this is enhanced by the capabilities of DualSense, which in my opinion is undoubtedly the best controller ever made. It was worth waiting almost a decade for the next full-fledged part of such a cult series. If you're a fan of motoring or racing games, Gran Turismo 7 is a must-have – Polyphony Digital is up to the occasion. Buckle up. Start this amazing adventure!