Bigmoon Entertainment
Dakar 18 Gameplay Preview: Steering The Racing Genre In A Risky New Direction
Its been a long time since we last had a Dakar game. 15 years, in fact. In that time weve seen the annual rally event shifts continents to its current home: the exotic albeit untamed landscapes of South America.
Theres a certain romanticism surrounding Dakar and that spirit of adventure it evokes, racers braving the wild unknown almost as if they were explorers, battling harsh terrain and weaving through natures great labyrinth. Its a true test of endurance and one thats ripe for a new video game adaptation.
Bigmoon Entertainment was clearly seduced by this prospect, announcing Dakar 18 earlier this year for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Wanting to find out more about the game, we visited the studio at its headquarters in Porto, Portugal for an extensive hands-on demonstration.
Those coming into Dakar 18 completely blind will be in for a shock. When Bigmoon says it isnt like other racing games, that isnt some flimsy marketing talk – they mean it. There are no laps around the same circuit, trading paint with other racers, with the winner determined by the tiniest fraction of a second.
In other words, its a faithful representation of the games namesake and those who follow the real world rally will immediately find themselves sucked in.
Dakar 18 Screenshots
The cross-country rally racing game is coming to PlayStation®4, Xbox One and PC platforms on September 11th 2018. 
When it launches this September, Dakar 18 will carry a singleplayer event mode covering 14 individual stages. These are spread across the games colossal 15km͐₂ map (thats bigger than FUELs, for those counting) introducing new biomes and types of terrain as you hop from region to region.
Your aim is to navigate these huge environments, collecting a sequence of waypoints as quickly as possible. The big twist in Dakar 18 is that there are no maps or radars – none of that explicit hand-holding we see in most modern racing games. Instead, players must rely on their own navigational skills, using nothing but a compass and their official, FIA-approved roadbook.
“Dakar 18 takes a markedly different approach to the genre instead of making a lazy attempt to emulate its racing rivals”
To the untrained eye, this roadbook looks like complete nonsense though Dakar 18 will quickly have you learning what the various symbols, arrows, and numbers all mean. Youll need to decipher each note carefully, following the exact cap (compass direction) for a specified distance while on the lookout for certain landmarks such as trees, outcrops, and ruins. Its like an extreme version of orienteering but with cars, squads, trucks, bikes, and UTVs.
It sounds pretty simple on paper but out on the field it can be a brutal challenge.
Where a lot of racing games have an infatuation with huge spotlights, signposts and other on-screen elements to keep players on the correct path, Dakar 18 completely tears all that away. Once out of the blocks, youre essentially following an invisible path and if you fail to decode the roadbook correctly, youll quickly find yourself lost.
It can be both frustrating and disheartening at first though there is some help available. For instance, bumping the game down to rookie difficulty will add a marker to your compass, showing the direction of the next waypoint.
The only other guidance you have is your co-pilot, reading directions from the roadbook and warning you of any upcoming hazards. Its yet another authentic touch to the Dakar 18 experience though one that isnt implemented entirely well.
The co-pilot can prove very useful at times but hes often too eager to call out your mistakes, interpreting any deviation from the path as a mistake. For example, if your next waypoint cant be accessed by driving in a straight line, you may need to loop around (perhaps due to obstacles or dangerous terrain).
Doing so will result in the co-pilot barking orders which is not only annoying but can also lead to some confusion. While a good idea, the co-pilot AI isnt robust enough to adapt or contextualise the players actions very well.
Additional layers of challenge come from vehicle maintenance and the stamina required to complete some of Dakar 18s bigger stages. Driving recklessly can take its toll, instantly wiping you out or gradually chipping away at your vehicle.
A steady influx of Dakar Points can be exchanged in order to carry out repairs but if you happen to conk out youll have to start over. That can be infuriating, especially if you happen to be on the home stretch of an hour-long race.
Although there are plenty of improvements to be made, Dakar 18 certainly delivers on its initial promise. Bigmoon has a bold vision and this is made all the more impressive when you consider the size of the team making it, not to mention the fact that this is their very first game.
The Portuguese developer has been around since 2008, cutting its teeth on mobile and console ports while gradually easing its way into the racing scene. Bigmoon has worked on some of the biggest name franchises in this space, creating 3D art for series including WRC, MotoGP, and FlatOut.
That also means working alongside some of its biggest name studios such as Milestone and Kylotonn, leveraging that knowledge and experience when creating Dakar 18.
Dakar 18 (PS4)
However, Bigmoon isnt fooling itself into thinking that Dakar 18 will have a seismic impact on the genre. When speaking with CEO and Game Director, Paulo Gomes, he was refreshingly honest about his expectations for the project.
Placing Dakar 18 in the same league as Project Cars, Forza, and Gran Turismo, as well as the smallest, more specialist racing games? “It wont happen,” he put it, rather bluntly.
Before Dakar can set its eyes on the competition everything needs to be built from the ground up, from its vast open world to the handling models of each vehicle class. Everything. While massive franchises have the luxury of bigger development teams, refining core gameplay and features year after year, Bigmoon is only just coming out of the starting blocks.
And although able to consolidate their experience working on other racing games, many of the series Dakar is going against are now on their umpteenth instalment.
As weve already seen, however, Bigmoon isnt trying to play copycat. Dakar 18 takes a markedly different approach to the genre instead of making a lazy attempt to emulate its racing rivals.
With the game slated for release in just two months, development is wrapping up fast. As such, the team is currently hunkered down, ironing out bugs, fixing balance issues, and deciding which last-minute features will make the cut.
Given the size and scope of the project, naturally, there are some ideas that couldnt be realised in time for Dakar 18s launch.
However, with a three-year agreement in place, Bigmoon will have ample time to reflect on the feedback given by fans and critics, reworking its core game and gradually implementing those dream features currently in the pipeline.
Being so upfront about spinning Dakar into multiple games is likely to attract cynics. But, when you consider how common annual series are in the racing genre, as well as an industry-wide shift towards the “games as a service” model, it would be unreasonable to single out Bigmoons fledgling franchise.
If Dakar is to have a chance at one day placing on the podium, it needs to come to market first – to get its foot through the door and into players hands before it become something greater.
While we cant comment on exactly how the final build will turn out, racing fans need to have Dakar 18 on their radars. It certainly has some issues to overcome, such as impatient co-pilots and dodgy bike handling, but its unique, authentic approach could finally put Bigmoon Entertainment on the map come September.
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