At Gamescom, I took a test drive of Gear Club Unlimited 3, and while I’ve never played any of the previous games in the series, it was easy to see exactly what the team is trying to achieve here. It has an arcade racer feel to it, which makes it easy to pick up and enjoy, even for racing novices like myself, but it also features realistic sim elements in both its visuals and roster of licensed cars that you can fine-tune to your heart’s content.
Gear Club Unlimited 3 has a story mode, as developer Eden Games feels that’s something some racing games lack, and it wants to give players “a reason to drive”. This new entry sees the Gear Club establishing a foothold in Japan, starting over with developing a new headquarters, building your team, and buying and customising cars.
The new Japanese setting means brand-new environments and loads more Japanese cars, like Nissan and Mazda models, though the tracks aren’t recreated from real Japanese roads, but are simply inspired by Japan. Not all of Gear Club Unlimited 3 is set in Japan, though, and instead you’ll split your time between your new digs and your old stomping grounds in France.
Gear Club Unlimited 3 features a new Highway Rush mode in both the French and Japanese settings, which you can approach in either one of two ways to fill your gauge to keep progressing: drive safely and not hit other vehicles on the busy road, or put the pedal to the metal and get down that highway as quickly as possible, regardless of who’s in your way.
I started off trying to play it safe, but it wasn’t until I was rear-ended by the car behind me that I realised that not everyone on this road was playing the same game as me. After that first hit, I had nothing to lose, so I began racing as fast as I could, and any cars that got in my way were just collateral damage.
One of the poor PR guys watching me gasped as I almost collided with a truck carrying a bunch of logs, but I swerved in the final moments and, with a laugh, told them, “That was a bit Final Destination then, wasn’t it?”. They seemed less thrilled with my driving “skills”, and at one point asked me if I was aiming for the other cars on the road.
Spoiler: I wasn’t, I’m just that bad at driving.
I found this new mode the most interesting, as it’s a bit different from your usual racing game task of just getting from A to B as quickly as possible. Maybe one day I’ll be able to do it the not-crash-into-everything-around-you way, but for now, you’d better watch out for me on that highway because I don’t care if I hit your car.
Though it was all new to me, I’m told that longtime fans can expect a lot of familiar modes in Gear Club Unlimited 3, such as Time Trial, Duel, and of course, the Story Mode. The same level of attention has been applied to the workshop, too, where you can build your perfect whip both mechanically and visually.
To be able to upgrade your car, you’ll need to get out there and win some races. It’s not just about having the cash to splash on your car, as you’ll need to upgrade your workshop’s mini skill tree too, and even the entire workshop is customisable, so you can switch up the layout.
Gear Club Unlimited 3 promises to rev up what’s on offer compared to its predecessors, and the exciting new locale and Highway Rush mode are clear evidence of that. It’s a racer that any fan can enjoy, no matter how skilled they are, because of its focus on enjoyable gameplay in an arcade style, without leaning too heavily into realistic simulation to make it feel like too much of a challenge.
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