After more than a decade, Test Drive Unlimited has gotten a reboot in an attempt to breathe new life into one of the oldest racing franchises. Solar Crown reintroduces the open-world, arcade-style car racer that places an emphasis on the fan-favorite lifestyle-building aspect, but just how good is it?

The game is developed by Kylotonn Studio and seems promising if you look at the official trailers and screenshots; however, the first-hand experience is completely different. Players may have different expectations, but when I play a modern racing game, I look for top-notch graphics for the environment and vehicle models. Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown could not convince me that it is better than its competitors in this regard.

What I am saying is that this does not feel like a racing game from 2024. In terms of the vehicle models, they look fantastic and seem to be a fairly accurate representation of real cars. That said, the reflections and shadows still need a lot of improvement. While some cars have a decent reflection effect in good lighting conditions, others either look dull or have no reflection at all.

The environment is another aspect that disappointed me. After playing games like Forza Horizon 5 and Grid Legends, which were released years ago, TDU Solar Crown is a bit of a downgrade in comparison. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a bad looking game; the graphical fidelity just doesn’t seem to be on the same level as those older titles, and the poor performance makes it worse.