Funselektor Lab has announced that its new racing game, Art of Rally (opens in new tab), will be tearing up dirt on September 23, launching on both Steam and GOG. It's a stylish-looking racer with a minimalist design, a pop of colour, and vintage cars from the 60s to the 80s.
In Funselektor's previous release, Absolute Drift, you had to navigate through blocky, futuristic courses, but in Art of Rally you'll be gliding through tracks in Japan, Germany, Norway and more. Don't get too distracted by the pretty environments, Art of Rally takes its car handling pretty seriously, and I found this out the hard way after playing the free itch.io demo (opens in new tab).
I don't have a driver's license yet, so the clutch, handbrake, and shift stick are pretty alien to me, but mastering them is vital if you want to get a grip on driving tricks. I attempted a couple of handbrake turns, but many of them ended up with my car flipping over or careening into a tree trunk. I don't think I'll make the daily leaderboard anytime soon, but drifting around the track's serpentine bends in the Finnish countryside as the sun was setting was an absolute dream.
There's still a few weeks until September 23, so I've got some time to see if I can master the perfect handbreak turn for the game's full release. I'll leave counter-steering and left foot braking for another time.
