art of rally

About

"Art of Rally" is a top-down racing game inspired by the golden era of rally. Compete in Career mode across 78 stages in various locations with a variety of vintage cars. Master different driving modes and take on daily and weekly challenges to hone your skills and move up the leaderboards. The Australia DLC adds six new tracks, four cars, and new music, among other features.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

+16

94%

Audience ScoreBased on 3,574 reviews

graphics578 positive mentions

optimization28 negative mentions

Beautiful art style and graphics that create a unique and immersive experience.
Challenging yet rewarding driving mechanics that require skill and practice to master.
Great soundtrack that enhances the overall atmosphere of the game.

Inconsistent handling and physics that can feel floaty and unresponsive at times.
Aggressive auto-reset penalties for going off track, which can disrupt the flow of gameplay.
Lack of co-driver calls and pace notes, making it difficult to navigate some stages effectively.

graphics
1,024 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
56%
42%
2%
The graphics of "Art of Rally" are characterized by a unique low-poly art style that many players find charming and aesthetically pleasing. The vibrant colors and minimalist design create a visually striking experience that complements the game's engaging soundtrack, although some users note performance issues and graphical glitches. Overall, the visuals are celebrated for their ability to evoke nostalgia while providing a relaxing yet challenging gameplay atmosphere.
- “The art style is beautiful, the driving is hard but rewarding to master, the track selection is great and even the open world maps collectibles are fun to gather.”
- “The graphics are gorgeous and the stages are very well designed, the music rocks too.”
- “The minimalist graphical style is beautiful, and fits the game well, and along with some post-processing on the game's highest settings makes for some stunning images, views and landscapes.”
- “The graphics are not even 'retro' simple, they are plain lazy and lacking any effort or flavor.”
- “This game was very disappointing; the trailer looks cool, but the controls are really slow and boring, and the graphics and camera angle seem much worse than what the trailer leads you to believe.”
- “The graphics seemed whimsical and minimalistic on screenshots, but they’re more accurately described as bad.”
music
789 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
62%
37%
1%
The music in "Art of Rally" has been widely praised for its exceptional quality, featuring a captivating synthwave soundtrack that enhances the overall gaming experience. Players appreciate how the music complements the game's aesthetic and driving mechanics, creating a relaxing yet engaging atmosphere that encourages extended play. Many reviewers highlight the soundtrack as a standout feature, often recommending it for purchase even outside of the game context.
- “The music in this game is a bit electronic, but as a funk/jazz lover, I can say this music is very well produced and every song is just amazing.”
- “The landscapes are well put together, the music perfectly fitting - what more does one need?”
- “The soundtrack is incredible, the graphics are smooth and fun, the car designs and sounds are great, but the physics just makes no sense to me.”
- “Music is awful, and leader-boards don't work.”
- “The physics are weird, the music is boring.”
- “But for a game that's relying on its aesthetics and soundtrack to sell itself as a light and accessible arcade racer, it just feels like it fails at what it's supposed to be doing.”
gameplay
391 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
50%
2%
The gameplay of "Art of Rally" is characterized by its deceptively simple yet challenging mechanics, offering an "easy to learn, hard to master" experience that rewards skill development. Players appreciate the unique driving feel and the balance between arcade accessibility and realistic physics, although some have noted inconsistencies and performance issues during longer sessions. Overall, the game combines beautiful low-poly visuals with engaging gameplay, making it a satisfying choice for both casual and dedicated racing fans.
- “Deceptively simple, with 'easy to learn, hard to master' driving mechanics that strike a nice balance between challenge and reward.”
- “Fantastic gameplay and car feel; they all feel unique with a good difficulty range on the stages themselves.”
- “The driving mechanics strike a balance between realistic, fun, and fluid, while the art style is as beautiful as it is simple and clean.”
- “Gameplay is lacking; there are no opponents, no co-driver.”
- “The worst part for me was that the game started running at ~5 fps each time after ~1 hour of gameplay, which made the game unplayable and basically killed the current race.”
- “There is nothing redeemable about the gameplay of this game.”
optimization
108 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
17%
57%
26%
Overall, the game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues such as stuttering, frame drops, and inconsistent performance, even on high-end systems. While some users noted improvements after updates, the general consensus is that the game requires further optimization to run smoothly, especially given its relatively simple graphics. Despite these challenges, many players still enjoy the gameplay experience, indicating that the core mechanics are solid but hindered by technical shortcomings.
- “The low-poly art style is both beautiful and functional, allowing for smooth and consistent performance even on lower-end hardware.”
- “I really like this game, and the recent update has resulted in much improved performance.”
- “Performance-wise, I have had zero issues - I run the game on a slightly older but still decent PC, with an i5-6600k CPU and an original GTX 1070, and I would comfortably say despite it no longer being particularly high-end, the game is not resource-demanding in the slightest and these two components easily run well above what the game requires.”
- “Even though I like it, I had to give a negative review for this game because of the stuttering; there was a lot of stuttering!”
- “The game performance is quite disappointing considering that this is a low poly game, but it supports 21:9 display aspect ratio well.”
- “This game is in desperate need of optimization as I (and judging from other community posts, not only AMD) and many others are experiencing massive lag spikes almost every 2 to 3 seconds, making this game frustrating.”
humor
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
98%
2%
The humor in the game is a standout feature, characterized by witty car descriptions and amusing nicknames that pay homage to real-life rally icons. Players appreciate the blend of humor and factual information in the vehicle bios, which adds charm and personality to the experience. Overall, the game's lighthearted approach, including funny references and quirky crowd behavior, enhances its appeal and makes it a delightful tribute to rally racing.
- “The bios have some tongue-in-cheek humor as well, like one of the Italian cars being said to have an espresso machine installed in it to help the drivers concentrate.”
- “Historic liveries and humorous little blurbs for each car add to this game's charm as a love letter not only to rallying, but to car culture as a whole.”
- “The game doesn't take itself too seriously either, with several car names and descriptions being fairly humorous (such as the Volvo 'Turbo Brick').”
- “The crowd's behavior makes no sense and it's not funny at all.”
story
54 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
19%
67%
15%
The game's story is minimal, primarily serving as a backdrop to the racing experience, with players progressing through different eras of rallying and unlocking cars along the way. While some reviews note that the narrative is short and lacks depth, others appreciate the way it highlights the history of rally racing and the unique characteristics of each vehicle. Overall, the focus remains on gameplay rather than a complex storyline, making it a more relaxed and enjoyable racing experience.
- “The storyline takes you through the different ages of rally, which really makes unlocking newer eras with faster cars an accomplishment.”
- “The way the game tells you the story of rally throughout the years is very interesting, and it highlights the beauty of rally.”
- “A gorgeous tribute to the story of rally racing and the men and women who took on its challenge.”
- “The story is kind of short, especially considering there's no reason to play the game past that point.”
- “Playing through the story mode was also a huge chore.”
- “There's no story, just a bunch of different classes of cars which all handle differently and you merely have to finish the rally to unlock the next one.”
atmosphere
48 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
60%
33%
6%
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its relaxing and immersive qualities, featuring beautiful graphics, atmospheric soundtracks, and vibrant art styles that enhance the overall experience. Players appreciate the chill vibe that allows for casual enjoyment while still providing a competitive edge, with subtle ambient sounds and dynamic lighting contributing to the game's unique charm. Overall, the combination of aesthetics, sound, and well-designed environments creates a memorable and engaging atmosphere that resonates with players.
- “The atmosphere of each stage is phenomenal; the lighting, colors, dirt, and tarmac enhance the entire experience.”
- “Beautiful graphics, lovely sound, music, and great overall atmosphere make this an awesome racing game.”
- “The visuals and soundtrack really work together well and create a very chill atmosphere.”
- “Especially in a game that emphasizes such an atmosphere and vibe, I don't want to be annoyed constantly.”
- “For some reason, the trees took a while to load on the snowy levels, causing some lag and breaking the atmosphere.”
- “This somewhat ruined the atmosphere.”
replayability
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
43%
46%
11%
The game's replayability is generally praised, with many players highlighting the variety of cars and randomized career rallies that encourage repeated play. While some users note a decline in replay value due to missing events and leaderboards, others emphasize the potential for improvement and mastery, making it a worthwhile experience for those who enjoy time trials and record-setting. Overall, the game offers significant replayability, especially for players seeking to refine their skills and explore its content.
- “With 4WD, FWD, RWD, as well as front, mid, and rear engine cars, the choice in car makes each map very replayable as you try to get gold in every career group and achieve better times in the time trials.”
- “The handling of the cars, the playability, and the replayability value are superb.”
- “Lovely art style, quite a lot of content, and infinite replayability with time attack online leaderboards.”
- “I hit the thumbs up because it is a fun little time waster, but as of late the leaderboards and weekly, daily events don't show up anymore, so the replay value is gone.”
- “Still fun to go through the career mode, but if you're looking for replay value, unless they fix this, pass on it.”
- “This may limit the game's replayability for some players.”
stability
25 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
60%
Overall, the game demonstrates solid stability, particularly on the Steam Deck and desktop Linux, where it runs smoothly with high frame rates. However, players have reported occasional lags, freezes, and minor bugs, especially when transitioning between different countries or stages, as well as some visual glitches. Despite these issues, the developers are actively addressing them, leading to improvements over time.
- “Runs great on Steam Deck with the Vulkan rendering option turned on.”
- “It looks fantastic, runs great, tons of content, and a steady flow of updates.”
- “It's a solid game, not buggy and pretty realistic.”
- “Even with 144+ fps, 40% CPU load, 30% GPU load, and 40 GB free RAM, you can experience significant lags and game freezes after changing countries in the game.”
- “For example, if you go from stages in Sardinia, Germany, or Japan to stages in Finland, Sweden, or Indonesia, there will be lags and freezes.”
- “There were a lot of minor bugs, mostly menu freezing, weird car spawn positions, and visual glitches.”
grinding
24 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
13%
4%
83%
Players generally find the grinding aspect of the game to be excessive and tedious, with many achievements requiring significant time investment, such as completing 1000 races or driving 555 km with a single vehicle. While some enjoy the repetitive nature of grinding for track records, others feel it detracts from the overall enjoyment, turning what should be fun gameplay into a chore. The lack of sufficient content and the long career mode further exacerbate the grind, making it a challenging experience for those not deeply invested in rally racing.
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
- “I 100%ed the game on epic - I don't really recommend it because of the 'complete 1000 stages' achievement which requires finishing career + 20 more hours of grinding unless you cheese it by dying.”
- “The problem for me is that the career mode is long and grindy. I found myself later on not enjoying the seemingly repetitive races: rushing through the stages just to move on to the next one and then the next one – it became a chore to work through.”
- “There are also, it must be noted, a couple of really grindy achievements - one which requires you to drive 555 km in one of the cars, and another which requires you to complete 1000 races (for context, it takes <250 to complete career mode).”
emotional
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players describe the emotional aspect of the game as a nostalgic and heartfelt experience, evoking memories of childhood and family connections through rally racing. The game's challenges and mechanics, while sometimes frustrating, foster a sense of perseverance and achievement, making players feel deeply invested in their progress. Overall, it is seen as a wholesome tribute to rally culture that resonates emotionally with both fans and newcomers alike.
- “Yes, I had a 100% game loss due to this, heartbreaking stuff, but to be honest, I didn't mind the excuse to go through it all again, this time mastering the 1st trophy in all career mode.”
- “It's hard to describe, but playing this game made me feel like I was 7 years old again, sat on the carpet in front of my granddad, watching rally with him.”
- “This is a very emotional love letter to rally.”
monetization
7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
29%
43%
The game is praised for its lack of microtransactions and internet connectivity requirements, offering a solid experience with unlockable content and mod support instead. Players appreciate the absence of scummy DLC practices, highlighting the enjoyable gameplay and beautiful graphics without the burden of in-game purchases. Overall, the monetization model is seen as fair and player-friendly, enhancing the overall enjoyment of the game.
- “No microtransactions, nice music, amazing racing physics (even better than most racing games) and they added legendary cars without paying for the licensing fees.”
- “Beautiful graphics, lovely sound, music, great overall atmosphere, actually challenging, no in-game purchases, just awesome racing.”
- “Not to mention, no scummy practices when it comes to DLC or microtransactions, just a damn solid game.”
- “I especially appreciate the number of unlockable cars and skins in the game (with mod support) and no microtransactions in sight!”