In light of the news that Forza Horizon 6 will be taking on Japan in May, I felt it was time to jump back into my car and explore Mexico.
The Forza Horizon series has been a favourite of mine since stumbling across the first game back on the Xbox 360 in my local GAME store. There has just always been something about the mix of racing and exploring that felt like the perfect combination to me.
Seeing the trailer for the upcoming entry to the Forza Horizon franchise had me wanting to see where I last left myself in game. It has been quite a long time since I last played, but that’s all part of the fun of just jumping back in.
Let’s just say, it felt a little chaotic to start with. Trying to remember what I was doing, where I was going and just navigating the game in general. I wasn’t going to let that stop me though. Eventually I just thought forget it, let’s just start with the first race or challenge I come across.
I was presented with two options. Firstly the Badlands Rally Expedition or the Hot Wheels Expedition. I think you know which one I chose!
With a quick introduction to Horizon Realms, which is something I’ll explore later, it’s off we go to experience something you would dream of taking part in as a child.
After a momentary hiccup and realizing I needed to buy the Hot Wheels add on, I was ready to take on the new challenge. Of course, I would need to kickstart this adventure as a Rookie and with the qualifying round done, I was well on my way of becoming the next Hot Wheels Legends.
A New Rookie Season Begins!
Now I was well and truly ready to go. My aim is to become the next Hot Wheels Legend however, judging by my current driving skills, that may be a little way off yet.
I took some time to familiarize myself with the new Hot Wheels Island, but it also gave me a chance to try and get used to driving and testing out some different cars. Soon enough, I was taking on my first handful of challenges to help me progress to the next level. As a Rookie, I was only able to compete using cars up to and including B Class. This wasn’t terrible considering my driving but also gave me something to work towards as I made my way through the ranks.
For a bit of fun, I decided to revamp my car while I was at it. I soon discovered some Hot Wheels exclusive paint swatches. Reds, blues, greens, purple and of course a very sparkly looking pink colour. With a fresh coat of paint, it was time for a quick photoshoot too!
While I am still in the Hot Wheels Rookie stage, I’m not far off of being able to jump up to my next rank. For now though, I’ve taken a trip back to Mexico to continue with some more of the main campaign of Forza Horizon 5.
To be totally honest, I spend much more time driving around, creating skill trains and combos as just destroying most of the objects that get in my way. If I was to look at my progress as a whole, it’s very minimal, maybe about ten to twelve hours with most of that being doing my own thing. Now, that’s not a bad thing in any way. I actually enjoy just driving around doing smaller challenges, driving on each of the roads and discovering locations and surprises along the way.
Clearing the Notifications
One thing I noticed, since it had actually been a good few years since I last played Forza Horizon 5 was the sheer number of notifications I needed to clear. Naturally, this led me to discovering a number of gifted in game cars and a few other surprises. I’d also managed to accumulate a number of standard and super Wheel Spins. Other than obtaining a lot of credits to spend on more cars, cosmetics, upgrades and more, I did also unlock the Windows 10 Notification sound as a horn option. Needless to say that has caused a slight bit of chaos online now!
With a lot of credits now at my disposal, it was time for a new car. No less than a Miata! I’ll spare the details, but I am now the proud owner of probably the only Miata I’ll ever own, even if it is virtual.
With that being said, I’ve enjoyed rediscovering Forza Horizon 5 ahead of the next instalment in the franchise in May. I have plenty I can do in game, and I’m looking forward to seeing how far I can progress in Mexico before we head over to Japan!
In the meantime, if you see this rather glittery pink Miata driving around in Forza Horizon 5, looking potentially lost or taking a questionable shortcut, it may well be me, just please don’t question my driving, I know it’s not very good and no I can’t drive an actual car either!
What are your thoughts on Forza Horizon 5 and the recently announced next instalment of the franchise? Let me know in the comments below!
