Farewell to Forza Horizon 4: our favourite moments

As we prepare for the Forza Horizon 5 release, it’s time to look back at its predecessor and reflect upon the great gameplay we’ve enjoyed.

Here are three of our favourite moments from the Forza Horizon 4 festival in Great Britain.

The Forza Horizon 4 introduction and the McLaren Senna

Remember first loading up Forza Horizon 4? The game kicks off with a little cutscene showing off-road cars leaping through the Lake District area. We’re shown the seasons changing and notified that it’s autumn. We’re in the McLaren Senna, the supercar of the moment. You round a corner, clear a crest, and then the beautiful Derwentwater area is revealed. But you don’t have time to stare, as you’re given control of the car almost immediately.

It’s a brief blast in the Senna before the game switches to winter and introduces the off-road aspect of the game. It’s the McLaren that makes the impact though and sets us up for the high octane thrills to come.

The Delta-Wing showcase

Playground Games love the car-versus-plane thing. We’ve seen similar events in Forza Horizon games previously, but this one was special. Racing the Aston Martin Vulcan against a plane that looks remarkably similar to the Vulcan Bomber through rural Britain just makes sense.

This showcase event was a tough one, as the Aston Martin had plenty of speed but twitchy handling. Meanwhile, the overhead plane rumbled across the landscape and made for some fantastic shots as the routes crossed over. Something about this showcase made for great replay value.

Three-starring the S-Bends Drift Zone

On the route between the festival site and the Ambleside village are two of the trickiest challenges in the game. The Ambleside Approach speed zone needs a perfect touch on the brakes at each of its corners to keep your average speed up. But the S-bends drift zone was on another level.

The points target seems achievable. The corners look pretty straightforward. But somehow this little twist of tarmac is one of the most frustrating in the game. Heading downhill, we spun on entry. We slid wide on the exit. Controllers were thrown and the game was declared to be “just stupid.” Then suddenly a zen-like calm descended and the drift zone was beaten. Somehow, after achieving three stars the first time, nothing seemed so difficult after that.