The last streams from the Forza Horizon 5 team before the game is released have given us some interesting new information! We've learned about one of the Horizon stories and its context in Mexican culture. We've also looked at the new radio station songs. Here's everything we just learned.
The Vocho story
Working with cultural consultant Lalo Alcaraz, the team developed one of the key storylines for Forza Horizon 5. Vocho is the culmination of the barn finds concept from previous Forza Horizon games. You and in-game character Alejandra retreive her grandfather's Volkswagen Beetle and restore it.
The Vocho, as Beetles are known in Mexico, is used in a series of stunts before being returned to the family. It's a story that many in Mexico will relate to. Consultant Lalo Alcaraz himself also owned a Vocho in his youth. Beetles are seen as taxis throughout the game too. Apparently this will be very nostalgic for Mexican players!
The authenticity of the Mexico location
Playground Games reached out to the Mexican government's culture department, the INAH, to work with them in bringing Mexico to life in a sympathetic way. The government had some requests for the team. You won't be able to physically drive on any of the ancient temples themselves or smash any historical monuments.
Playground Games brought Lalo Alcaraz into the fold following his work on the Pixar film Coco. His brief was initially to ensure the game was sensitive to the people it portrayed and the location it depicted. This role rapidly expanded into reworking the script and naming the characters. Lalo was clear on his mission regarding the game: "I hope that players appreciate and come to love the beauty of Mexico!"
The Forza Horizon 5 soundtrack
It was time to reveal the soundtrack for the new Horizon festival:
The Playground Games team have licensed some music from Hospital Records and also with the Xbox original compositions team to ensure that streamers have some copyright-free background music for their content.
We're also expecting to see a Spotify playlist of the whole soundtrack appear in the coming days!
Buggy and the Beast showcase
The last thing we got to see was one of the showcase events. As usual, the Playground Games team have worked to raise the bar from previous Horizon editions. Starting at the volcano crater, we rush down the hill and across road and field.
It looks like people have bought into the Forza Horizon 5 hype as the game has already been certified Gold based on pre-orders alone. This seems like an incredible feat for a game that will be available on the Game Pass from day one!