Art of Rally

 

Art of Rally is a game for me that came out of nowhere. It was released on Playstation Plus, and I was interested in the game partially because of it being a racing game, but mostly because of the art and animation. I don't follow rally racing, and rally racing on games isn't my cup of tea. Some of the races on Gran Turismo are rally races, which I do for completion sake, but otherwise I don't have a lot of interest in the racing genre. But the visuals of this game were so appealing that I had to check it out. I'm glad that I did.

The game looks exactly like what is seen in the picture above. It features cartoon-like and somewhat boxy graphics, but overall I think the game looks fantastic. In the era of ray tracing and 4K video with high refresh rates, it is somewhat refreshing to take a step back and appreciate the uniqueness of simpler graphics. The visual style is honestly what made the game initially appealing to me. 

Art of Rally focuses on the golden era of rally racing, and does so over multiple rally locations and stages. Each location has its unique look and feel, and as you advance the cars available change and become more powerful. The block-like people even run into the course, as seen below and as made famous in Group B rally races. The game is somewhat difficult. It features an above 3rd person camera, and the controls can be a bit tricky and frustrating at times. But if you stick with it (sometimes going slower is faster) and continue to grind away, you'll find that you will have success as the AI drivers also make mistakes. I found myself winning several rally events without winning a single stage, as a consistent 3rd place finish was often enough to win the entire event. 

This game has been the surprise game of the year for me thus far in 2026. It first released in 2020, and was first available on the PS5 in 2021 and I had never heard of it until it came out on Playstation Plus. This is surprising given my like of racing and racing games, and given this game was well reviewed. It took me just under 20 hours to complete all of the events in career mode, and I think is a game well worth checking out if you are a racing fan.