Dakar 18 Critic Reviews

Dakar 18 is a game that accurately depicts rallye-raid and it's focus on navigation rather than speed. It's highly recommended for fans of this genre of race, but feels incredibly tedious for regular gamers. moreover, the game lacks polish and has bugs in abundance. Proceed with caution.

In front of us we now have first Dakar rally game in 15 years, and since we waited so long for it, we have mixed feelings and thoughts about it. Yes, we are grateful that somebody took it upon themselves to develop a game based on the most famous and grueling rally in the world, and we can see the effort that went into it, and small things that show the uniqueness of the rally, but on the other hand, it`s hard for a smaller company to make a great game for a rally of this scale, and it is really visible.

Vehicles handling and physics are the worst parts of Dakar 18, but it's still an option for players looking for a refreshing driving experience.

Dakar 18 is a curious creature. It absolutely delivers something truly distinct in the wider racing genre, and though the core gameplay isn’t immediately accessible, it can be greatly rewarding to those that take a chance on tackling it properly.

Unlike most driving games, Dakar 18 is not an intense and action-packed experience, but a slow and more mindful fare. Its divergence from typical driving games may put off a lot of players, but the unique mechanics and beautiful world more than make up for this. Hopefully future Dakar games will capitalise on its highlights and eliminate its many problems.

Dakar 18 was a promissing title that might had over-promissed. Its numerous technical flaws and its poor physics are too much to overcome, despite some good ideas, such as its navigation system.

A very noble effort to translate the grueling Dakar rally into a videogame while staying true to the spirit of rally racing. Die hard rally fans can and surely will enjoy Dakar 18 but more casual racing fans less so. Navigating is a pain and the different types of vehicles don't all control very well. On top of that , the long load times that riddle the game when you attempt to restart from a checkpoint don't do the game any favors either.

Dakar 18 tries to provide that real Dakar feeling, but developer Bigmoon Entertainment unfortunately fails. The Treasure Hunt is fun to do and the idea of navigation is good, but it does not work very well. The same goes for the controls.

Dakar 18 is a rally game that promised loads of fun for those driving simulator’s fans, anyway, It ended up being a heap of bugs, good intentions with a bad execution, horrible co pilot mechanic and a gameplay that is not in the level where our expectations were before the game was released.

Dakar 18 has plenty of good ideas and has managed to capture what makes the interest of a rally raid like the Dakar. Unfortunately its deficient performance in terms of sensations is causing it great harm. This will only be bearable for true motorsport enthusiasts and this particular kind of event. The others will remain stuck on a rigid animations and a technical realization globally below the average.

Dakar 18's execution is terrible. The considered navigation system finds itself undermined by a co-driver I have no faith in. Handling is stiff and the world around you is struggling to keep itself in focus. There are moments of fun to be had when you barrel through dunes and palm trees but they remain moments. It operates on a very thin line and, all too often, that line breaks.

Although I applaud Bigmoon for trying to bring this niche motorsport into video games properly, the end result is awkward and feels unfinished.

To sum it all up, I recommend Dakar 18 for the hardcore racing fans that are up for a challenge, rather than someone trying to have some casual fun. The visual aspects are great within a 10m radius especially the vehicles but further out into the distance it becomes horrendous. The gameplay is almost impossible to master due to the inconsistent vehicle handling, which causes you to veer off the straights and completely miss corners. With little to no navigation help beyond the beginner level, it really is a difficult game to play. Unfortunately, this all makes Dakar 18 a bit of a let-down.

Dakar 18 is sadly a misjudged game that can feel refreshingly different to start with but ends up being incredibly frustrating, behind the pace and poorly implemented. With a focus on navigation and gruelling competition, refinement of crucial gameplay elements is sorely lacking. Some of the environments are truly epic, but the way the game fails to build upon them means they go to waste.