After the disappointment that was V-Rally 4 on Switch – the only other 'pure' rally game currently available on Nintendo's console which arrived in something of a shambolic state – can developer Kylotonn return to the platform and finally give fans of the genre something to smile about with the latest entry in its WRC series of games?
Well, with WRC 8, the developer has taken all the necessary measures to deliver a solid 30fps framerate for its intense rally action here – something it totally manages to maintain in docked mode – dialling the graphics right back to their most basic settings in order to provide a driving experience that, while not exactly the greatest looking, performs solidly on Nintendo's console... as long as you refrain from taking things portable. Yes, that's right; we said please refrain from engaging portable mode on your portable console.
The fact of the matter is handheld play here is a pretty messy affair – a blurry, pixelated jumble that makes it hard to get a handle on where you're headed, especially when pelting down a narrow dirt track or through an icy forest at crazy speeds, which is what you tend to spend quite a lot of the time doing whilst rallying. It's a situation made worse by what we're guessing is some pretty harsh dynamic resolution scaling that has a tendency to kick in whenever the screen is at its busiest, adding to the graphical misery as it very noticeably downgrades the resolution in an attempt to stabilise a framerate that tends to drop whenever things get hectic. In short, this is certainly the weakest port of Kylotonn's racer.
Which is a real shame, because WRC 8 was greeted with some pretty positive reviews on its initial release in September and it's perhaps the strongest entry in the long-running series to date. It's a thoroughly solo-focused affair that overhauls the usually spartan career mode – adding a bunch of team management aspects, R&D upgrade mechanics and an oh-so-fashionable XP skill tree – and delivers plenty of top-notch rally action on some supremely well-designed tracks, with a total of 100 stages in total spread over 14 impressively diverse locations.
Alongside the career mode there's Seasons – which rips all the team management aspects out of proceedings and throws you into a full rally season without interruption – and constantly-updated weekly challenges that see you earn XP as you battle to earn a top spot on the online leaderboards. It should also be noted at this point that this Switch version arrives sans the split-screen multiplayer and eSports modes available on other platforms – not great when you consider it's exactly the same price as those more feature-rich and smoother-running versions of the game.
The car handling model in WRC 8 is serious simulator business and feels much less drift-oriented than is the case with many of its rally competitors; you'll need to get to know courses intimately, pre-empting where your car needs to be on the road at any given time, lining yourself up in advance to blast through corners, over jumps and through chicanes. It's exhilarating stuff; fast and exacting with cars that handle impressively differently from one another. Difficult to master even at easier settings, it's a racer that rewards patience and skill.
And none of this is lost in this Switch version – as long as you keep things docked. Indeed, if you can somehow accept the graphical sacrifices and avoid portable mode entirely you'll find the best pure rally game Nintendo's console has to offer by quite some distance here. In our time dipping in and out of the superb career mode, seasons and various weekly challenges on offer, we didn't experience any noticeable framerate drops in docked mode and were able to get on with enjoying the driving action.
However, ignoring portable mode in this way isn't something that you should realistically be expected to do (indeed, if you own a Switch Lite, then you can't avoid it, full stop), so it's hard to properly recommend this compromised version of the game. It's a real shame because this is a supremely engaging title when it's firing on all cylinders; one that has a ton of excellent tracks and a riveting career mode to get stuck into, but the technical issues here put far too many barriers in the way of your unfettered enjoyment of these strong points to make it worth anyone but the most hardcore of rally fan's time.
Away from the racing action, WRC 8 also suffers from a pretty terrible UI, with overly-complicated, convoluted menus that tend to stutter and pause for annoyingly long periods of time as you try to navigate around your team emails, R&D section and so on. Loading times on Switch are also much longer than other versions we checked out for comparison during this review and, really, it all adds up to a port that feels lacklustre and shoddy; one that you'll have to work hard with in order to extract enjoyment from.
Rallying is a precision sport that demands perfection. It requires split-second decision making and rewards those who are able to hold their nerve, think fast and keep their foot down long after others have reached for the brake. So too, in its video game form, it requires the player be able to read what's coming quickly, adapt and manoeuvre precisely in order to keep their car from flying off track into the nearest scenery. But, when what's coming down that track towards you is pixelated, blurry, prone to pop-in and hampered by a dodgy framerate, everything that makes this type of game so fiendishly addictive and precise is lost. Unfortunately, WRC 8 on Switch suffers from all of these technical problems, making that required perfection an impossibility whilst you play it in portable.
Conclusion
WRC 8 is a hugely enjoyable rally game – perhaps the strongest in the history of this long-running series – but it arrives on Switch in a disappointing state. Playing exclusively in docked mode, you'll be able to enjoy what's on offer here without any technical issues to hold you back, with developer Kylotonn making the necessary graphical sacrifices to keep everything moving at a solid 30fps. Honestly, if you're planning on playing docked only, feel free to stick another two stars on the score below. However, once you switch to portable it's another story, one all too familiar to Switch owners who already suffered through V-Rally 4. Heavily pixelated graphics, aggressive resolution scaling, scenery pop-in and an unreliable framerate all ensure that there are just too many barriers in the way of you freely enjoying the top-notch rally action.
Comments 59
GRID is money better spent by the looks of it...
Shame really, if not for Grid I might have really wanted this to be good. I can look past the portable parts and play it on the big screen though so maybe on a good sale.
Well it looks like I am just going to stick with V-Rally 4 on my Switch as my rally game for the console. I was hoping this would be better but now I won't bother. Thanks for the warning NintendoLife, these kind of reviews are why I keep coming back here. You just saved me about $50.
Considering just how amazing GRID Autosport looks on Switch (and how well it plays and the amount of content) there is no excuse for this really.
It seems Kylotonn spend money getting licences then neglect the games.
Damn it.
I really want a rally game for my NX but this wont be it apparantly.
Not at this price tag anyway.
@Mii_duck
Sounds like business as usual.
As well as planning out DLC and micro transations.
@JayJ I've seen some pretty scathing remarks about V Rally 4. Do you enjoy it then?
@BorderlineJon Yeah I mean luckily I somehow managed to get a great deal on it when I pre-ordered it so I consider it a decent rally game for the budget price I paid for it. WRC costs about twice as much and came out over a year later but it somehow looks worse. I know V-Rally wasn't the best game but I think it turned out to be fun and it satisfied my desire for a rally game on the go.
Ok, we´ll stick with Grid Autosport then.
Been playing it in handheld mode for the last 3 hours and I really can’t see a problem with it. Really enjoying, far superior to v-rally IMO.
No reason to upgrade the switch. I can handle these types of ports for another 6 years.
I'll stick with Dirt 3 Xbox 360 with feedback wheel and pedals. I still feel like that is the best rally setup for my needs. With a 92" screen I feel like I'm at the top of the world.
I was really disappointed to hear how v-rally turned out as that is one of my favorite GBA games.
Sucks that this one is compromised as well.
I'm gonna look at YT for a definitive judgement. NL seems random when it comes to offering video clips.
If NL reviewed something this poorly I think it's safe to assume the game is trash. NL is notorious for over rating not under rating games.
By the way there is nothing average about number 5 on here. Other than Garfield I can't remember a game under 5. Routinely this site gives out 8s like it's cotton candy. A 7 might be average around here but a 5 is straight trash.
Oh I will pick it up on PS4 then. If can't play handheld then no reason for me to buy it on switch
I've played this all afternoon in handheld mode and have to say I'm really enjoying it much better than in my opinion a decent V Rally game. If you're into your rallying a must buy!
@sixrings 5, for me at least and using our rating system, is average. It's not trash, its a good game, unless you go handheld, then the problems totally get in the way of your enjoyment.
I’m starting to see quite a few switch games reviewed now with the phrase about sketchy graphics. I know that we don’t expect Switch to have the very best but recently there is this game, Pokemon Sword and Shield, and others and it seems that maybe devs are getting lazy with the console now. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t see the excuse for games like this or Pokemon having jagged edges and blurring- not after the system is coming up to its 3rd birthday next March. Strikes me as lazy developing and just not caring how the game looks on Switch.
@jarvismp As for V Rally that was awful. Grid is great though. That’s what we should expect.
Given the renaissance of racing titles on the PS3 and 360 like Motorstorm, WipEout HD, PGR, Forza Horizon, Blur and Burnout Paradise there is no excuse for any sub par racing titles on Switch.
Now I just wish EA would make a portable Burnout Paradise.
Never liked the WRC games. I've played several of them on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One. Coming from and being a real fan of the classic ColinMcRae series, I find the WRC games to be boring, have infuriating, unrealistic controls, and even on higher end systems, it's definitely not the bees knees of rally games.
I used to spend quite a bit of time looking for a decent replacement, but never really found it, although Dirt came close. And nowadays, the entire genre simply doesn't interest me at all anymore. Either way, them already being bad, and this one being even worse than that, definitely makes this a no-buy for me.
@PJOReilly
I mainly play in handheld, so this is a waiting for a price cut game for me.
I’ll stick with Grid, but I am still hoping M2 bring Sega Rally to the Ages line up
If I wanted to play a game only on the TV, I'd get it on a far more capable system, so I'll be passing on this.
Really appreciate the strong warning about the undocked performance, though.
@Gerald Absolutely! Can’t wait to play Sega Rally on Switch. Hopefully.
@PJOReilly I don't think you really believe a 5 was average. If you did you would rate a lot more games a 5. Let's take a look at your last 20 reviews which includes shovel ware which didn't deserve to be reviewed. (8/8/8/7/7/2/8/4/8/6/8/7/7/8/3/5/9/8/9/9/). Your average score is a whopping 6.95 out of 10. So 7 is average by your own standards even if you want to say it isn't.
I would love to see auto Modelissta sequel on switch !
Take out the 2 and the 3 and the average review over 18 games is 7.5.
Let’s face the reality. Switch games need to perform well in handheld mode. It ultimately is a handheld system and unless Nintendo bring out a better, more powerful model in the next 2 years, it will simply be a handheld and nothing more. There is zero excuse for games not running well in portable mode. None whatsoever.
@jarvismp I thought it was a hybrid. I sold my xbox one x because Nintendo told me this system was competent on a TV. Maybe no one in Kyoto owns a 50 inch TV.
@sixrings Don’t get me wrong, I love my Nintendo Switch and I do use it mostly as a handheld system. When I do play it on a 42 inch screen I still enjoy the games but some of the graphics are pretty poor. I totally expect there to be hit technically on a less powerful system but there are more games getting through with average graphics. When the next gen consoles come out, any ports on switch that are on PS5 or X box 2 are going to look, well , pretty horrible.
This is a key time for Nintendo. Hopefully a strong holiday period will boost the install base further and then in 2 years we can see a technological advancement with a Switch 2.
I still maintain though that even though it is pitched as a hybrid console, it really will and can only continue to thrive with the acceptance that it is a handheld console. A brilliant one and one the developers, like EA and Lylotton would do well not to treat with the kind of disdain we can see with this game.
Meh... The Switch is not for racing fans (or even just car fans) unless you have a crazy obsession with kart racing (and nothing else)
Even GRID is "decent" because there is nothing else for on the GO... and you still need to invest into something else for home play.
@jarvismp
...if only.
No split screen, no deal. I'll stick with awesome arcade racers like Fast RMX and MK8+ that have it because WHY WOULDN'T YOU HAVE LOCAL MULTIPLAYER ON A RACER YOU IDIOTS
Just give me Sega Rally, Daytona & Wave Race 64 and I’ll stop moaning. I still break out my Saturn every few weeks to get my rolling start on and my panzer dragoon saga fix ❤️❤️❤️
@jarvismp hey I love my switch. Sold my xbox one x recently. But this is a rally game with no other cars on the road yet the switch can't handle it. I sold my xbox one x because I realized I really don't play the Xbox games or I don't have time to. That doesnt mean I am blind to the fact the Xbox looks more often than not like two generations in front of the switch. Games like Mario Kart 8 and smash ultimate are the rare games that fill my gameplay and graphics needs. But more often then not I get the gameplay I want but then have to deal with a poor resolution or framerate. And for me at least that's a big sacrifice since I rarely if ever play portable.
@aznable why no wireless local?
Damn...no multiplayer.
It would be cool to play the Dirt games by Codemasters on the Switch. WRC games are relatively minor compared to some of the better racing series out there.
I would have gotten it for docked only if there was multiplayer, but when it needs docked and there's no multiplayer, there's no point.
@sixrings no adults i personally know own a switch. I play with either my son, my wife, my brother, or friends. In the Switcher among them.
Damn, and to think that i almost bought this game yesterday! Thanks for the heads up PJ
@sixrings : It's not the hardware's fault if the game is rubbish. It's the developer's responsibility to ensure that the software is optimised for the hardware. This just sounds like an example of, hey, the deadline's up; let's just dump it on a cartridge and call it a day, quality be damned.
Bigben is notorious for releasing unfinished garbage, so the quality of this comes as no surprise.
@JayJ ....same here, I'll be sticking with V-rally. I don't know why people put down V-rally, I've had a great time with the game, it had the best handling of any switch car games until Grid came out.
@Brookie Same. Glad to hear how I am not alone on that one lol. I also thought it did a rather good job and it's not like the WRC series has ever been anything spectacular when it comes to sim racing and physics. The way I see it these games are quite similar but V-Rally feels like it has a bit more variety. Anyway you put it this review and those screenshots definitely don't make me want to get WRC on the Switch, especially since handheld mode is the main benefit to getting these games on the console IMO.
I've been burned enough by "it's alright" Switch racing reviews in the past; if NL is pointing out flaws as strongly as this then I'm definitely steering clear.
What would be awesome is if a good team made a real racing game with the switch in mind, as opposed to this "mush it down until it runs" approach. But I can't imagine anyone doing that other than Nintendo themselves or a second-party dev such as MonolithSoft or Shin'en, and even there Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was a slog to play handheld - with every beautiful vista you're saying to yourself: I should stop playing and pick this up later on the TV so that I can enjoy it properly.
As others have said, horsepower isn't the problem - we've had great racing games for 20 years.
@Silly_G I am sorry but are these developers simply lazy when making switch games. Most racing games run at 60 fps on ps4 and xbox one. It is only when we get to Nintendo do the developers get lazy. Or maybe the developer is always lazy. Sure I am ok with that. But when they are given better hardware even when they are lazy their games look vastly superior. The fact is that Nintendo cant get many of their own first party games to run at 60fps. BOTW, Kirby, LM3, Links Awakening. And the games that they do manage to get to work at 60fps often they run at a dynamic resolution, Splatoon2, Yoshi, Odyssey,. I love my Switch but it needs an update that at least gets it to a base xbox one level.
Noooooo, I waited so long for good rally game and gyro wheel controls in rally game, but Kylotonn fails again, now I have to wait even longer. I wish Codemasters will make good Dirt Rally port for Switch with motion control steering and analog stick gas pedal support.
Great game on literally any other platform. V Rally wins by virtue of not turning into a slideshow in portable mode. Shame that the best racer on Switch is still Grid Autosport, a 5 year old game with no multiplayer and graphics so downgraded that the crowds and car interiors are just 2d jpg cutouts.
I've had this game a week and sank hours into in portable mode (I find the graphics fine). It took me a long to get used to the sensitive controls as it is more of a sim than a DIRT game would be. I'm really liking it so far, it's far better than V-Rally 4. I do agree the UI in the menus is terrible and way too small for portable play, and some of the manager aspects are convoluted. But the driving itself is 'don't blink or you'll crash' kind of exciting. I play on easy mode for unlimited re-starts, it's a must. But i'd still kill for a Dirt game on Switch.
@sixrings Regarding average scores, I didn't interpret @PJOreilly's comment the same way you did. When a reviewer says a 5 means it's an average game, that could be interpreted in two ways.
One way would be that he's saying it's the mathematical average of all the scores that reviewer has given out. That seems to be the way you interpreted the comment.
I interpreted the comment as meaning a score of 5 indicates it's an average quality game out of all similar games, not just games the reviewer has personally reviewed. The fact that this reviewer's average review score is higher than 5 may just mean that he skews toward reviewing games that are better than average, at least in his opinion if not yours.
I can slightly agree with this review, but I bet most of people commenting haven't played the game not handheld or docked.
Handheld it has some issues but nothing that makes the game unplayable, docked it is great.
Comparison with versions from other systems are pointless. Some people just have one system not the full set! I have a gaming PC I'm used to compromise on every console ever!
Played the game at a friend's and had a lot of fun and probably will buy it. Could be a lot better, since the Witcher came out the benchmark for Switch ports escalated, but it is solid enough to Grant some fun.
Multiplayer... In a rally game? Ok... For me not really a priority, not using the right stick for acceleration is the real problem!
NL keep up the good work on this reviews!
Meanwhile I bought the game... And sorry... 5 out of 10 is just a bad review.
While I can agree with problems in SOME scenarios when in handheld, in docked mode it works almost flawlessly.
The career mode is addictive (if you like the sport and the genre) and playing single events with friends is a blast - no multiplayer required because, you know... it's Rally not a Track Racer, you just play on your turn and do best time.
I would give it a modest score also, but by NL standards (NL reviews tend to be on the lenient side) a 5 is just destructive, and is the go to game in the system when you want a Rally game with some realism.
@sixrings appreciate the math, but you tainted your average by choosing the last 20. You’d have to select a pool of games at random for a more reliable average, all reviews for a true average.
@D80 you forgot to download the high-res texture pack, boss. Free.
Hi this game WRC 8 is such a Good game.because I downloaded it from Nintendo shop and when played until the event that I finish it wouldn't go any further but it crashed.be nice if they could the problem.
Bought this game 6 months ago, the game keeps crashing after 1 race. BigBen doesn't reply and Nintendo is saying: "You're not getting your money back".
Right now, I am hating Nintendo for several reasons:
@dr_psikick @dr_psikick
The right stick not usable ?
Do you mean, no analog accelerate and brake control possible?
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