Review of Japanese Drift Master – Rise of the Scorpion (Demo): worth a free spin

Rise of the What-Now?

The racing game landscape of 2024 is dominated by huge franchises that have been around longer than trees, so it is always encouraging to see brave indie underdogs like Japanese drift champion is causing quite a stir. The full version is due to be released this year, but a free demo has just been released, so of course we had to get behind the wheel.

And how does it drive?

You know these drift events in Need for speed? The ones where the driving physics are set up so that even if you breathe on the accelerator the rear wheels spin and the roads suddenly look like Teflon-coated margarine? Yes. Something like that.

In a good way, you see. The first few minutes in our unregistered vehicle—but definitely a 370Z—were spent trying to find the sweet spot, the Venn diagram overlap between speed, steering angle and rear-wheel traction that creates drifts you can hold through a corner and then get back out of.

It takes a little practice, and the developers at Gaming Factory know that. That’s why an essential part of it is Rise of Scorpio The prologue is dedicated to tutorial-based challenges where you stay in the drift for as long as possible and switch back and forth between drift directions to bring home as many points as possible.

So is it more of an arcade game than a simulation?

Exactly. We are not talking about iRacing Levels of serious care here. The car’s behavior feels convincing, but it’s cut from the same cloth as classic Need for speed, Burn-out And The Crew Title. Third-person camera, hard inputs, no big dramas when you roll your non-370Z into a wall.

However, it has something that none of these old genre classics have…

Anime comic panels?

You cheated and looked at the Steam page, didn’t you? But yeah. JDM tries to immerse you in a story while it teaches you the art of drifting. And it does that by interspersing the open-world driving with graphic novel panels that build some sort of narrative around your rebellious teen protagonist, the improbably proportioned lover, the mentor who hands out all your drift tutorials, etc.

The monochrome presentation is more about function than finesse at the moment, but we’ll reserve judgment on JDM’s true storytelling prowess until the final release.

What else makes it different?

JDM is not only set in an open world with Tokyo streets that are incredibly good for drifting, but also in the anime mentioned above, but also gives you a smartphone. It works a bit like Grand Theft Auto V – You can interact with NPCs there and arrange meeting points. Essentially, it’s just another way to start side missions instead of traveling back and forth between map markers.

What does the car collection look like?

That all depends on whether you’re OK with debased, unlicensed depictions of very recognizable drift engines. Mazda has signed a deal to provide the game with the likenesses of its vehicles, and there are a few Subarus here too, but currently most of the roster is unofficial.

Still, we have no problem chewing on the rear tires of no-name Nissan Sylvias and old, clunky Toyota Corollas, whether the official license plates are printed on them or not.

Can you customize your vehicles?

Absolutely. Just down the street from the dealership is a parts shop that specializes in widebody kits and deformations that would detach the retinas of an unsuspecting passerby.

We have been spoiled lately by incredibly detailed customization systems in Gran Turismo 7 And ForzaHorizon5and let’s be clear – this is not JDM. We’re talking about an indie game here. There’s enough visual customization to make you feel like you built your own car. youralthough.

Why should I play it?

Because it’s free. Because an indie developer is tackling the power of a much larger series, and doing so with some intriguing twists – pardon the excellent pun – on the usual formula. If you like going sideways, this prologue is a great way to master the handling model early on. And multiplayer is planned after the full game’s release, so you might just gain a competitive edge over the community by spending hours on this demo.