Forza Horizon 4 features narrative-based gameplay

By Asher Madan
last updated

Stories will be a part of Forza Horizon 4.

Microsoft started off E3 2018 with a bang, taking the wraps off of the latest entry in its Forza series called Forza Horizon 4. The game takes place in Britain and features numerous enhancements over its predecessor. One of the upcoming changes is "Horizon Stories". They're narrative-based sections which require you to become a stunt driver or operate a taxi company.

Destructoid managed to get more details about the mode in a behind-closed-doors meeting with Playground Games Art Director Benjamin Penrose.

One of the things that's brand new is that we've added a feature called Horizon Stories. They're really cool little bite-sized pieces of narrative-based gameplay that will center around certain activities involved in you owning businesses, interacting with certain people. For example, in one of them you'll have a chance to own a taxi company. However, driving a taxi in the real-world is very different from the sort of action in Horizon games, so you can kind of imagine how that ends up. There are a whole bunch of different things like that. There's one where you'll also be able to be a stunt driver... We even do have a story where you take on the narratives that are associated with other racing games, and one of those is based on Crazy Taxi. You can imagine how that ends up as well.

Many gamers were worried that Forza Horizon 4 would be more of the same. However, the more we know about the game — dynamic seasons, shared-world gameplay, and stories — the more it seems like a definitive evolution for the franchise.

Following up on the Australian journey packed into Forza Horizon 3, Forza Horizon 4 will take fans to a new location. One of the key features that Microsoft and developer Playground Games are hyping up is the game's dynamic seasons system, which will switch from snow to falling leaves, and plenty of rain, as time goes on.

Forza Horizon 4 is set to launch on October 2, 2018 for $59.99. If you pick up the Ultimate Edition, you can get early access starting on September 28. Forza Horizon 4 will also be available as part of Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One and PC through Xbox Play Anywhere.

Keep an eye on WindowsCentral.com/Gaming for all the latest in Xbox and Windows 10 gaming, accessories, news, and reviews!

Asher Madan
Asher Madan

Asher Madan handles gaming news for Windows Central. Before joining Windows Central in 2017, Asher worked for a number of different gaming outlets. He has a background in medical science and is passionate about all forms of entertainment, cooking, and antiquing.

8 Comments
  • Cool
  • I like the idea of (I'm guessing) tying various race types to "professions" adds a layer of realism to the racing.
  • I am a big FH3 fan. I really hope that all these new features make it more fun and don't ruin it. I am not decided yet. I preordered already, so only getting into the gameplay will help me decide. Not long now.
  • Sounds like fun! As someone who prefers single player gaming, this sounds like it’s right up my alley.
  • Come on over and have some fun with Crrraaaaaazzzyyyy Taxi!
  • If only those "stories" are not as annoying and unbearably cheesy as those in recent Need for Speed games, it'll be cool.
  • I am on of those that spend more time in making designs for cars than playing the game. it started with forza 4 where I had a steady team for online and I made our team skin. ended up with around 3400 hours in making designs and selling and around 800 hours really playing the game :D oops!
  • Great concept! Xbox game pass is tempting now