Gravel

Dirt? Taken. Mud? Hmmmm. Gravel? Bingo!

- Justin Towell

We’ve had some sensational racing sims over the past 12 months, but if you’re tired of learning braking points, tinkering with brake biases and spinning out on every corner, Gravel’s no-nonsense racing will be right up your street. It’s inspired by old-school, pick-up-and-play racers, with nods to genre classics like Sega Rally Championship and – of course – Codemasters’ Dirt series.

The action is presented as though you’re a participant in a TV show called ‘Offroad Masters’ which plays each week on the ‘Gravel Channel’. All that really means is that, in-between races, an announcer spouts some of the worst sentences ever committed to waveform. “If you didn’t faint during the last race, you’re used to strong emotions,” he says. Awful.

There are live-action boss introduction videos so you can see some of the drivers you’re supposed to be racing, EA-style, which is a nice touch. But with no commentary, driver dialogue or mid-race graphics to suggest you’re in said TV show, the racing itself feels characterless.

The cars all handle nicely, with a strong sense of inertia that lets you slide into and around turns, especially when you turn off traction control and spin the wheels. It’s a good blend of fun and realism, if a little lightweight.