Browsing my local CEX this past weekend, I spotted a copy of DCL; The Game for just £4. Immediately, it's low price - and the good condition of its box - encouraged me to make a purchase. The cover of the game, and the description on its reverse, told me that it was a racing simulator about Drones (something I didn't even realise had existed to that point) and that publisher THQ Nordic's game had received endorsement from - amongst others - the Drone Championship League. Again, I wasn't aware this was a thing, but had decided to make the purchase regardless.
Originally released in January 2019, the game was essentially based on the calendar of that years Drone competitions, with events taking place in such locations as the United States and Liechtenstein. Indeed, with the exception of 2010 FIFA Road to the World Cup, this must have been the first time I'd ever heard of the inclusion of Liechtenstein in a video game, let alone that it was host to such events.
Essentially, after playing what can only be described as the shortest tutorial ever, you're given the chance to compete in several time trials flying a drone. Now, knowing drone pilots in real life, I'm of the understanding that this isn't something which can be learned easily - so it's good news that the game has several modes from Arcade upwards which simulate a large amount of the actual skills needed in order to control the device. If you are feeling really brave, you can indeed fly the drone exactly as you might do in real life, but this would probably result in quite a few crashes before you at least maintained equilibrium.
Players view in the third person, controlling the drone as it flies through a variety of tracks, some of which involve little more than a sharp turn, and others which are a lot more devilish in design. You'll have a visual track on screen that you'll need to follow, and in the lower difficulty modes a lot of the loops, twists and turns will be done by AI, all you really need to focus on is steering, accelerating and not taking the corners too tightly. If you decide to replay to better your time, you'll see ghosts representing other players achievements as well as your personal best score, which can always be a handy tool for noting where you went wrong on that last hairpin.
Looking fantastic, developer Climax Games (who previously worked on DIRT 2.0) have done some phenomenal work, in order to bring these races to console. Whilst it's unlikely you'll be able to take much in, due to the fast paced action in the skies, full credit is given to those who have made the game at least look realistic, and haven't taken shortcuts when it comes to little details. In the same way, players can choose their drone's weight class, and this has a huge impact on taking corners, braking and overtaking others etc - so much so that you can noticeably feel the difference as you play.
Initially, I was sceptical, and played only a little of the game before putting it down. But as my curiosity grew, I decided to go back and investigate more, and very quickly I'd racked up over an hours flying time and was actually finding it quite accessible - even to a novice like myself. Don't get cocky, however, even after 60 minutes of practice and achievement I was still nowhere near ready to turn the difficultly up and attempt the next level; ultimately memory and detail must be your bywords.
For a general place in the gaming market, it's hard to say, because this really is a niche product - probably something which explains the low price. Whilst I did get a certain amount of 'Wipeout' vibes whilst playing this game, it's clear that these are two very different products, even if they do share some similarities. If you're the kind of person who actually watches the DCL and knows everything about the sport, then this is for you. If not, this game is perhaps more of a fun novelty, something that more casual players could tire of easily. This doesn't equate to the £30 cost currently on Steam.
Rating: 3/5