After a grand Season 10 in The Crew Motorfest, Ubisoft is already revving up the engine for Season 11, which will take a different approach, yet one that many players will like. Instead of focusing on hi-tech cars only or a talk show, we now have an exploration-focused season, accompanied by one of the most famous adventurers in the world, all set on one of the most gorgeous islands I’ve seen so far in The Crew Motorfest.
Let the Expedition Begin
I had the opportunity to play the demo of The Crew Motorfest Season 11, which will focus on the new islands that host the Kauai Expeditions playlist as well as the long-awaited Tomb Raider crossover, called Secrets of Ni’ihau.
When I fired up this build, the first thing I did was unlock the crossover, as I just couldn’t grasp how Ubisoft would bring one of the most epic and iconic adventuring franchises to its racing game. Well, I was extremely impressed, as it really captured that sense of discovery alongside some creative puzzle-solving and some gorgeous new vistas in Hawaii.
Since I was only able to tackle two events in the demo, the first one focused on showing a bit of the new loop in Secrets of Ni’ihau, which is solving puzzles with vehicles that have a winch. For this event, I had to make my way through a temple, and to do so, I had to go through a few environmental challenges, such as moving blocks with my winch to carve a path for my truck and even remove a few rocks with it as I made my way through an ancient tunnel.
While the first event focused mostly on solving the above brain teasers, the second one really made my jaw drop. In true Tomb Raider fashion, this new playlist of Season 11 took my character to a dinosaur-riddled island. So, there I was, dodging a Mosasaurus on my boat and driving below a couple of Quetzalcoatlus—you know, the usual day for a Motorfest driver.
In all seriousness, this event was mind-blowing, and the narrative behind it seems pretty intriguing, even if I only got to experience some of its early portions. Furthermore, it was great to have Lara Croft talking to my character as I drove through this new island, while also listening to a few easter eggs about our archeologist’s most iconic adventures in the gaming world.
As for the Kauai Expeditions playlist, I also liked it as it leaned completely toward the exploration aspect. I only had the compass and clues to find the camp that would kick off the next event. After I found them, the missions started, and both of them tasked me with returning items and vehicles to the camp. Even if they weren’t as impressive as the crossover, I liked the idea of abandoning the GPS for a while and just doing some old-school exploration with nothing but your vehicles and clues to find your destination. I wish Ubisoft would lean more into this approach in future seasons, as it encourages players to explore every nook and cranny of these new areas.
Lastly, the vehicle lineup: it is as amazing as you can imagine. The cars I used the most were the Lamborghini Sterrato and the Bugatti Tourbillon, especially when going from point A to point B, but I liked the off-road selection, especially when it came to the aforementioned exploration events.
To the Wild
The one thing that keeps surprising me about The Crew Motorfest, especially now going into Season 11, is just how unique all the content for these big updates is. The truth is, I wasn’t expecting anything to surpass the high bar the Hawaii Grand Tour set, but Season 11 is already doing it with its highly engaging, exploration-driven systems.
Ultimately, this is another promising season for the game, and one I believe will appeal to many players, regardless of the type of content they want to make. But if you’ve been missing the exploration aspect of the game and can’t wait to find some hidden ruins, artifacts, and photograph some wildlife while you’re at it, well, you’re in for one of the most exciting seasons in The Crew Motorfest.
