Formula Legends promises to be a new, more casual trip throughout F1 history. The game by Italian studio 3DClouds has officially been revealed to launch later in 2025.
Images: 3DClouds
Formula One content that goes back through the decades can be found in many a sim racing title or racing game these days. For the most part, that is centered about getting as close to the feeling of driving the real cars as possible, preferably even at the tracks the raced at as they would have been in-period.
Formula Legends is not about that. The freshly-announced title by Italian studio 3DClouds takes a more casual approach using stylized graphics and a third-person camera angle to transport players back in time, including the evolution of cars and tracks.
The game will be released on PC via Steam, Epic Games and GoG, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One and Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch in 2025 - although no launch date is known yet.
Formula Legends: Stylized Trip Back In Time
Despite its stylized graphics and more casual appeal, Formula Legends will not be a floor-it-and-win type of game. Instead, tire wear, fuel usage and damage levels are things players will need to keep an eye on, just like the changeable weather. Pit stops are also included, and changing tires at just the right time could be a decisive factor in your race.Speaking of change: Formula Legends will feature 16 cars (with 7 liveries each) spread out over six decades, and these decades are also split into early, middle and late. All of the 14 tracks that are going to be on board will also change accordingly - driving the same circuit in a 1970s setting will feel different than its modern counterpart, including layout changes.
The game will not feature licensed cars, drivers, or tracks, using fictionalized but recognizable replacements instead, including for driver names. 3DClouds showed us some gameplay already, and we immediately recognized legends like Louis Hammerton or Boris Rubichello or Charlie Lacreme, especially in events like the Riviera Streets GP (that's definitely not set in Monaco) or the Old Prestige GP (which is not a nod to the British Grand Prix at all).
Oh, and of course, there will be a Nordschleife-inspired fictional track for the German Grand Prix - we just had to ask about that one.
Overall, we could not quite shake the feeling of being reminded of Circuit Superstars a bit, just for F1 history enthusiasts and in third-person view - which is not a bad thing, really. At least that was the first impression, as we could not yet get our hands on Formula Legends to play it and see what its handling is like.
No Multiplayer - Yet?
Sounds like a fun game to kick back with, controller in hand, and a few of your buddies either on the couch next to you or online, right? It does - but that, unfortunately, will not be possible. Formula Legends will not feature an online multiplayer mode, just platform-specific online leaderboards - initially only on PC, with consoles to follow.As Executive Producer Roberta Migliori, Producer Francesco Mantovani and Lead Designer Matteo Breda told us, this could still change though, with local multiplayer being possibly the most feasible mode.
While that is a shame, a nice singleplayer-focused game is also a good thing to have. That also means that the AI opponents need to be on point, though, which they were not necessarily yet in the preview we saw - almighty pile-ups at fictional Spa included. Since it was an early build of the game, there should still be time to adjust things, however.
Previous titles by 3DClouds were leaning heavily into the casual side of racing games, such as Hot Wheels Monster Trucks: Stunt Mayhem or Transformers Galactic Trials, or were more kid-friendly titles like Paw Patrol Grand Prix or Gigantosaurus Dino Kart.
Kickstarting Another Arcade Racing Renaissance?
With all of this in mind, does the game have potential? It looks like it - but 3DClouds need to make sure that the on-track action is engaging, fun and balanced well if Formula Legends is going to be a singleplayer game first and foremost. Our main concern is that the lack of online multiplayer will hold it back and cause many racing gamers to overlook it."We have some of the biggest motorsport fans in the world in our office, which is only a stone's throw away from Monza", states 3DClouds CEO Francesco Bruschi. "So all of us being able to put our unbridled passion and expertise into this game has been an absolute joy. We really hope fans will dig Formula Legends and that we can help kickstart an arcade racing renaissance once more."
From what we were shown and told, it is clear that the title is a labor of love for the studio. We even caught a brief glimpse of a circa-1998 car that sported tower wings - these weird-looking winglets that sat high above a car's sidepod was only used by Tyrrell in a handful of races in 1997, plus Ferrari, Jordan, Prost and Sauber who came up with their own in early 1998. They were then quickly banned on safety grounds following the fourth race of the season.
Details like this that many fans may have forgotten about already will make the F1 history nerds among us happy, we're sure. But of course, that also means that the rest of the game needs to be fun, too.
What are your first impressions of Formula Legends? Let us know in the comments below!
