Here’s what Absolute Drift and Art of Rally creator Funselektor did next – a 2D single-seater management game.
Bet you didn’t see this one coming… From the acclaimed Art of Rally to a strategy simulation, Funselektor’s Dune Casu – in collaboration with Strelka Games – next project is Golden Lap.
It is a top-down, 2D, ‘strategy-driven’ management game set within the 1970s and focuses on (unofficially) the sport of Formula 1.
Casu’s games to date have pinpointed a time in automotive culture and run with it – 2015’s Absolute Drift was inspired by one of Ken Block’s earlier Gymkhana videos fused with the Japanese sideways driving scene.
Art of Rally, while it covered several different rulesets, was evocative of rallying’s preposterous 1980s era.
The black ribbons of asphalt contrast with colourful backgrounds, something that was teased in November 2022.
The hues on display appear to be related to the time of day or weather conditions during the race – orange tints during a clear day’s sunset, blues when it rains, plus there are on-screen clouds that gather above the venue.
As ever, there are cheeky nods to names of the past. Drivers such as Larousse, Moretti, Dupont, Lafromboise and Kukkonen are previewed alongside teams such as Chapman, LaBrahn and Ezzolini. Each has a logo, reminiscent of the fictional stage-side sponsors in Art of Rally.
There looks to be some form of chassis, engine and perhaps steering tuning, paid for by earned in-game currency – although how that is accumulated is not yet clear. So far, we can spot five different tyre types (three slick compounds plus intermediate and wet) and the ability to switch driving style (affecting tyre wear) and engine mode (affecting fuel bun rates).
Controlling your budget across driver wages, support staff, car development and sponsorship is said to be key.
The design of the user interface is that of minimalism – if it successfully mixes that simple aesthetic with gameplay deep enough to sustain multiple 14-race seasons will be put to the test later this year.
Golden Lap releases at some point in 2024 on PC via Steam.
Which single-seater management and strategy game are you looking forward to the most – Golden Lap or F1 Manager 2024? Let us know in the comments below, or on X, @OverTake_gg. You can discuss this in our Golden Lap forum too, and we've even set up a user-generated content database, should that be useful post-release.
Bet you didn’t see this one coming… From the acclaimed Art of Rally to a strategy simulation, Funselektor’s Dune Casu – in collaboration with Strelka Games – next project is Golden Lap.
It is a top-down, 2D, ‘strategy-driven’ management game set within the 1970s and focuses on (unofficially) the sport of Formula 1.
Casu’s games to date have pinpointed a time in automotive culture and run with it – 2015’s Absolute Drift was inspired by one of Ken Block’s earlier Gymkhana videos fused with the Japanese sideways driving scene.
Art of Rally, while it covered several different rulesets, was evocative of rallying’s preposterous 1980s era.
Clean Design, Retro Cues
In the debut trailer, we can see dots, representing each driver, traversing track maps which are not the same as re-world locations, but clearly inspired by. Take, 1972’s Circuit de Casino, for example, or the British ‘Muttonchop’ location.The black ribbons of asphalt contrast with colourful backgrounds, something that was teased in November 2022.
The hues on display appear to be related to the time of day or weather conditions during the race – orange tints during a clear day’s sunset, blues when it rains, plus there are on-screen clouds that gather above the venue.
As ever, there are cheeky nods to names of the past. Drivers such as Larousse, Moretti, Dupont, Lafromboise and Kukkonen are previewed alongside teams such as Chapman, LaBrahn and Ezzolini. Each has a logo, reminiscent of the fictional stage-side sponsors in Art of Rally.
Team Management and Race Strategy
It would appear you oversee the fate of a team and in-race, your two drivers. You will be tasked with navigating them through yellow flags, petulant rivalries, qualifying and pitstops in a single-player career mode.There looks to be some form of chassis, engine and perhaps steering tuning, paid for by earned in-game currency – although how that is accumulated is not yet clear. So far, we can spot five different tyre types (three slick compounds plus intermediate and wet) and the ability to switch driving style (affecting tyre wear) and engine mode (affecting fuel bun rates).
Controlling your budget across driver wages, support staff, car development and sponsorship is said to be key.
The design of the user interface is that of minimalism – if it successfully mixes that simple aesthetic with gameplay deep enough to sustain multiple 14-race seasons will be put to the test later this year.
Golden Lap releases at some point in 2024 on PC via Steam.
Which single-seater management and strategy game are you looking forward to the most – Golden Lap or F1 Manager 2024? Let us know in the comments below, or on X, @OverTake_gg. You can discuss this in our Golden Lap forum too, and we've even set up a user-generated content database, should that be useful post-release.
