The February 2022 PlayStation State Of Play was all about showcasing the upcoming racing game Gran Turismo 7. While most of the features are already known about, there is one interesting new addition to this seventh numbered entry: music replays.
For Gran Turismo 7, developers Polyphony Digital has made the camera angle changes to the tune of the music being played. It’s not dynamic music- the music remains as is- but it does give the effect seen in all the past Gran Turismo intros.
In fact, the last new gameplay shown during the broadcast perfectly highlights this feeling. It shows the music replay in action as a gaggle of Red Bull X2019 screeches around High Speed Ring, all while the GT anthem of Moon Of The Castle is playing.
Interestingly, there’s also a new mode, Music Rally, which plays like an arcade race where you drive through checkpoints, get extra time, while you enjoy the music playing. Every car you pass, a ticker showing what the car was is displayed (so you know your cars in this car game), and the now-playing music featured up the top of the HUD. The race ends when the entire music track ends.
For a developer named after a music theory concept, it’s about time there’s some musical-related feature added to a game. A bit extra and not really a selling point, but still a cool little new feature.
The rest of the State Of Play is what you expect out of GT7. The return of a full campaign means the return of many, many missing aspects that were stripped out from GT Sport. Used car sales (with offers changing daily), license tests, car wash and oil changes and car part upgrades are added back.
The weather and time system is fully dynamic as shown via a long time-lapse (though how many tracks offer this remain to be seen). There will be 34 locations (tracks) with 97 layouts, and over 400 cars new and old. More cars and tracks are confirmed to be added post-launch.
All the features from GT Sport, including 2-player split-screen mode and the ranked online multiplayer Sport Mode, are back. Some with more enhancements. You can now put stickers on the windows in the livery editor, and cars have cosmetic part upgrades like wings, bumpers, even widebody kit options for some.
Gran Turismo 7 will be out on March 4 for the PS4 and PS5.