Absolute Drift: Zen Edition

 PlayStation 4
User Score
6.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 16
  3. Negative: 4 out of 16

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  1. FriedConsole
    Sep 11, 2016
    7
    Zen drift racing that was a little too difficult to control for my tastes. The game is all about maintaining a drift around obstacles where the time does not matter. It has a great style but the car is like controlling a Ferrari on oil slicked ice. Wish I could like this game more.
  2. mobieus
    Aug 25, 2016
    9
    This jewel of a game is about one thing. Drifting. First and foremost, the music in the game is absolutely awesome if you like electronic type music. Very chill, very zen. The graphics are very minimalistic, but that is fine because its about the game play. How is the game play? Very challenging and will take a bit to get the hang of. You can use automatic transmission which makesThis jewel of a game is about one thing. Drifting. First and foremost, the music in the game is absolutely awesome if you like electronic type music. Very chill, very zen. The graphics are very minimalistic, but that is fine because its about the game play. How is the game play? Very challenging and will take a bit to get the hang of. You can use automatic transmission which makes it a little easier or go manual where you have full control. Also 3 different levels of difficulty. There are different missions to accomplish, but it is a very linear type game. Try and drift, beat specific goals on courses, get the best score you can, go to the next. With that said, for a $12.00 game, i feel i am more than getting my money's worth.… Expand
  3. Angel_Sigh
    May 23, 2021
    8
    I love drifting. It was Horizon 4 that taught me the basics and ever since then I've become a bit obsessed. I play Forza Horizon 4 every day and I've sunk two thousand hours into it. I'm in the world top 200 on its longest and most gruelling drift zone, the Needle Climb, so I'm a handy drifter by now. And most racing/driving games allow you to drift and have specific challenges forI love drifting. It was Horizon 4 that taught me the basics and ever since then I've become a bit obsessed. I play Forza Horizon 4 every day and I've sunk two thousand hours into it. I'm in the world top 200 on its longest and most gruelling drift zone, the Needle Climb, so I'm a handy drifter by now. And most racing/driving games allow you to drift and have specific challenges for drifting.

    But only a small handful of games actually get drifting right, and to get it right it has to feel natural. The reason drifting feels natural in FH4(and in Forza Motorsport) is because the reasons you drift in those games are the same reasons you drift in real life. The physics in Forza may be toytown versions of real physics, but they are still accurate. The physics work the same way they do in the real world. By contrast, other racing games, like NFS or Grid, or the execrable Crew 2, simulate drifting in completely unnatural ways. It doesn't feel physical. It feels like the developers just made the back ends of some cars slip out in a way that looks a bit like drifting. Whereas with Forza the reason you drift is because your rear wheels lose traction: simple as that. If they lose a lot of traction you spin out, and if you oversteer too much you spin out. If you don't have enough horsepower your car won't drift very far. And AWD drifting is completely different to RWD drifting. It all feels completely natural. The same goes for Dirt Rally. The best drifting games have drifting that is just a by-product of their physics engines. The drifting is just what happens when you control your oversteer and your rear wheels break traction. It's not added into the game by hand. It feels natural and therefore it feels right. The same goes for Assetto Corsa's formidably realistic drifting.
    Which is all a long way round of saying: Absolute drift feels the same way. It's simpler than the drifting in the aforementioned games: I haven't seen much need to clutch-kick or any of the advanced techniques I use, But it feels absolutely, physically, right. The weight transfer of the cars, the oversteer, the arcs of your drifts: it's glorious. Your car is tiny, but you feel that connection with it all the same. And even though the game is short and small it's so moreish to play, and to get better at, that you'll repeat certain levels just for the joy of hooning around them. It's a bit more complex than I expected too: there's a clutch, manual gearing, there's a bunch of assists that I recommend you switch off to get the full experience.

    This tiny gem of a game was followed up by Art Of Rally, a more fleshed out rally racing game, with a lot of very slidey, drifty cars. But I think I prefer Absolute Drift at the moment. It's simpler, purer and more addictive. If you life drifting in any way you should get it. Especially on Switch, its natural home.

    Oh, and give Funselektor ALL THE MONEY; they/he are/is obviously hugely talented, and understands exactly what feels great about pulling that handbrake, breaking that traction and sweeping around a long, lazy corner sideways, puffing on a cigar and grinning at the locals. I would dearly love to see what Funselektor could do with a AA/AAA budget.    … Expand
  4. casusbely
    Jan 21, 2020
    9
    Control a apprivoisé, musique excellente, challenge prenant. Bon jeu pour se détendre d'un bordeland ou Battlefield.
  5. yazazuyo
    Aug 10, 2023
    7
    It's a good idea but I think it'd be better with a bit more story ;). A tutorial that explains how you can do different things with the car would've been cool too. It was a bit too hard for be but all in all you can play it.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
78

Generally favorable reviews - based on 4 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 4
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 4
  3. Negative: 0 out of 4
  1. PlayStation Country
    Sep 11, 2016
    70
    If you liked Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift but thought it had 16 million too many colours then this slick, arcadey drift ’em up is for you. While it has style for days and is easy to get into, the game’s mayfly-like lifespan is a real shame. If you like shaving lap times, and games that look like technical drawings, then Absolute Drift: Zen Edition is one to check out.
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  2. Digitally Downloaded
    Sep 5, 2016
    80
    Unrelentingly simple and yet uncontrollably addictive, Absolute Drift is a comfort game in every sense of the term.
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  3. GameSpew
    Aug 31, 2016
    80
    Often contrasting a white background with bright block objects, there could not have been a better mix for a game all about avoiding things.
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