JDM: Japanese Drift Master Review

JDM: Japanese Drift Master is an open-world racing game published by 4Divinity and developed by Gaming Factory. The game follows the journey of a foreigner immersing himself in Japan’s renowned drifting culture, participating in events, modifying cars, and taking on side gigs to sustain his new lifestyle.

Blending familiar racing tropes, JDM: Japanese Drift Master draws inspiration from iconic works such as Initial D, incorporating manga-style storytelling alongside an expansive open-world experience reminiscent of Forza Horizon 5 and The Crew: Motorfest.

Will you make your mark in this unique racing world? Start your engines and get ready to explore JDM: Japanese Drift Master!

Ready, Set, Drift!

JDM: Japanese Drift Master follows the story of Tomasz “Touma” Stanowski, a Polish racer with a troubled past who relocates to Japan to immerse himself in the underground world of street racing, particularly the art of drifting. His journey unfolds in real time through manga-style panels interwoven between story missions, allowing players to experience the culture and mastery of the sport from a newcomer’s perspective. It’s a unique approach we don’t normally see in other titles, and this is welcome as someone who deeply appreciates Japanese culture.

Unlike Initial D, which follows a prodigy entering the street racing scene, JDM takes a more immersive approach by letting players learn the skill alongside Touma. This dynamic enhances the game’s appeal, particularly for those unfamiliar with racing mechanics, offering a more engaging and educational experience.

Players must choose between Simulcade and Arcade control schemes, a decision that cannot be changed once selected. After testing the game on a PC with an Xbox controller and a Steam Deck, the Arcade setup is the more intuitive choice, offering ease of control and greater manual capabilities. Simulcade, while intriguing, caters more to beginners with automated drift assists for smoother handling.

Visually, JDM is a standout title. It boasts impressive graphics and a pulse-pounding soundtrack infused with Eurobeat tracks, a clear homage to Initial D. Instead of the iconic Gunma Mountains, the game’s semi-open world is set in Hokkaido, delivering a refreshing change of scenery. 

The world looks gorgeous and feels immersive in its early stages, pulling players into its drifting-centric atmosphere. The map does feel like Japan at its prettiest, with a nice contrast of colors that bring the surrounding scenery to life. Like in other drift-based anime series, roads are narrower in the countryside, and drivers will be tested by snaking through other vehicles on a map full of hairpin curves and elevation drops.

Story missions revolve around racing, sushi deliveries, and, naturally, more racing. True to its title, drifting is the core mechanic, with initial challenges emphasizing its importance in determining performance and mission scores. Progression requires players to hit specific score thresholds, meaning those unfamiliar with drifting may face a steep learning curve before truly enjoying the game. There are many difficulty spikes along the way, paired with wonky AI and some weirdly confusing traffic that slows the pace a bit.

For those who quickly master drifting, missions fly by quickly. However, for those struggling with the mechanics, the experience can become frustrating. As the game progresses, mission structures become repetitive, and cracks in the semi-open world design become more apparent, particularly due to the game’s inherently linear narrative progression.

Certain missions introduce strict parameters, such as delivering sushi without damage or tailing a driver without overtaking them, as failure results in a restart. Drifting mechanics are front and center here, and just as the title suggests, you have to master them to make headway in the game. While initially manageable, the frequent and slow loading times make frequent retries tedious, detracting from the overall enjoyment. Even transitioning from scene to scene has awkward moments that could have just been skipped, frequently breaking the pace of the experience.

Modding also poses challenges, as players are thrown into a mini-game with minimal guidance. Without a proper tutorial, trial and error becomes the primary learning method. Unless players are hardcore car enthusiasts, the customization system may feel unnecessarily complex, making external guides essential for navigation. Additionally, the car selection is slim at this point, and there are recognizable licensed cars from Nissan and Honda. While the current selection may change in future updates, more cars would have made a good first impression.

At first glance, JDM: Japanese Drift Master presents a promising racing experience that rivals its established counterparts. The initial excitement and immersive atmosphere set high expectations. However, as the novelty wears off, the game struggles with repetitive mission designs and missed opportunities to utilize its open-world elements fully. 

While its foundation is strong, it falls short of realizing its full potential because it still feels janky enough that something feels missing, whether it be more content or polish. Physics is also questionable in some parts of the game, leading us to think there are indeed fixes on the horizon.

PC and Steam Deck Performance

We played JDM: Japanese Drift Master on the PC, and here’s the system we used to play with:

• Ryzen 5 5600x, 16 GB DDR4 3600 RAM, NVIDIA 4070 Super, 1TB NVMe SSD
• Steam Deck OLED

JDM has unfortunate technical and optimization issues on both machines that we tried it on. While the visuals look excellent on a capable PC, there are noticeable stutters here and there, which you wouldn’t really expect with such a game compared to heavier and more graphically demanding titles.

The Steam Deck, on the other hand, is significantly less optimized. Prepare for sub-30 fps and noticeable stutters, especially during busy track sections, combined with low fidelity. The controls aren’t comfortable as well, possibly leading you to use an external controller, which almost defeats the purpose of portable play.

The developers have been active in communicating with their player base. According to their launch roadmap, feedback integration from the community, fixes, and new content are key. We’ll have to wait and see how this pans out in the coming weeks and months!

Verdict: Wait for it…

JDM: Japanese Drift Master starts with a promising concept, offering stunning visuals, an electrifying soundtrack, and an aesthetic reminiscent of similar anime. At first, the driving mechanics feel satisfying, and your choice of control method enhances the experience. However, the true measure of enjoyment lies in mastering the drifting mechanics, which play a crucial role in the overall gameplay.

Even for those who refine their drifting skills, JDM struggles to maintain its momentum. The gameplay quickly becomes repetitive, and the semi-open world feels like a missed opportunity to deliver a deeper, more immersive street racing experience. While the foundation is strong, it falls short of elevating the genre, leaving players wanting more variety and meaningful progression.

While the developers have been improving the title, it would be interesting to see how this shapes up a few months later. Some of its issues can be worked on, and with additional content and optimization, JDM could drift into relevance for racing and drift aficionados.

*JDM: Japanese Drift Master has been reviewed on the PC and a Steam Deck with a review key provided by the publisher.