JDM: Japanese Drift Master, a new open-world racing game, has launched this week. The game draws heavy inspiration from iconic anime and movies such as Initial D and The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. Players can explore 250 kilometers of diverse driving roads and iconic Japanese landmarks like Himeji Castle, Mount Akina, and Tatara Bridge.
The game features fully customizable vehicles, officially licensed from various brands, allowing players to personalize and tune their cars in multiple ways. JDM: Japanese Drift Master offers two driving physics modes: arcade and simcade. The arcade model is designed for beginners with simplified steering and easy-to-learn controls, focusing more on fun rather than realistic gameplay.
The simcade setup offers a more natural car feel and is recommended for players using wheels. The game’s story centers on Touma, a Polish-born drift racer who relocates to Japan after a personal tragedy to pursue his dream of becoming a legitimate drifter. The story mode features over 40 narrative-driven events and storytelling via a manga mode.
JDM: Japanese Drift Master is available for $34.99 and comes with a 15% discount if purchased within the first two weeks of its launch.
japanese landmarks and tuning options
Stay tuned for a full review coming soon from gaming enthusiast Adam Ismail.
While JDM succeeds in nailing the essence of drifting, it stumbles when it comes to other racing modes and certain game mechanics. The game’s uneven difficulty tends to appear when the story shifts away from drifting. The grip racing mode is unsatisfying, with AI opponents that drive directly into the player’s car.
The game also struggles with communication, occasionally mislabeling events. Drift builds are impractical for certain races, making some missions feel misleading. Quick travel is limited to jumping between garages, which can be frustrating during such events.
Despite these challenges, JDM is inventive with its mission types, switching between sushi delivery runs, duels against unfriendly locals, and influencer content creation missions. It’s generous with its unlocks and currency rewards, encouraging players to buy and tune all the cars on its roster. Over the next year or so, JDM’s rough edges will likely be refined.
For now, while the game’s best qualities occasionally struggle to shine through its numerous rough patches, it remains a fascinating and personally invested project that drifts through its flaws with a heart full of genuine enthusiasm for Japanese tuner and touge culture.
Deanna Ritchie is a managing editor at DevX. She has a degree in English Literature. She has written 2000+ articles on getting out of debt and mastering your finances. She has edited over 60,000 articles in her life. She has a passion for helping writers inspire others through their words. Deanna has also been an editor at Entrepreneur Magazine and ReadWrite.
