The last few years have given me some great indie racers. And driving games. Games such as Wheel World, The Precinct, and most recently, Turbo Hatchback Time Attack. These are games I have loved as soon as I’ve played them. Invested in what they deliver. So, the chance to experience more of them through expansions is always welcomed. And it just so happens there are three games of the last few years which have seen expansions. So, I felt it would be worthwhile talking about them in one easy place.

The use of easy being deliberate, as that’s the first game I’ll be talking about. Easy Delivery Co. was a great experience when it released last year. Taking on the role of a delivery driver in a bitterly cold mountain environment. Driving up and down its winding roads with the back of the truck loaded with cargo. And uncovering the secret the mountain holds.

So, the best way to add onto that was obviously a rally mode. Which is what Sam C wanted the game to be in the first place. It is a Kei truck that is in use, after all. But I have to say, I’m not the greatest fan. The new mode, found within the options of the main menu, instantly brings me to… somewhere. It confused me as to where I was, being a seemingly endless road. And a single start line that wanted me to pay $100 to enter. When I was currently penniless.

I could at least drive around and get used to the new handling this mode gives the truck. And it’s honestly a case of if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The base game handling was perfectly fine, being very smooth in the corners and an agile beast. Even if it did lose control occasionally. With the rally handling, that occasionally becomes often. Especially since the tiniest of steering adjustments can have it veer wildly in that direction. It’s to the point I didn’t want to go fast, as that just seemed to make it easier to lose control.

In looking up what I was meant to be doing, it seems the mode is bugged. Effectively starting me in an end game area. So, freezing to death put me at the start of the game, allowing me to do jobs to earn money and see what one of these races is like. While there’s no indication of where checkpoints are until close to them, the sparse amount of roads make getting lost almost impossible. Especially when checkpoints are placed in a way to indicate the road that needs to be taken.

It is just as well that EasyRally is a free addition to Easy Delivery Co. that does not interact with the main game in any way. It can easily be ignored should you wish. From what I have seen around, purchasing the snow tyres will make the handling better. But is it worth the initial struggle to get to the place they’re bought from in the first place? I’m at least going to continue playing to find out. Plus, it’s a lot of fun returning to the game and using the first-person viewpoint.

Fortunately, the next two game’s expansions are much better. Starting with Parking Garage Rally Circuit. I found the base game to be a great score attack racer, charging boosts through drifts, with each successive one further increasing the boost speed. The tracks had technical challenge to them, with sharp turns, obstacles, and even jumps to navigate as I tried to get the golds. And then go further with trying to get high on the leaderboards.

At the end of April, the European Tour expansion arrived, delivering even more great racing. That base game had eight tracks, with European Tour offering eight more. As the name suggests, these locations are spread across Europe, with the likes of Paris, York, and Copenhagen to drive around. Much like the base game tracks, these all feature parking garages in some form, but Walaber has gone further in extending these tracks beyond those parking garages.

Turin sees me driving through a factory building cars. Naples features a parking garage built within a cave, with the natural cave area holding many stalactites and stalagmites. Hamburg sees me driving through a concert hall under construction, driving onto the scaffolding up the roof then down the stands. And that final race… A marathon through the streets of Geneva, ducking into various parking garages of the city.

Of course, what makes Parking Garage Rally Circuit a fun one is also its music. And once again The Holophonics have delivered on the score, injecting an upbeat attitude to the European Tour tracks. With three vocal themes this time. Vocal themes which feel just as cheesy but just as delightful to listen to. Which really, all the tracks are a delight to listen to, hence why I’ve bought the soundtrack for the expansion, too.

It is absolutely worth getting European Tour. For just over half the price of the base game, the content available in Parking Garage Rally Circuit is doubled. Each track is unique, with both theming and what it expects of the player. The music adds onto that, offering up more great ska sounds as you race to grab the gold. I really would like to see even more tracks added in a new expansion to see how other areas of the world appear in the crunchy 3D-like visuals.

And lastly, we have Formula Legends, a racing through the decades game that I found to be a lot of fun. A career which starts in the 60s and progressed through to modern times. In which a nice selection of tracks are raced on, with multiple variants to show the passage of time beyond just the cars racing on them. And a whole host of drivers and teams, which get updated through the years.

3DClouds have been pretty good about supporting this one with new content. Extra vehicles, new eras, and new tracks. The Iconic Tracks Pack and Historic Tracks Pack offer three new tracks each, introducing new locations to drive around. It was a lot of fun giving them a go in custom race, swapping between the eras as I swapped tracks. High speed and technical parts can be found in all of them, with each favouring one of those two. It was also fun to give the free 50s era vehicle a try during this, too.

Of course, the big one comes in the form of the Formula E expansion. Given its own section on the main menu, all the usual modes are here. Custom races, time attack, and the career. This career is split into three eras of electric racer, each era having eight races to it. The tracks raced on in the Formula E mode are exclusive to it, making this feel like a whole new experience. Which is furthered by what happens on track.

The car handling is the same, with the health of the vehicle and battery power to be aware of. Tyre wear is not a thing in this Formula E mode, though they will still be changed when pitting. The battery has three modes to it, which can freely be swapped between during a race. There’s also attack mode, where charge is gained from driving over pink strips on the outside of corners. Once fully charged, it can be used for a big power boost.

All these new expansions for Formula Legends have given the game a decent amount of extra content. Both Iconic and Historic Tracks packs can be bought on Xbox for just over £4 each, with the Formula E expansion being close to £7. These are the best expansions to go for, considering they add new tracks and one being a new mode that continues the great racing found in the base game. The others are still worth getting if you like the game, however.

So, there we have it. Three games which have had expansions, whether free or paid. While Easy Delivery Co. might be the worst of the three, I’m sure it can be made to handle better and the spawning bug fixed. I’m sure I’ll be continuing to enjoy all three. I’ll be keeping an eye on those indie racers I have, and those of the future, to see what expansions show themselves. And maybe next Racing Month, I’ll be covering more.

Images Taken From:
Easy Delivery Co. | Steam Deck
Parking Garage Rally Circuit | PC
Formula Legends | Xbox Series S