Over Jump Rally is a project by a single independent developer to recreate the legendary Sega Rally. So far Alessandro Schiassi, has shared his work on remaking the iconic Forest stage from Sega’s classic in Unreal Engine 5, and the realistic modern visuals are extremely impressive.
Developing under the name Bonsai Rosso, Alessandro recently shared another great looking playthrough of the Forest course, playing the full circuit and then taking it in reverse.
With this new gameplay demonstration, I thought it would be interesting to compare the Over Jump Rally remake to the original Sega Saturn port to see how accurate it is.
You can check out the video on the SEGAGuys YouTube channel to see the comparison in motion, but following observations were made.
From the start, the most glaring difference is the track width. It may be a matter of perspective, but throughout the race the track seems too narrow in Over Jump. This is something that almost certainly will have an impact in passing rivals, driving lines and drifting gameplay in the full game.
As the original track starts there is a very light chicane, which you can angle yourself to drive a straight line through. Due to the reduced track width, this chicane seems more pronounced in Over Jump as it appears to be too tight to take a straight line through.
As we get to the first navigated turn we see that the grass verges that are present and drivable in the original are much less conspicuous, sometimes they appear to be missing completely as the fences and rocks reach all the way to the roads edge. Driving on these verges is a viable approach in the original game, so it represents a shift in approach for a number of players.
As we come to the second long easy right, it looks gentler than the original. The “maybe” from your co-driver is the first sign that this may be a trickier turn and you will have to alter your approach into it. That didn’t seem to be the case in Over Jump as the speed and trajectory appeared similar to the prior turn.
Next up is perhaps the most iconic part of the track, the tunnel. On approach the elevation appears gentler in the demo, though we can’t say if this would have an impact on gameplay. One thing I noticed is that the distances from entrance to turn and then to exit all seem to be slightly different in Over Jump, though the turn itself seems to be correct.
And that’s a theme as we get into the mid section of the track. While there are some small differences, the key turns appear to be correct.
For example, the small verge on the left as you leave the tunnel in the lead up to the iconic medium right is less pronounced, but the right turn itself, which Pandamonium described as perhaps his favourite turn in the game, seems to be right. The same can be said for the following long medium right.
It makes sense to prioritise these iconic segments in terms of accuracy. It comes with a caveat though, visuals are obfuscated by a visual effect reflecting the sort of controlled burn that is common to the forests in Yosemite, which does make a true comparison difficult, but from the car movements the turns seem correct.
The hairpin too, iconic as it is, appears to be correct, and although the narrower track is evident here too, it’s less noticeable and in keeping with the spirit of the original, though it’s unlikely that the wall hit technique will be viable from what we see in this remake.
We’re into the final third of the course now and from what I could see there are some noticeable differences. The K-left after the hairpin doesn’t appear as sharp, what is a tricky turn in the original is represented less ominously in Over Jump as the driver glides around the bend at speed.
The same can be said for the next three turns, the medium right followed by the easy-left-easy-right chicane which itself seems less dramatic than in the original game.
Interestingly, it’s this section here where we see a change in road surface, swapping the dirt of the original for asphalt. Given how Sega Rally handling and grip can alter based on the track type, it’s an interesting difference, and could change how you approach those turns.
As we get into the home stretch, the final two turns are pretty much nailed on, even the track width is correct here, and that oh-so-satisfying feeling as you bend around the two consecutive tricky turns would appear to be correct.
The start/finish line here though seems much further away. It’s worth noting that the Saturn version was a little further forward from the arcade, but this seems much further back, perhaps a correction for the accumulation of smaller differences in the track?
All in all, it’s a great achievement to replicate the Forest track with this level of detail and visual fidelity. However, the majority of turns feature a number of differences, while changes to road surface and track width do result in what looks to be a significantly different game from the original Sega Rally.
I suppose that is the existential question with a remake. Should it adhere to the original or to what extent are differences to be expected and accepted? If it doesn’t match the source material, is it really a remake, but just a tribute?
Either way, the work of Bonzai Rosso is certainly impressive, and if you like what you see, make sure to check out the Over Jump Rally social accounts and Steam page via this link.
And if you want to see the comparison in action, check out the SEGAGuys video below:
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