When I first heard of JDM: Japanese Drift Master, I just immediately expected it to be one of the many cheap simulators on Steam that were completely focused on a single feature – in this case, performing drifts on Japanese mountain roads. How glad I am to say I was completely wrong. After being in development for so damn long, the game is out, and instead of being a cheap cash grab, as initially expected, it actually ended up being the closest to a love letter to Need for Speed Underground 2 I’ve played in years. And better yet, actually set in a neat Japanese map for you to explore.

Oddly enough, the game is heavily centered around a plot, one starring a gaijin who moves to Japan, gets into the drifitng scene, and needs to overcome financial hardships, as well as some actual blatant xenophobia, in order to become a drifitng master. It’s basically the plot of The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, just without the violence and Yakuza-related subplots. Chapters are told in the shape of manga pages, devoid of sound effects and voice acting, which I didn’t exactly feel that much invested on. In fact, I honestly think the game would have had its pacing slightly improved if it DIDN’T have any storytelling at all, or if it were completely inconsequential, like the one from Underground 2.

You’re here for the gameplay, and thankfully, it’s quite good. It’s good because it’s not overly realistic. JDM teaches you many ways in which you can perform drifts with your car, but you can get by with just the handbrake, if needed. You can use the clutch for some extra pzazz, but that’s basically optional. JDM controls like a slightly updated open world Need for Speed game from the 2000s, complete with point multipliers, nitrous oxide, and an open world to explore. The open world, in this case, is a fictional Japanese region with everything you need from this setting: mountain roads, small rural towns, a castle or two, and a neon-heavy downtown.

The overall gameplay loop revolves around completing missions, defeating rivals, and increasing your overall reputation. The better you run, the more money you acquire, which can then be spent on new cars or parts for your existing cars.

Oddly enough, despite being a game called JDM: Japanese Drift Master, drifting competitions aren’t the only events you can partake on. There are drag races, just like the ones in Underground 2 (same gear-shifting premise), and even sushi delivery missions… in which your clients tip you higher if you perform dangerous drifts before you reach their house. All whilst listening to one of the many radio stations available in the soundtrack, ranging from heavy metal to Japanese hip hop. There is also a J-Pop radio station, because of freaking course there is one.

As you can see, I really loved everything related to the core concept of JDM, as well as its excellent presentation. This game is far from being considered perfect, however. As much as I felt enamored by its somewhat nostalgic vibes, as well as the fact you can actually buy a damn kei car and turn it, somehow, in a drift machine, there is one thing that brings it down a few notches, a serious issue at that: content. I don’t know if the developers tried to bite more than they could actually chew with their budget, but the main issue with JDM: Japanese Drift Master is the fact that the event variety, and most importantly, car roster, are very lackluster, at least for now.

As cool as owning a kei truck might sound, the car roster is comprised of a mere 22 cars, from just four manufacturers. What’s really odd is that you can clearly see other models on the street when you’re racing, such as a Suzuki Jimny and what appears to be a Lexus sedan, but they’re nowhere to be found in a playable state. Given how a good chunk of the game revolves around earning money to purchase new rides, the overall lack of them just demotivates you to push forward after a while. Even if the overall gameplay loop felt exciting, the lack of a reason for you to keep on going disappointed me a bit.

I would have legitimately given JDM: Japanese Drift Master an even higher score if it wasn’t for the somewhat lacklustre amount of content it offers as of now. The foundation for a truly spectacular love letter to Need for Speed Underground 2 can be clearly seen when you’re cruising around Japan with your pimped out ride. It’s an amazing game technically-speaking, it just needs more meat, some extra cars and modes. It actually feels original, and you can obviously notice the amount of love and effort put into every single corner of its map. Just add more sushi to this platter and it will become one hell of a feast.

Graphics: 8.0 The framerate can drop every now and then, but I was really impressed with this game’s visuals, considering its budget. The environments are lovely, being a realistic portrayal of Japan’s roads. Cars are also somewhat detailed.	Gameplay: 8.5 I am glad the controls weren’t overly realistic, resulting in a gameplay loop and physics that weren’t so hard for me to get used to, but some button placements felt questionable, at the very least.
Sound: 8.5 A wide assortment of tunes from a plethora of genres. There are radio stations for J-Pop, metal, Japanese rap, EDM…	Fun Factor: 7.0 The foundation for a truly amazing love letter to the open world era of Need of Speed can be clearly seen when playing JDM. It is a really fun game, but it’s still lacking in content. Hopefully some later updates can take it to the next level.
Final Verdict: 8.0

JDM: Japanese Drift Master is available now on PC.

Reviewed on Intel i7-12700H, 16GB RAM, RTX 3060 6GB.

A copy of JDM: Japanese Drift Master was provided by the publisher.