When I sat down on the Gamescom show floor earlier today to go hands on with The Crew Motorfest, I initially thought I had the game nailed down: A fun arcade-style racer with upbeat music, exaggerated scenarios, and a focus on racing online with your friends. It's the exact kind of thing I already enjoy, and I knew that going in.

However, the game managed to surprise me—and I mean that in the most positive sense possible—with the level of variation between each section of its curated showfloor demo. This sense of creativity spans every aspect of the demo, from environment designs to its mid-race gameplay mechanics.

For example, one section sent me racing around the streets of Tokyo, drifting around neon corners at night. This was a fun idea by itself—and as well as visually gorgeous—but in fitting with that theme, this race was the only one where I had access to a nitrous boost. This really added to the street racing flavor of this section.

A few minutes later, I was racing Formula 1 cars around much more curated tracks. Not only did the perspective of the race pan lower to the ground, the feel of the car changed as well. Due to the increased fragility of an F1 car, the game gave me an option to take a pit stop to fix my car mid-race. This would make no sense in a race with sturdier vehicles, but in Formula 1, fixing exterior damage is an expected part of the sport.

But perhaps my favourite little touch shown in the demo came during the vintage cars section. I notice that the game’s usual on-screen minimap was absent. It took a moment for the reasoning to click, but it eventually became obvious—vintage cars don’t have GPS functionality, so you have to drive without this expected indicator. It's a stroke of genius, as well as an added challenge that really suits the feel of the cars involved.

Not every single race style shown off in The Crew Motorfest’s rapid-fire Gamescom demo had an obvious gimmick like these. A few of them—such as an off road rally segment and a supercar offering—showcased the developers' ability to create unique-feeling vehicles for these distinct racing styles. However, the missions with standout mechanics beyond "car feels good and goes fast" are the ones that stuck with me after my session was over.

There are obvious contenders I could compare The Crew Motorfest to in terms of tone; games like the Forza Horizon series spring instantly to mind. I get the sense that this is exactly the kind of vibe that Motorfest is trying to strike. Still, these uniquely tailored gameplay touches that fit specific racing challenges certainly help to give Motorfest a feel of its own, even from a short hands-on session.

The Crew Motorfest releases on September 14, and is available to preorder on the Epic Games Store.