Need For Speed Unbound Review: Racing into Next-Gen
Ali Hasan December 8, 2022
Need for Speed has long struggled to find a solid foothold in the everchanging gaming landscape of today. After a slew of hits during its early years with the likes of Most Wanted, Underground, and Carbon, it started to run into stagnation despite branching out to other ideas and innovating the overused street racing formula. Whether it was Need for Speed 2015’s always-online requirement, Payback’s card customization system, or Heat’s very balanced take on street racing and professional race events to appease both sides, there was just something that wouldn’t click with players and longtime fans. Year after year we have been disappointed with mediocre releases but Need for Speed Unbound, the series’ latest entry looks to rectify this.
Need for Speed Unbound is the 23rd mainline installment in the long-running series and is probably the boldest and most daring outing to date. Not because of its story or the way it changes up the gameplay but because of its artistic direction, which has been the main talking point ever since the game was revealed. Unbound, despite its flaws, manages to carve up the most unique and out-there Need for Speed experience to date, and somehow despite all the contrasting ideas and juxtapositions it works.
Need For Speed Unbound’s New Art Style Gives The Game a Unique Identity
The main talking point around Need for Speed Unbound has been its very unconventional artistic style which sees the implementation of colorful cartoonish graphics set against the more realistic cars and game world. Every time you drift, make a turn or collide with other vehicles or objects your car spews out colorful bursts of cartoonish smoke clouds, and whenever you make a high jump two wings appear right alongside your car, signaling airtime. As someone who was skeptical about this design choice when it was first revealed I was pleasantly surprised at how good all of it looked. These effects, contrasted against the more realistic and not nearly as bright and colorful game world make for some extremely pleasing visual scenarios.
Not only does this give the game a unique identity it also helps break the monotony of the Need for Speed formula, albeit only visually. You can customize these effects by unlocking variants by playing the game and those who prefer a more traditional approach can tone them down significantly, although I’d recommend keeping them on. These effects only work to accentuate the gorgeous world Criterion has created for this title.
Lakeshore City is a Beautifully Realized Sandbox to Explore
Lakeshore city is beautifully realized and extremely detailed. It combines the high-rise buildings and open cityscapes of Need for Speed Heat and the more naturalistic environments of Need for Speed payback. The map is varied both in its visual makeup and terrain which means the game doesn’t feel monotonous in the way races play out (though, the same can’t be said for the races themselves).
It’s clear from the onset that the game harnesses the power of the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. The details and different weather effects are masterfully rendered, while the 3D sound design adds another layer of immersion. It all works together in perfect harmony. The advantages of moving away from last-generation machines are becoming more and more apparent and Unbound makes a good case for it. Lighting also sees a massive improvement over Heat, each scene just pops more because of the realistic lighting solution that the team has implemented.
The contrast between the colorful effects and the supremely detailed world is something you’d think wouldn’t work but it does and does so extremely well. Even the characters are rendered in the same cartoony, cell-shaded art style, it’s honestly unlike anything I’ve seen before at least in a big-budget AAA racing game, and lends a sense of whimsy to the game but not in a bad way. In a unique and artistic way that works in tandem with the sometimes overbearing and even corny dialogues.
You’ll find plenty to do on the streets of Lakeshore including time trials, speed traps, graffiti collections, and more. The open-world collectibles are fairly standard but do reward you with XP and cash, people looking to 100% the game or wanting to gain just a slight upper hand will find incentive enough to complete them but for others, it might not be reason enough to collect and complete all these activities.
Browse: PS5 games, consoles, and accessories
The Story is Great But Doesn’t Move Away From The NFS Formula
Need for Speed Unbounds story doesn’t take any major risks but is definitely a step above what we’ve seen recently. A story that isn’t as bold as the art style is what disappointed me the most. In the end, it just boils down to building up your car and progressing through the story to claim the number 1 spot, while this is true for most games of this nature, a different take would have been much appreciated here. What It does manage to do is establish the great street racing feel of Undergrounds 1 and 2, which is mainly due to the story and how it handles its events as well as the overall gameplay loop.
Like any other NFS title, you start at the bottom and then slowly make your way to the top after an explosive prologue that leaves you with a relatively gimped car. The game is split into four weeks where you have to complete events and challenges to take on a qualifier on Saturday. In essence, it reminded me of the blacklist progression in Most Wanted 2005 and as someone who loved the way that story was told I absolutely loved the implementation here.
It also felt fresh compared to the last few entries. While the story isn’t anything to ride home about, it’s serviceable. There are plenty of cool and over-the-top set pieces moments present in the game in addition to annoying characters littered throughout with cringy dialogues but at this point, this has become synonymous with Need for Speed, for better or for worse.
High Risk/High Reward Sits at the Game’s Forefront
Unbound’s biggest strength comes in the form of its gameplay loop. Need for Speed Heat added a day/night cycle which allowed for different events to take place at either time adding a dimension of variety and nuance, this mechanic returns in Unbound but with added intensity and stakes. As you complete events you build up your heat level which translates to harder encounters and difficult getaways.
Risk and reward sit at the forefront of the game and can be the difference between you and success. While a higher heat level will throw harder cops at you and a subsequent successful escape will reward you with more cash and XP, if you fail to evade the cops however you end up losing all the cash that you have on you. There is a degree of methodical thinking and strategizing that needs to be considered when playing the game and I think it works extremely well here.
There hasn’t really been a mechanic like this in a Need for Speed title before but I think it works extremely well here. Need for Speed has always missed that little pop of intensity and risk and even a worthwile challenge, Unbound seems to rectify this in the best possible way.
Also Read: Fallout at 25: A Retrospective
Car Handling Has Been Completely Overhauled
Need for Speed has always been known for its cars and customization and I’m happy to report that tradition has been upheld in the latest title. While this isn’t much of a surprise, considering the direction this title takes it’s great to see the team still retaining that visceral, crunchy, and realistic car feel that we have come to expect and love from this franchise. Every gear shift, every pump of the nitrous, and every car collision looks and sounds incredible. There is some great weightiness to the cars which translates to the handling, which has been completely overhauled for this title.
The game has a plethora of options for both drifting and handling. If you prefer tighter control over your vehicle you can move the handling bias towards the grip. However, if you prefer a lighter grip you can move the bias towards drift which allows for smoother and freer car handling. You can also adjust steering sensitivity to your liking as well as your traction control.
It took me quite a while to find the right balance with every new vehicle that I purchased and often times I did have to readjust these settings when upgrading my cars but once you find the sweet spot the handling becomes incredibly easy and intuitive. I like the idea of having options such as this, while the previous two titles had an arbitrary implementation seeing the team at Criterion go to great lengths to appease all sorts of playstyles is a welcome addition.
Car Customization is as Great as Ever
Car customization is as great as ever. You can purchase performance upgrades like new engines, better nitrous, suspension, handling, and turbo; the standard we have come to expect from the series. Along with visual customization which now adds the ability to unlock and adjust the graphic overlay of your vehicles. The game is very stylistic in nature and as such so is the customization. Decals, stickers, and paints can be used to adorn your car and make it the most stylish vehicle on the streets of Lakeshore, and if you don’t want to go through the process of painstakingly creating the perfect-looking car you can download community-uploaded car customization combinations directly to your game.
With such a great visual and mechanical variety, it’s a shame that the game doesn’t add much in the way of new game modes, the standard sprint, circuit, and drag races are present with the only new game mode being a burnout-esque race where you have to hit as many obstacles as you can on your way to the finish line. Need for Speed unbound, I feel like could have been a 10/10 game had it just gone a few steps further. It’s still a solid game but it could have been so much more.
Verdict
Need For Speed has often struggled to remain relevant in the changing landscape of gaming, with Unbound the long-running racing series has found solid footing through a unique design choice, solid gameplay, and an enjoyable story. The execution isn’t perfect and the game often falters but is head and shoulders above recent entries.
Experience Need for Speed Unbound today by picking up a PS5 or Xbox Series X through our featured ads. Browse our featured ads to find the best deals in gaming today! Gameutha.com is Pakistan’s largest dedicated gaming marketplace and is also home to the latest in gaming news, reviews, and updates!