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The main reason that I wanted to check outNeed for Speed Unbound, was for the stylish, distinctive art style featured in this entry.Need For Speedhas felt like somewhat of a tired franchise for a while now, but seeing the incorporation of a cel-shaded art style in the trailers forNeed for Speed Unboundhad me intrigued.
Need for Speed Unboundis out now and is available on PC, PlayStation and, Xbox consoles.
Thankfully, the visuals are not the sole reason to check outNeed for Speed Unbound, as its gameplay systems are also pretty strong. This is in large part due to fan-favouriteNFSstudio Criterion taking over developing duties from Ghost Games, who were responsible for developing the three previous entries. Whilst I did quite enjoy theNFSreboot from 2015, as well as 2019’sNFS Heat, Criterion have done a great job of building on the systems established in those past games forNeed for Speed Unbound.
As was the case withNeed for Speed Heat,Unbounduses a day and night system to differentiate certain aspects of the game world, and therefore does not include a 24-hour day-night cycle. Instead, time advances whenever players return to one of their garages; either once all available races have been completed, or if their police heat level is too high.
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During the day, heat from police rises slower, however races yield lower rewards. Whereas, winning races at night results in a higher financial payout, but the heat felt from police presence is also intensified. This system creates a unique risk-versus-reward sub-game which will have players picking their battles carefully and spending more time strategising over which races to partake in, rather than just doing every race available to them.
WhilstNeed for Speed Unboundis far from the most difficult racing game I have ever played, it has a steeper learning curve than one may expect. That grind is particularly felt in the first few hours of the game when you are forced to race with a car that is significantly slower than your competitor’s vehicles. However, that grind eventually leads to a more rewarding sense of progression in the long run, allowing players to feel as though they have properly earned the higher tier cars.
With all of that said; as entertaining as the gameplay is, it is not flawless.Need for Speed Unboundis trying to be two things at once. It is trying to be a fun stylish arcade racer, whilst concurrently trying to encourage player to use finesse and precision to win races. This mesh sometimes yields messy results and in combination with the repetitive nature ofUnbound’sgameplay, can lead to some frustration.
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One would be remiss to talk aboutNeed for Speed Unboundwithout discussing the game’s striking visuals. The bold art direction utilised inUnboundis impressive in its own right, but the truly impressive feat that Criterion have pulled off is the fashion in which they have merged the cel-shaded cartoon characters with the hyper-realistic style of the game’s environment.
Never before have I seen things aspects like the ray-traced reflections of the game world merged so well with the hyper-stylised comic book-like character design. The contrast makes every frame ofNeed for Speed Unbounda joy to behold, and whilst the gameplay may begin to feel stale after a while, the visuals never do.
In summary;Unboundmarks the first time in a long time that aNeed for Speedgame has possessed a unique visual identity and feel. The game’s dynamic art direction combined with the day and night cycle fromNFS Heatresults in a solid experience that only falls slightly short of the glory days of theNeed for Speedfranchise.
Need for Speed Unbound– 8/10
Need for Speed Unbound was played on PS5 with a code supplied by160over90.
Daniel Boyd
Former Head of Gaming and Tech
Articles Published :169
Dan is one of FandomWire’s Former Gaming Content Leads and Editors. He is a 28-year-old writer from Glasgow. He graduated from university with an honours degree in 3D Animation, before pivoting to pursue his love for critical writing. He has also written freelance pieces for other sites such as Game Rant, WhatCulture Gaming, KeenGamer.com and The Big Glasgow Comic Page. He loves movies, video games and comic books.
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