14 DAY TRIAL // 
Need for Speed is very likely the most popular racing game in the entire world, and after several more or less failed attempts to breathe new life into the franchise, the series finally ended up back on the map with the release of Heat.
Unbound promises to continue this trend, and at first glance, the mix it comes with sounds intriguing, to say the least. The new Criterion team, a touch of Codemasters, and the pure Need for Speed nostalgia helped EA push Unbound to a completely new level.
From the very beginning, Unbound made me feel like I was playing the Need for Speed from the golden era. The game boasts some sort of retro vibe, and if you’re not new to the series, it doesn’t take more than a few minutes to get a taste of it.
However, Unbound is trying to improve upon the Heat recipe with several risky decisions, and after playing nearly the entire campaign, I’m so glad they did it.
First of all, the art style that EA has implemented feels, well, unusual at first but kind of grows on you the more you play Unbound. Characters are now cartoons, the effects that you see on your car (such as when doing a burnout) look like they’ve been hand-drawn, and so on. The new NFS feels like it was supposed to go for a simpler approach that’s focused on the gameplay experience, and in so many ways, this is precisely what it does.
The graphics are impressive, to say the least. The addition of 4K and 60 fps support is a great improvement over Heat, and you’ll notice it once you launch Unbound on a new-gen console. I played the game on PlayStation 5, and this is one of the first titles that truly take advantage of new-generation hardware. The DualSense integration is also pretty great, and it adds more weight to cars, making the control overall feel more realistic.
However, NFS Unbound isn’t by any means supposed to be realistic. It’s pure NFS-style racing, so you can hit other cars or the police without caring about damage – you can still wreck your car eventually, but unless you’re going for mode Carmageddon, you’re probably safe.
And speaking of hitting things on your way to glory, the approach EA has decided to go for is kind of a double-edged sword. Hitting a tree or any other object on the street produces almost no damage, and more importantly, almost no slowdown at all. It’s incredibly easy to take down a police car, and in many ways, this feels pretty rewarding.
But on the other hand, it could also disappoint those who wanted a more realistic experience. Again, NFS wasn’t supposed to offer a realistic racing experience, so for me, the arcade-ish approach works like a charm.
The police chases are great. The more the heat level increases, the more cars end up trying to take you down, and until heat level 3, it’s pretty easy to get rid of the cops. Worth knowing, however, is that the more police cars on your tail, the more money you end up making when you eventually escape (if you escape, that is) and make it to a safe house.
The city overall looks very cool both during the daytime and when driving during the night. The city is the one that gives the old NFS feeling, and while some people would have expected the artistic touch to be expanded to buildings and pedestrians, the current approach feels just right. You can’t hit pedestrians because of course, and the map is large enough to keep you entertained during the nearly 30-hour story.
However, I wish the city was more alive, as everything feels a little bit too static when you pass by. The levels of traffic are way too low, and more often than not, it’s easy to see an incoming car and avoid it.
Other than that, Unbound is pure Need for Speed, and I love it.
After you finish the prologue, which allows you to get a taste of Unbound using a proper car, you start with a lazy vehicle and work your way up to make money, buy new models, and upgrade them. The way you can customize each car is brilliant, and this is another tidbit that reminds me of the golden era.
There are plenty of cars that you can buy and customize, and of course, they are all licensed. The same for upgrades, as you can tweak nearly everything on a car.
The Good
- Need for Speed Underground vibe
- 4K 60 fps support
- Great soundtrack
- Lots of licensed cars
The Bad
- The infinite chatter sometimes becomes annoying
- Police comments are repetitive
CONCLUSION
Unbound is based on the approach that made Need for Speed famous. Great music, lots of licensed cars, plenty of upgrades, a captivating racing experience, and a reduced focus on cinematics and things that push you farther from the moments you spend in the car. If there’s something I didn’t like, it was the chatter that took place almost non-stop while driving. They are supposed to keep you entertained as you roam across the map, but I would rather hear the engine roar rather than continuous talking.
At the end of the day, Unbound is one of the best racing games this year, and the return of Criterion has proved to be the winning card for EA. It’s a fun game to play, there’s no doubt about it, and proper support for new-gen consoles means it could stay around for quite a long time.
Review code was provided by the publisher.
