Need for Speed Unbound review – Comes out in front

Need for Speed Unbound marks something of a return to form for the Need for Speed series. Lately, it’s been… kinda boring. This one might just have what it takes to drag your attention from the flashing lights and bells that is the Forza Horizon series, even though it’s not really anything like it.

Criterion, of the excellent Burnout series, is at the helm for Need for Speed Unbound. They know their racing games, and it shows. The fresh new art style and the emphasis on customisation aside, this is one of the best-feeling Need for Speed games in some time.

Keepin’ it street

If you’ve played Need for Speed in the last decade, you should know your way around Need for Speed Unbound. There’s a semi-fictional open world called Lakeshore to play with. This generic Chicago knockoff is populated with a ridiculous number of souped-up rides and street racers. The cops are intensely interested in both. Even the story, where players start off at the bottom and eventually make it to the top despite all the obstacles on the way, is familiar. But the story dialogue… may be party crafted of cheese.

Still, you’ll burn around the city contending with a day-night cycle and dynamic weather. Race during the day and you’ll make some cash but the good money lives on the night-side. Like Need for Speed Heat, you’ll have to make it back to your safehouse before being busted or you’ll lose all your cash for that day/night. Depending on how badly you offend, outrunning the bacon might be a sinecure or a massive chore. It’s a slightly more serious Burnout Paradise with extra cops (and no destruction mode), really.

Cel-dweller

Need for Speed Unbound certainly features a unique look. It combines cel-shaded characters and a range of special effects that wouldn’t disgrace an SSX game with photorealism when it comes to cars and settings. We can’t say we’ve seen that anywhere else (so far). It’s an experience to see realistic reflecting blinking off the side of a car while cartoon smoke drifts up from your tyres but at least it all takes place at 60fps.

There’s more than a little of Enter the Spider-Verse to the game’s visual styling. The audio accompaniment is similarly structured, though there’s more EDM in the hip-hop soup this time around. The resulting mix is noticeably different from the metal-rock-rap-electro combo most racing games tend to favour and helps Unbound stand out (even more).

Even if you’re not a fan of the other visual stylings (and you can turn a bunch of those off, if needed), you should still be thrilled by the cars. Players have extensive customisation at their fingertips. Not quite as extensive as some older entries, which focused more on visual style than anything else, but you’ll still be able to craft extensively. We’d have liked a return to the days of custom interiors and sound systems but Underground 2 was a long time ago. The Fast and Furious crew are all super-spies now. Big sound is the last thing they’re interested in. Performance, which is first on their list, may also be extensively modded here. But it may take some getting to.

Both kinds of rubber

Need for Speed Unbound is an unashamed arcade racer and it feels like one. Speedy direction changes and spectacular wrecks are to be expected but Unbound also won’t make you feel like the hero. You’ve got to work for it, at least at the start. You’ll plod along until you’ve made enough cash for some substantial upgrades and even then, you’re prone to finishing behind the podium pack if you’re careless.

Unless you’re the AI, that is. Need for Speed games are known for their rubber-banding and that’s present here. Opponents are never far behind, no matter how much carnage you manage to wreak on a tight corner. They’ll always be sniffing up your tailpipe, giving you a tough time making it to the finish line. In the event that they pip you to the chequered flag, you’ll have the option to retry a few times before Unbound takes your money. So there’s that.

Need for Speed Unbound doesn’t throw new events and cars at you the way Forza Horizon does. Unlocks are more measured but they also feel more tangible. You won’t leap from a stock car to behind the wheel of a shiny new Lambo in short order but you will definitely notice your starter car improving as you invest in it. Each new part offers a tangible difference in acceleration, grip, or top speed. You’ll be stuck with your initial vehicle for some time, so choose carefully. By the time you’re given something new, you’ll know that car inside and out.

Need for Speed Unbound verdict

Need for Speed Unbound has loads in its favour. Racing is top-notch, car customisation brings to mind the series’ heyday, and the campaign is anything but a leisurely drive through the park. The storyline makes more sense than competitor Forza Horizon’s regular conceit. And then there are the oddball visuals, which are striking — in a good way. It’s hard to understand why Electronic Arts haven’t made more noise about this game than it has.

There are a couple of issues, obviously. The dialogue and character design choices are potential hiccups. Not everybody will be fans of the cel-shaded style and the dialogue consists of an awful lot of cheese. Still, it’s a better take on Need for Speed than we’ve seen in ages. It should prove accessible to newcomers and old hands alike. Even fans of developer Criterion’s other racers should take note.