Faisal Ghaffar 
The vibrant art style of Need for Speed Unbound is the first thing that will catch your eye. Most of the other racing games out there are aimed for photorealism, but this is where EA has opted to be different and is offering players a combination of comic books and reality.
The cars that you see in Need for Speed Unbound are on the side of realism, but the characters driving them are cel-shaded. The universe of the game is between the two categories.
The Feel and Effects
The action that you come across in Need for Speed Unbound has a unique sense of style due to the effects that have been incorporated in the game. If you fly off a ramp, or activate nitrous, you are going to see the graffiti-style flourishes go pop. Likewise, there is some colorful tire smoke every time you drift.
You will not find many modern racing games that come close to Need for Speed Unbound, but there are also elements in the game that seem to be a continuation of the Need for Speed Heat released in 2019. It is apparent that Unbound is not trying to reinvent anything, as cat-and-mouse chase with the cops on your tail and the distinction between night and day races remains the same.
However, the good news is that for the most part, Unbound manages to maintain the quality of the series.
The Story
As is expected in Need for Speed games, this one also as a story, but it is a tad forgettable because it is about getting back at a former friend who made off with your ride. Most of the details are inconsequential, but the story mostly happens in the background while you are driving. There are some fun dialogues sprinkled in with the rapper A$AP Rocky also showing up.
The story is spread across four weeks in the game and there are a number of races at the end of the each, which lead to the finale. The goal is obviously for you to win the race in order to get your revenge. Every qualifier has a buy-in, which means you spend most of your time racing and other events for accumulating enough money to enter the final race and also for upgrading your car.
Not only do you win cash from the various races, you also catch the attention of the police force. If they arrest you before you reach the safe house, all your winnings are lost.
The Details
You can also explore various racing styles, thanks to the flexibility of the driving model in Unbound. There are three categories of car handling, which are grip, drift and neutral. You also have to accumulate NOS through different actions, like getting airborne, driving into traffic and more.
The only downside that you will come across in Need for Speed Unbound is that the AI is not always fair and it happens at random. Running from the police can also become frustrating due to this issue.
The Verdict
Many might think that Need for Speed Unbound does not push the series forward, but it is undoubtedly one of the most popular games of the genre and is an exciting addition for racers.
