Recent reviews by pretzel.

This. Game. Is. Phenomenal.
(I'm not going to say how good the game is, you got reviewers saying the same ol thing)

If only I have the patience to hone my skills and find every single corner of the map for secrets it would take me a lot more hours on this game. (I modded the game to make it easier)

Now that I have finished the game, I just wish there is free roam so I can cloud around and explore.

Played possibly 300+ hours on different accounts, really got me hooked onto this game.

However, this game wouldn't be complete without the help of mods. I have 200+ mods installed (including clothes) and it sure made the game more made for personal enjoyment.

Need for Speed Unbound is a...almost great game;- but it really could've baked a longer time...

Let's get the worst points out of the way first.

Story:
It. Just. Sucks. I hate it. The story has no depth, antagonist being Yaz, Tess, or even Alec, is unknown to this day. The story just screams money, money, money; even the some of the soundtrack is about it. It doesn't make sense, there is no depth on characters, backstory, character origin, nada. It felt so shallow. Not just that, A$ap Rocky, the guest character, just acts as an activity host, rival and, that was it? He doesn't contribute much or even at all to the story, and is a waste of time and money. If he wasn't there, it wouldn't affect the story.

Art:
Straight up ripped off from "Into the Spider Verse", it almost felt like a carbon copy, but I love it personally. It is fresh, inspiring and just out of the world kind of level of special and iconic. If nowadays we're talking about racing games, the first thing that comes out would be this game. Though great, the visuals could be distracting for some, and I really wish there is an option to opt out the visuals; but it would also remove the main selling point of the game.

Gameplay:
The gameplay mechanic really revolutionizes the racing scene, and giving more depth and options for different types of racers. However, the balancing is kinda leaning towards grip, giving more rewards than drifting. Drifting is a downgrade from NFS Heat, and I would really do anything to bring that back. Other than that though, the diversity of driving really helps people to master different styles of racing, and Criterion really did it almost perfectly.

Quality of Life:
The garage itself is an upgrade from Heat, giving it a more realistic, typical garage look, BUT, really didn't give the option to expand the visuals more. The only option is to just direct you to the style and performance sections, or just to race. I would really love to explore to garage, or wanting the option to put more cars in it, which what Heat had in their previous garage.

The Online Multiplayer and Story progression separation really baffles me. It really felt like I have to play the game twice, and really demotivates me personally that I almost wanted to stop playing after finishing the story, which it was bad on its own. It is more acceptable when money was easier to earn in Online, as the story mode only rewards you more on S+ class races. For me, I would like the money system to be spread evenly towards all car classes, so you can race in any race class for equal rewards.

VERDICT:
Overall, it was almost a great racing game, with amazing depth and captivating visuals, but really ruined it with its lackluster story and separated progression. I would not recommend paying full price for the game and really go for the discount. Also, don't buy the Palace Edition. I don't think it's worth buying. Other than that, if you're interested with the visuals, I think it's worth giving it a try.

this game is like a batman game but japanese har har har

Worth a try. If you're a beginner horror gamer, this is a good one to start with.

Pros:
- This game really puts a lot of effort into the graphics and aesthetics. This does not feel like a $10 game. It is way more. The art style collides with old 3D from the good ol' console days and pixel 2D platform game is what makes it so special. The atmosphere fits really well with the story and I am enjoy exploring every single corner of the maps. It is well-thought-out; with not too long paths to backtrack and if you have a sense of direction (which I don't), this game will be more smooth sailing for you.

- Really good mechanics on the UI and easy-to-understand controls. If you're stuck, try the manual, which is simple and you'll get the hang of it in no time.

- Inventory management is KEY. Do save your ammo at times and manage your inventory when possible. This really immerses you into a situation where most people can only hold a certain amount of ammo/items.

- Having a variety of enemies (with their relative functions and lore) does help with the difficulty a lot. If you're not ammo efficient or carrying enough ammo, you'll be pretty much screwed. They are avoidable though, do that whenever you are capable. While you have a variety of guns, each enemy does not die to the same amount of bullets, which really got you worried if you have enough ammo or not, which is a good plus on the game.

- Story-wise, it is pretty amazing. This game also encourages replayability if you're not satisfied with the first ending. Won't spoil this one though, you'll need to explore this yourself.

Cons:
- Too many languages colliding. Having English, Chinese, German, Korean, and sometimes Japanese directions do make the experience a little inconsistent and when people are not multilingual, this will be a struggle. Do stick with 2 languages max ideally.

- Health packs do not show the amount of health you'll get (color-indicated), which is kinda hard for me to understand Repair Sprays at first. Do mention color change in the description, that would be nice.

- The relics that contribute to your achievement, do work with Steam for it because I had one of the items in my inventory and was wondering what it does until I checked the "Achievements" section. It affects the style of play and burdens inventory management without a good description of what it actually does.

- Enemies, especially bosses, do have a little tougher time to figure out as they are only hitboxes to show if they are damageable or not. The first boss; MYNAH, was inconsistent with the hitbox and she only exposes the weak spot sometimes when kneeling down. Once that's done though, it is the same after that.

VERDICT:
- Really recommend this game. If you're a gamer who's into stories, immersing into the world, and just action thrillers, this one is for you. Especially games like this with pixel graphics and retro 3D effects do make this game unique in their own way.

9/10 for me.

wanna break from the bad games? come back to this one.