According to the official Need for Speed Unbound Twitter account, while you can choose your driving effects, you can also choose never to turn them on in the first place. While with Unbound you can still race around in hyper-realistic cars, you can also turn your experience into an art form with self-expression. This comes in the form of being able to “tag the world” when deploying your boosting powers. Tags are earned through actions such as drifting, jumps, and near misses. These effects are customizable, “paint the surrounding world,” and include illustrative lines that etch around the curves of your car. “We wanted to deliver an art style that matters for gameplay, one that clearly celebrates player actions, enhances the player experience, and rewards them along the way,” said Darren White, art director at Criterion Games. “We wanted to take players to that next level in Need for Speed Unbound with our driving VFX, which we call ‘Tags.’ “Need for Speed Unbound’s realistic-looking world and cars really help ground the visuals. Taking inspiration from street art and other media, we creatively subvert the characters and visual effects, turning them into expressionistic illustrations of ‘you’ and ‘your actions.’ It’s literally ‘graffiti-coming-to-life.’” The game also features a diverse collection of street art styles from multiple artists such as Sentrock and JC Riviera. Each artist has “painted” Unbound with their signature style. These artworks add to the game’s backdrop, can be collected as wraps, and applied to your car. Alongside Tags, new wrap content and full kit selections will be available, as well as new ways of customization with part removal. Even your wardrobe gets an upgrade thanks to fashion collaborations, and it even includes customizable poses. Need for Speed Unbound releases for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on December 2.
