Every day and night in Need for Speed Unbound presents opportunities. However, they also come with risks from the police. Gamers have to take this into account when deciding whether they want to try their hand at another event, or quit while they’re ahead and bank their profits at the garage.
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Unbound’s Day and Night Cycle
Need for Speed Unbound’s main attraction is the fast, shiny cars that players can collect and customize. However, it also places significant emphasis on the player’s character and the rest of the inhabitants of Lakeshore City. The game introduces a day and night cycle, though it isn’t the first game in the series to do so. For players hoping to make the most money, not a single day or night must be wasted
Each day, Unbound presents a series of racing events for players to partake in. Especially during the early hours of the game, it may not be possible to participate in all events, either because players lack a vehicle of the appropriate class, or they don’t have enough money to buy into the races. Nevertheless, players should strive to participate in as many events as possible to stack up their cash.
Participating in the events provides heaps of fun, though there does come with a huge risk attached to it. The more players race, the higher their police heat levels get. With higher police heat levels in Unbound, the cops up their strategies and bring out their faster vehicles to catch players. At the highest heat levels, helicopters get involved, making it incredibly difficult to evade the law. If players are busted, they lose all the money they have made that day. The cycle repeats itself at night, with a new range of events to participate in and more opportunities to make money. Unfortunately, it is also another opportunity for the police to grab all the winnings of the evening.
Need for Speed Unbound’s Risky Yet Imperfect System
The calendar system encourages players to make the most of every day and night while keeping them on their toes with the risks involved. While it is a great feature of Unbound, it is not perfect, and it could use a little tweaking. Most notably, it is possible to wind up in situations where night arrives and players aren’t eligible for any of the events, either due to a lack of funds, or not having the right car.
In these situations, players don’t have many options except to get themselves intentionally busted to trigger the next day. While it is consequence-free, as players have made no money that evening, it is an inefficient way of doing things. Ideally, players should be able to simply move on to the next day or night if they cannot or will not participate in any events.
Despite a few flaws, Unbound is a great high-point for the series. It learns a lot from Need for Speed’s Underground era while throwing in significantly new features. Whether racing during the day or drifting at night, Lakeshore is a great playground to wreak havoc in.
Need for Speed Unbound is available on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
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