There are tons of minigames, jumps, and collectibles. When you’re done customizing, there’s still plenty to do in Payback’s relatively large world. It works well, though I prefer my cars clean. On top of that, there’s a layered decal system, which can be used to build complex artwork. Sliders let you choose any color or material, from matte, to gloss, or even satin.
Of course, you can also decorate your cars with paint, and this is something that’s been improved since launch. Still, you’ll only have to do it once, and then you can tweak to your heart’s content. Most of these are possible early on, but some will require massively upgraded rides to obtain. To unlock different exhausts, you must reach 195 mph. If you want to change your front canards, you’ll have to mash five billboards. Want your voice heard? Join the App Trigger team! Write for us! It’s necessary to maintain a larger collection of cars rather than just driving the same one around for hours. It feels a little unnecessary to separate the content and the cars required for them in this way, but it does make for an interesting variety.
The three playable characters each have different specializations Tyler with race and drag, Mac with off-road and Jess with escaping pursuers. Need For Speed Payback introduces a few more modes with this release. Cars handle a little strangely, perhaps worse than the previous game, but it makes drifting around corners immensely satisfying. Sure, the dialogue is wooden and cringe-worthy, but if you don’t play racing games for the story, the actual driving aspect is fun.
It’s clearly not ideal, but if you’re okay with a little grinding, it’s not a terrible game. It quickly becomes a slog, and you’ll find yourself repeating the same races over and over.
To progress in the story, you’ll need to upgrade your cars, and you’ll have to repeat the process for each new vehicle, as they don’t start with amazing stats. This way, you can easily get the upgrade you need, and they’re often far better than the ones obtained through races. You visit a tune-up shop and trade three tokens to spin a slot machine, choosing which element you want to hold. Part tokens are the key to getting the best performance upgrades, and it works through a gambling system.
Level up, and you’ll receive a shipment, and that shipment is a glorified loot box. Each time you do a race, you earn reputation. But there are also other ways to earn cards. With some tweaks, it might not be a bad system, letting you save money to use solely on new cars. It provides stat increases to your vehicles, such as increased top speed, acceleration, or braking. Each time you win a race, you’ll be presented a card. Instead of sticking with tried and tested upgrades, this game opts for a very different system. As EA titles are oft to do, Need for Speed Payback is built from the ground up with microtransactions in mind.