A soundtrack is perhaps one of the unsung heroes of game development, as it helps bring to life the major themes, elements, and action/story of a game, and in a racing game likeNeed for Speed Unbound, it’s just as important as story and gameplay. The thing about a racing game is its loop will always be to get from point A to point B, but making that as fun and epic as can be is what makes or breaks a game. A soundtrack goes a long way in that, and nowNeed for Speed Unboundhas revealed its full soundtrack heading into its release.Indeed, despite having a relatively short announcement-to-release window,Need for Speed Unboundreleases on December 2. It’s one of three major games releasing on this date, so it’ll be competing withThe Callisto ProtocolandMarvel’s Midnight Sunsfor attention. Of course, a racing game, a horror game, and a social RPG with tactical combat really have different audiences, but some will want to play all three. The soundtrack could be something that makesNFS Unboundmore interesting compared to its direct competitors.RELATED:Need for Speed Unbound Shows Off Takeover Event GameplayFans have known since reveal thatA$AP Rocky is associated withNeed for Speed Unbound,featuring heavily in the game and with a unique game mode too. Beyond him, theNeed for Speed Unboundsocial media account promises over 70 tracks from 25 countries. It seems the goal of the soundtrack is for players to “discover new artists leading a multitude of sub-genres across music championing self-expression & empowerment!” As seen below, there’s definitely a mixture of bigger and well-known artists like A$AP Rocky and Royce Da 5'9" and lesser-known figures.
Of course, it depends on how well the soundtrack mixes into gameplay at key moments or how the radio works withinNeed for Speed Unbound,but the variety here means that, as players discover new elements forracing games likeNFS Unbound’s anime-like visuals, they may discover new musicians to play in their real-world car too. Not for street racing obviously, but simply for the love of music.
While the verdict is still out on howNFS Unboundcompares to previous racing gamesin the franchise, it does seem to be trying to stand out and do something different. That should simply be applauded of Criterion Games.
Need for Speed Unboundis scheduled to release on December 2 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.
