As a self-proclaimed racing nut, I‘ve burned rubber through miles of virtual tarmac across seminal franchises like Need for Speed, Forza, and Gran Turismo. I live for flawlessly drifting through hairpin turns and boosting past my competition in a perfectly timed nitrous burst.
So when I first caught glimpses of Need for Speed Unbound‘s stylized visuals and over-the-top customization, I knew this title would consume my waking hours arriving home from my day job as a mechanic. Now having crushed the Lakeside racing scene at 100% completion, I‘m here to provide fellow gearheads an in-depth look into precisely how long reaching the finish line takes in Unbound.
Key Factors Impacting Game Length
While a racing game‘s duration depends on playstyle choices, based on my completionist run, most players can expect to sink 25-30 adrenaline-filled hours into Unbound. However, several key factors influence total playtime:
– Main Story Focus: Players focused solely on mandatory events face around 15-18 hours before witnessing the story climax at The Grand race event.
– Completionist Run: My preferred style, this involves also besting every optional activity and collecting all trophies/achievements. Here I spent a whopping extra 12+ hours atop the main story.
– Difficulty Level: Unbound lets you pick from Easy to Hard difficulty options when first firing up the game. Higher difficulties lead to longer playtimes due to requiring more race re-tries to grab first place. I played on Normal.
– Multiplayer: Unbound features 16-player online multiplayer with competitive and cooperative events. While optional, testing your mettle here against gearheads worldwide provides immense replay value.
Let‘s break down expected durations for each playstyle focus:
As demonstrated above, a completionist run like mine provides the most robust experience. But those favoring just main events face adequate longevity too. Unbound rewards different dedication levels fittingly.
My 25 Hour Completionist Walkthrough
As an experienced Need for Speed veteran having racked up endless hours since the ‘90s Underground era, I strategically charted my route to crush Lakeside‘s eclectic racing scene on the path to 100% completion:
The Story: 15 Hours
Similar to previous titles, I began by first knocking out all integral story events on the way to reaching the elite multi-day Grand finale race. This initial playthrough sticks largely to advancing the narrative. With my expertise, I bested the story in 15 hours flat.
Side Activities: 6 Hours
With the critical path complete, I turned attention toward wiping out every optional activity littering the world map like graffiti. Lakeside hosts over 160 extremely fun side events like speed traps, drift challenges, jumps, and zones to trigger choreographed cinematic tricks. This stage was a blast!
Collectibles: 3 Hours
I admit having a bit of a completionist problem when it comes to hoovering up every collectible possible. So of course I dedicated effort grabbing all 261 murals, flamingos and other pickups littering Lakeside‘s diverse districts. This gave me an excuse to explore areas off the main path.
Cleanup: 1 Hour
As I neared the finish line, I re-tread previous steps mopping up any outstanding trophies. I also spent free roam time applying glossy custom paint jobs and fiery decals to my premier rides – already dreaming up my next dream car lineup!
Total Duration: 25 hours
While 15 hours of core story content feels sufficient, my preferred completionist mentality saw me put 10+ more thrilling hours getting my money‘s worth tackling all bonus events in the game. Completing the Story acted as a great lead up to then targeting all optional goals across the city.
Comparison to Previous Need for Speed Game Lengths
To provide wider context around Need for Speed Unbound‘s duration, let‘s examine how its longevity compares against previous franchise entries:
As we can observe, Unbound lands squarely in line with expectations when analyzing previous Need for Speed titles. We see main stories averaging 13-18 hours, with completionist runs demanding roughly 25-30 hours.
So Unbound‘s 16-20 hour core narrative and 25-30 hour completionist duration stays consistent with fan expectations. Longtime fans will feel right at home with the content volume provided across both main and optional events. Casual players can also rest assured that just pursuing the story presents adequate gameplay longevity.
Closing Thoughts from a Racing Fanatic
As my corkscrew-emblazoned Nissan Skyline drifted across the finish line flamingo flamingo in tow, I gleefully achieved 100% completion status in Need for Speed Unbound. This moment culminated an exhilarating 25 hour gameplay ride filled with breakneck races, visually-stunning set pieces, and emergent cop chases.
Both as a veteran Need for Speed fan and overall racing junkie, I found Unbound‘s duration superbly satisfying. The 16-20 hour main story acts as a non-stop highlight reel of diverse events as a great standalone experience. But completionists have ample content racing across Lakeside pursuing optional activities and collectibles too.
So fellow gearheads – strap yourselves into Need for Speed Unbound for a 25+ hour thrill ride if aiming for max completion. But evenplaying casually and just following the core events still provides engaging longevity. Now if you‘ll excuse me, I need to plot my next dream car upgrade to smash Lakeside‘s creative racing scene all over again! Just need to somehow squeeze in time around my job at the garage…
Let me know your Unbound durations below! Maybe I‘ll catch your tricked out ride‘s reflection in my rear view…
