You can turn off new visual effects for NFS unbound ‘says EA’

Need for Speed (NFS) Unbound was unveiled by Electronic Arts last week as a combination of incredibly realistic cars and “the freshest street art,” which includes, some incredibly unrealistic visual effects and customization options: coloured smoke, hand-drawn sparks flying off tyres, speed lines, lightning bolts, and stuff like that.

It’s the feature of the game that Forza, Gran Turismo, and most of the previous Need for Speed titles promise will set Unbound apart from the crowd of realistic racing games. However, if that’s not your thing, you can turn it completely off if you’d rather.

According to Darren White, the art director at EA, “We wanted to provide an art style that matters for gameplay, one that clearly celebrates player actions, enhances the player experience, and rewards them along the way.” With our driving VFX, which we refer to as “tags,” for Need for Speed Unbound, “we wanted to elevate players to that next level.”

The visual aesthetic of NFS Unbound is one of its most intriguing features so far. It combines some very accurate car models with shaded characters, various supplementary effects, and other elements to give it a somewhat graffiti- and comic book-like appearance. Particularly in the brief gameplay clip that was presented earlier today, we believe it looks fantastic. Many people, however, are turned off by these bright effects and wonder if they can be turned off.

Customize your style. Choose your driving effects. Get noticed.

Start with nothing and slowly push your style to its absolute limit. #needforspeed pic.twitter.com/wZv7a2B4xx

— Need for Speed (@NeedforSpeed) October 11, 2022

The actual cars and gaming environment “really help ground the visuals,” according to White, but the eye-catching, quick-firing effects are what support EA’s Unbound concept.