I don’t want this review to feel like a cop-out, given we checked out the closed beta only a couple of months ago. But in the same breath, Payday 3 feels very much the same at launch, albeit now with the added variety of additional locations, gear and load-outs. Payday 3 is in many ways the next chapter in a familiar setting, that takes notes from its predecessor, yet expands upon the scope and complexity of its core heists. While it doesn’t break the mould or radically redefine the formula in any meaningful way, there’s still enough polish and fun here to warrant a return to the Payday franchise.
One More Round
The original heist members from previous games return, with Dallas, Hoxton, Wolf, and Chains all along for the ride. While those previous titles took place in Washington D.C., we get the larger (and much busier) New York City for a new selection of heists.
If you’ve played a Payday game before, you’ll certainly feel at home here. You’ll select a character and a loadout, between primary and secondary weapons, along with tactical gear, as your team of four scopes the bank for any details regarding security and vault locations. Even though the general structure remains the same, there are indeed some new cool toys to play with, which do help with overall traversal and more convenient hesiting. Players can now use a zipline bag to attach their duffle bags to and push down onto the street, while you make a break for the exit.
But besides this, the general flow and approach remain the same. Starting out on the street allows you to scout each heist location and choose from a number of entries and strategies. While it’s always wise to disable security cameras or guards before entering, the eight heists on offer provide multiple obstacles and paths to success. There are even some cool-level designs as you scope out and solve some classic puzzles in heists across museums and banks alike. While I wish there was a little more variety at this point in time, there admittedly are multiple ways to approach each heist, even if they all usually end the same way.
One, Two, Three, You Never Saw Me
That being said, Payday 3 has now introduced phases to each heist, which gradually escalate along with your heist. These three phases include the Search, Negotiation and Assault phases, but only begin when things go wrong. If you play this game the way I do, they inevitably will. The search phase sees security tighten their patrols around the bank once you’re spotted, and can even immediately trigger alarms if you hand around in one spot for too long.
Stealth does feel better than previous Payday games, as perfect heists felt literally impossible. While they’re hard here, they feel that much more rewarding, thanks to more intelligent enemy AI. It’s also worth mentioning that you do get more time off with the mask here, with more options available to attempt the perfect heist. Be it cutting off security systems or putting thermite in place to access the vault, the strategy allowed here is certainly appreciated.
The second Negotiation phase ramps up the pace, as police soon arrive on the scene and a timer begins, allowing you to essentially trade hostages for additional time to plan or even break into the vault before they inevitably storm the building. At this point in time, you’ll need to hold up and secure any hostages by cable-tying their hands together, so that they can’t escape of call for help. Once the final phase was around the corner, however, I found that it was almost impossible to hand out enough hostages to stall long enough to access the vault and break out undetected.
Assault is the third and final phase, where both police and SWAT teams attempt to take you out, up close and personal. I find this final phase to be the most fun, simply because it incorporated everything the game has to offer, in terms of both action and strategy. The gunplay is generally tight and the sound design impressive, as doors blow in and flashbangs litter the hallways. You’ll then need to place thermite beside or above the vault to gain access to it, where you’ll stash as much cash or loot as possible before escaping.
The Way Out
New York City also does a much better job at presenting a sense of scope through its wider city streets and open-ended confrontations. In previous Payday games, you would normally head out to the neighbouring alleyway or street, but in Payday 3, the escape van not only takes longer to roll around, but parks further from the bank so as not to draw any attention. But once again, if you’re like me, these heists normally result in a street-wide battle akin to the movie Heat, where the escape route can either feel like an intricate maze or a million miles away. But it does its best to keep the action going, in which the punchy and responsive gunplay gets some extra time to shine.
Like any Payday that has come before, Payday 3 can be played solo, along with a loose narrative that connects all eight heists together. But in the same breath, the experience is always much better when played cooperatively with friends. Enemy AI fares much better than that of your teammates should you fly solo, who are generally capable but tend to do some silly things from time to time, like follow you around like a bad smell and forgetting to hide when the guards walk past. But when communicating cooperatively with a couple of unique approaches, trial and error is just as fun as you learn from each other in the process.
It’s also where any of the 17 available roles get some love. While players can select any of the four at a given time, they can also be upgraded and expanded upon by gaining skill points through completing heists. You can then choose a particular playstyle, which might allow you to hack and disable security cameras faster, or gain better manipulation skills to buy you more time when dealing with hostages.
Look the Part
Even though it was made using Unreal Engine 4, Payday 3 doesn’t feel like a huge departure from Payday 2 visually. But at the same time, it does a great job at presenting a cleaner, more detailed iteration, complete with some nicer textures and impressive lighting effects. Payday 3 chooses to stick to its guns, rather than reaching for something new, but it’s far from broken or stale, even at this point in the franchise.
Online performance was decent, but much like the closed beta, it can be hit and miss. While some matches work fine via random matchmaking, some matches were scrapped before they even began, be it thanks to poor servers or players ditching early.
Final Thoughts
Payday 3 is a safe bet for fans, even if it could benefit from something fresh like more exciting maps or even new modes. It looks decent and plays well, thanks to some responsive and satisfying gunplay, but many fans will feel like they’ve seen most of this before. The newly introduced phases do help broaden the overall structure of each heist, while the expanded city streets will inevitably lead to more chaos down the track. While there’s nothing necessarily wrong with Payday 3’s reliance on previous successes, the next heist might need some new tactics.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Highlights: Satisfying gunplay; Heist phases; Few cool heists and locations; Multiple ways to approach heists; Expanded scope
Lowlights: Formula feels tried and tested, but is beginning to feel a little stale
Developer: Starbreeze Studios, Overkill Software
Publisher: Deep Silver, Plaion, Prime Matter
Platforms: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Windows PC
Available: Now
Review conducted on PlayStation 5 with a code provided by the publisher.
