A first glimpse at gameplay from the next Need for Speed has popped up online, showing off the game's new visual style.
Reportedly due out this November, publisher EA has officially kept very quiet about its upcoming racer, which was previously delayed from 2021.
This week, screenshots apparently from a work-in-progress build of the still-untitled game began to appear on reddit. Last night, the brief gameplay clip these images were taken from was also posted.
The clip, below, shows a vintage Chevrolet Bel Air car with boosters attempting to jump through a large donut-shaped obstacle, but not quite managing the feat.
When the car crashes, various cartoon-like visual effects appear on screen, including a skull and angel-like wings either side of the vehicle.
Back in April, a Venturebeat report noted that this new Need for Speed would combine a "photo-realistic" art style with "anime elements", where cartoony effects would be shown over the usual vehicular action.
At the time, the game was reportedly expected to launch this November and skip last-generation consoles, instead focusing only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S - though EA itself has kept schtum on a final launch date.
This latest Need for Speed title was originally set to arrive in 2021, but was delayed so British developer Criterion could help DICE get Battlefield 2042 out the door. EA formally announced this delay during its March 2021 financial results, and said Need for Speed would now launch in the financial year ending March 2023.
This Need for Speed is the first for Criterion in some time, after a string of middling entries handled by Ghost Games (which has now been made into a support studio, and rebranded as EA Gothenberg).
The Guildford-based Criterion, meanwhile, has previously handled some of Need for Speed's best games in its modern era, such as 2010's Hot Pursuit and 2012's Most Wanted. But for many, though, Criterion is still looked on most fondly as the creator of Burnout.
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