Payday 3 works great, but that’s not its biggest challenge | Digital Trends

When Payday 3 will be launched this September, it will have been more than a decade since the release of its predecessor. The sequel to one of the most popular games on Steam, Payday 3 looks to update the co-op heist experience by delving into the interactions players can have before and after the arrival of the cops with character and weapon customization, as well as a new story. I went to practice with Payday 3 following its gameplay reveal at the Xbox Games Showcase and found it executed solidly on all those fronts.

Payday 3 it’s shaping up to be more than what fans of the series will love, although it’s hard to be sold on this game before its release. While my time with it has been promising, the 10 years between games have been tough for Starbreeze, a studio that has dealt with Payday 2 post-launch controversy, a rough console port, and a The Walking Dead game that flopped. In an interview, I asked Starbreeze what it has learned from the tribulations it has faced over the past decade, so fans have an idea of ​​where the studio is heading for the game’s launch in a couple of months.

A real successor

Payday 3 is very similar to its predecessors at its core: up to four players can pull off a variety of heists together, such as breaking into a bank. To be successful, they must work well together to look into things and fight off enemies when things inevitably take a turn for the worse. Payday 3 it doesn’t do much to radically shake up the basic formula of the two missions in this demo build: the pretty by-the-numbers bank robbery in No Rest For the Wicked and Under the Surphaze, where players steal prized works of art from a gallery.

Before entering a game, players will notice some improvements payday 2, such as deeper character customization and a robust skill tree system that players can easily reset and adapt as new skills are added post-launch. Once you start a mission, you will notice that the early stages of the heist have been drilled into. There are many options and ways to explore a map before a heist, and now you can even move around without a mask at the cost of more limited mobility.

And if your crew is really good, you can pull off a heist without too much effort. My demos didn’t go like this. Whether it was because someone on my team was spotted somewhere they shouldn’t be by a guard, or because someone pressed the wrong button and accidentally threw a grenade (sorry), things went awry and Payday 3 transformed from a stealth game to a full-blown shooter. It’s now possible to swap hostages to buy more time inside a building or respawn a fallen ally, but you’ll likely find yourself crouched at the extraction point when wave after wave of cops come upon you by the end of a mission.

My time with Payday 3 proved that it is a faithful continuation of the series. The formula has not been significantly transformed. However, a few new features make the experience more customizable and should make heists more interesting before they escalate into a firefight. Currently, it seems like fans have a lot to look forward to Payday 3 that is, if they trust Starbreeze to deliver this game’s launch and post-release support.

The Starbreez Promise of Respect

While Payday 3 is shaping up to be a fun multiplayer game with just the right group of friends, it’s a bit difficult to have much faith in this game that is about to be launched. In the last 10 years, Payday 2 has fought its way through many controversies and scandals, such as a massive microtransaction controversy in 2015. More importantly, Starbreezes’ latest game, Overkill The Walking Deadit was so panned at launch that the console versions were cancelled, the PC version was delisted, and Starbreeze all but disappeared as a company entirely.

Therefore, I’m approaching the next study release with a bit of caution, as most interested ones should be Payday 3 Players. During a Q&A portion of my preview, I asked the Starbreeze team directly what they’ve learned from those past mistakes that makes them believe players should trust them now. Almir Listo, global brand manager, who has been through all the ups and downs with Starbreeze over the past 12 years, says those experiences have taught the studio how to manage its relationship with the gaming community ahead of the launch of Payday 3.

Let’s face it, having a great community is no easy feat, and having a great community and keeping them happy is even harder, says Listo. What we’ve learned over the years is that this relationship is like any other relationship in your life with a significant other; it’s something you build over time. That trust is something that can be broken, but anything broken can also be fixed, I believe Payday 3, what we are seeing from our community and players is respect. People respect our decisions and the fact that we resisted. We, as developers, now have to show them our respect for sticking with us for better or for worse all these years and all these events.

Essentially, Starbreeze believes it’s learned the right things from its past screw-ups, so it doesn’t make the same mistakes again. It can be tough for new live service games to get off the ground, but Payday 3 it technically has the community built right in from the start to pull this off. With a strong gameplay foundation to offer players, Starbreez’s next challenge is to make Payday 3s throw as successfully as possible.

Payday 3 is coming to PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 21st. It will be available on Xbox Game Pass on day one.

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