There is nothing like the exciting heist-based gameplay that Payday 2 provided just ten years ago. It had fantastic support over the years and delivered an incredibly strong post-launch offering, occasionally going a bit too far with an exhaustive amount of DLC and some controversies regarding loot boxes, which the developers fortunately pulled back quickly. It was also a game that felt somewhat dated at launch and grew worse over the years as more ambitious heists began to tax the engine. Payday 3 has been a long time coming and unfortunately doesn’t hit everything right, but it is close.
Set after the events of Payday 2, the gang has retired. However, an old enemy has resurfaced and destroyed all their efforts. Penniless and thirsty for revenge, the crew reunites to do what they do best: perform daring heists. The story of Payday has always been mostly background noise for what was happening. Here it is slightly more emphasized with slideshow cutscenes to bridge the gaps between heists. At the very least, it is completely optional and you don't even have to click on the cuts to progress.
Heist design and variety
At launch, there are eight different types of heists you can participate in. This is a very insignificant amount of heists, although based on the franchise's past, this should expand nicely over time. However, I am reviewing what is present at launch, and it would be completely unfair to compare it to the complete heist list of Payday 2. Judging them as a standalone experience, these heists are mostly exceptionally well-designed. The first few are fairly basic heists, usually small buildings with a few patrolling guards. The weakest of these is the one involving the hijacking and escorting of a truck across a bridge.
However, the second half of the heists is exceptional, with a much larger scale than the first half. Infiltrating a nightclub to steal someone's crypto wallet proved to be the best heist in the game, while the bank robbery provides the purest Payday experience. Most of them provide strong stealth and combat routes that really increase the replay value. Increasing the difficulty also changes the game with more protectors and modifiers to make it more challenging, constantly forcing me to rethink my strategy all the way up to Overkill difficulty. Although there aren't many heists, they can keep you occupied for a long time as you start to master them and climb the difficulty ladder.
The always-online problem
In a rather bizarre move, Payday 3 is now an always-online title for no apparent reason. This even applies to the solo game mode, which makes this even more confusing. You will have to set your lobby to the Invite Only option and still wait for matchmaking to find a server, regardless of whether you are playing alone or with a few friends. At launch, the servers simply refused to work with constant matchmaking errors and incredibly long wait times even for a damn private match. In multiple instances, I had to wait in line for over twenty minutes to play a private match. This is completely unacceptable for a game that has no purpose being an always-online title.
While I understand that online launches can be hard on servers, do not expect perfection. The fact is that Payday 3 has no reason to always be online at all. There is no competitive aspect to the game, no Destiny-style loot system, no internet economy, or even your standard social hub which is now often used as an excuse to be online only. The servers should get better over time, but that is not an excuse. If I am expected to be online to play solo, I fully expect the servers to be online too, especially since Payday 3 is best with friends.
Improved mechanics and stealth
Once you finally enter the lobby, you will notice that the fantastic pre-planning phase has been replaced by a basic lobby. It’s not the biggest deal-breaker, but it was an impressive touch in the second game that elevated it. The user interface as a whole feels completely rushed and unfinished. However, when you finally start playing Payday 3, it is an absolute treat. The same thrill from before is back, and it’s mostly better than ever thanks to significantly improved gameplay mechanics. It feels much more modern and responsive, even in simple movement.
Stealth is one of the aspects that has been heavily modified here. In Payday 2, stealth gameplay was absolutely my favorite way, but there were problems. In “casing” mode you have much more utility; you can pick locks, pickpocket, and interact much closer with the environment (irritatingly, you cannot climb). If you get caught in restricted areas, you will be escorted out of that area; playing smartly will allow you to use this to your advantage by letting the rest of the team pass unnoticed. It is a much more dynamic and exciting stealth system, even if it feels a bit basic. Enemy AI detection is still very unreliable and they will hilariously forget about it as soon as you stop trespassing. However, it is always fun to play stealth, and walking out of a bank carrying bags of cash is quite badass.
Stealth has now become fixed, so you don't have to worry about carrying larger weapons while playing stealth. A major benefit of this is that when things go wrong, you won't have to restart the heist. Instead, you will go with the chaotic flow. When things inevitably go wrong during stealth sections, the combat mechanics hold up well and keep things fresh. New movement abilities and a wave-based structure ensure there is downtime between massive police waves. This allows you to trade hostages a bit more or start moving your loot bags toward the exit and hope you don't get caught in a bad spot.
Progression and technical aspects
Progression has also seen some major changes and this is really a mixed bag. The skill trees and perks from the predecessor have been combined into one system. There is still a fair amount of build variety, but at the same time, it feels quite limiting, as you only have seven skill points to build with. If you are used to the expansive list from the predecessor, you will be disappointed. As for the weapon list, it is also quite limiting. A large part of the progression in this game is frustratingly long, especially the crude approach to cosmetics, where you have to level up to 100 for basic customization options like patterns or colors.
The amount of weapons and gadgets is also really disappointing. There is only a small number of weapons in the game and their customization is not as extensive as in previous games. Attachments are now entirely tied to the level of the individual weapon, discouraging the use of anything new, and they are minimal at best. In an attempt to add more weapons, you can also buy preset weapons that have extra stats, fixed attachments, and I guess a nice skin. New equipment, such as MicroCams, is an absolutely amazing new addition that allows you to track guards and peek around corners.
Fans of the franchise will know that the games never looked really good and were always hindered by Overkill's own Diesel engine. The move to Unreal Engine has allowed them to progress beyond that, and what we have here is a game that looks uneven. It is a big step forward from its predecessor, with much more detailed environments, even if they still look a bit dated. However, all the character models seen scattered across the maps are lifeless and can be hilarious to look at.
Payday 3 is a big step forward regarding the core mechanics of the Payday franchise. Updated gunplay and mechanics unite for a gameplay experience that is, as a whole, simply better. However, it falters on everything else. The game is really light on content, progression is ruined, and rampant server issues are unacceptable, with a game that refuses to work properly even if you want to play alone. Maybe it will finally get the balance right in Payday 4? Maybe the developers will manage to fix things and regain the trust of their fanbase? The future is a bit dark, but only time will tell.
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