Ridge Racer Unbounded is the first game in the long-running Ridge Racer racing series to be created exclusively by a Western studio. It continues the tradition of having players race in expensive sports cars through an urban environment while listening to pounding electronic music. Still, it differs from previous games by shifting the emphasis from clean racing to crashing into opponents and breaking through objects in the environment to use shortcuts and introduce debris on the track. The game’s story revolves around the Unbounded, a gang of street racers who race in the fictional city of Shatter Bay. The player takes on the character of one of the racers and must compete in events to advance in rank. Growing in level in the primary Shatter Bay game unlocks new cars and different city districts.
During races, drifting, jumping, and staying in the slipstream of other cars can replenish a power bar. A power mode can be engaged once the bar is full. It increases speed while simultaneously transforming the vehicle into a weapon to “frag” (crash) other vehicles, akin to the takedowns in the Burnout series. It is also possible to drive into specific buildings and barriers to damage them and have the rubble flood the course, obstructing the other racers. Minor obstacles can be hit anytime, but larger ones, such as tanker trucks, are only highlighted in power mode, wreaking havoc like Split/Second. Regular Domination races focus on finishing position and fagging other vehicles; Shindo Racing focuses on clean racing without hurting opponents; Drift Attack and Time Trial are among the several racing styles. The player controls a particular vehicle in Frag Attack and must destroy as many police cars as possible. The player’s performance is graded with up to three stars, which are required to advance in the game.
The City Creator, a full 3D editor where new cities, courses, and situations may be developed and shared with other players, is entirely new to the series. These are accessed via The World game option, which features cities constructed by other players. Many building blocks for the editor are only available after being unlocked in the primary Shatter Bay mode.
