Every little child grows up with a dream of what they want to do with their life once they grow up. And while many dreams are celebrated and boasted about by parents when their little angel decides they want to be a teacher, doctor or astronaut, for those of us who grew up wanting to be big-time bank robbers – that dream is best left unsaid.
However, Payday has always been a way for me to live out those dark, dangerous fantasies without the risk of jail time or, if the way I play is any indication, death – and that’s where the game’s beauty lies.
Payday 3 is the next chapter in the world-class heist simulation genre, and it continues from the strong foundation the series has created by delivering one of the most adrenaline-pumping and high-octane smash-and-grab experiences out there.
Much like the previous entries in the franchise, Payday 3 is a cooperative multiplayer first-person shooter where you and three friends, enemies, sidekicks or bots can embark on increasingly dangerous and elaborate heists worthy of any great Hollywood action movie.
While there is a story in the game where a group of career criminals are forced out of retirement by a shadowy group and even a cameo by Ice-T, no one has ever picked up a Payday game for its story – not even me, who usually swears by it.
Because they’ve been pulled out of retirement, all the franchise’s favourite characters are back to entertain and amuse with their witty quips and badass criminal ways.
It didn’t take me long to be fully pulled into this alternative life again. Within minutes of my first heist, I felt all that familiar Payday goodness but with a distinctly upgraded and polished feel.
This is the Payday game I’ve always needed, with movement that feels sharp and responsive and guns that pack such a punch you can practically feel it in your soul.
There are also minor tweaks to the familiar. You can now run and slide, which feels madly fun, and use your whiny little hostages as human meat shields – something that’s never been an option until now.
All in all, Payday 3 feels every bit like a game worthy of being a sequel, and yet, it still feels exactly like a Payday game all the way through.
The only area of the game that didn’t quite meet my expectations is the limited content available on launch. Where Payday 2 has hundreds of weapons, masks and missions to choose from, Payday 3 has a surprisingly tiny roster.
However, the available content covers all the bases and sets a strong foundation for more content to be added – and judging from Payday 2, we’re in for a lot of additional content as time passes.
Regarding weapons available at launch, you get a selection covering everything from flesh-shredding rifles to deadly silent pistols. These weapons can also be customised with various mods and attachments to change how they perform and are used significantly.
The new heists are also tremendous and raise the excitement bar. However, there are only eight out right now, which would be a deal breaker if those eight weren’t all so good and didn’t feel like classics straight out of the gate.
Another area where Payday 3 truly shines, and something I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I did, is all the improvements and changes to how stealth works in the game.
For years, my crime crew and I had dreams of pulling off clean and silent heists. Still, our dreams far outweighed our actual skill levels and try as we might, we never managed to be the ghosts we aspired to be.
However, in Payday 3, stealth is a genuine possibility, thanks to the plethora of improvements. Players can now pickpocket security guards or use environmental objects to lure them away. While neither of these might seem groundbreaking on paper, in practice, it’s revolutionary.
The missions also lend themselves to silent heists much more than before. Each mission has an entirely different route to success if you tackle it with strength in mind, which means every mission will feel completely different depending on you and your crew’s approach to it.
Even with all the tweaks and improvements, Payday 3 is still as challenging as it’s always been, and a big reason for that is the new and improved AI.
Police will swarm players from all directions, and guards will now respond to players’ actions. They will gladly break their usual patrol route to investigate anything they deem suspicious and react differently depending on what they find.
For example, if a guard catches you somewhere you shouldn’t be, but they don’t think you’re up to no good, they will escort you back to the public area while moaning at you while they do.
While this is a refreshing change from the previous AI that would just start shooting at you, it also gives players an extra level of strategy. Sometimes, being caught is a great way to lure guards away from an area so your crew can infiltrate without killing everyone in sight.
