Overkill Software’s PAYDAY 3 has risen from the ashes in a playable state a year after its disastrous launch and post-release fixes. While this first-person shooter aiming to replicate the thrill of robbing banks is mostly like its predecessor, a few areas surpass PAYDAY 2’s standards, but some devolve back to the limited, slightly disorganized content of PAYDAY: The Heist.
PAYDAY 3 follows the original crew—Dallas, Wolf, Chains, Hoxton, and others—as they return to crime in New York after a conspiracy vanquishes their riches. Since their original coordinator Bain died, Shade becomes their handler.
That’s really all you should know since the story isn’t compelling. You don’t play PAYDAY for the plot, though; you play it to get filthy rich.
If anything, PAYDAY 3 is more challenging. All heists are great to take on, even if they’re more engaging than memorable. Situations are more complex thanks to its world’s various small touches.
This makes stealth gameplay more intensely demanding, while also opening feats to utilize. Casing mode showcases this the best despite some questionable limitations. How can I use a blowtorch to open a window but not jump through it until I put my mask on? Nitpicks aside, the smugness of escaping with duffle-bags of loot without getting caught is always rewarding.
But, if you like playing rough, going in loud and guns blazing is also fun. Beware: it’s here where PAYDAY 3 shows its fangs.
Loud playthroughs are aggressive since Five-O aren’t playing around this time. A.I. in the series has tremendously improved, and all special ops arrive regardless of difficulty, with returning units tweaked perfectly. Shields’ visors are now weak-spots; Bulldozers are tankier; and Cloakers remain as some of the scariest enemies in non-horror games when they jump-scare heisters with a dose of in-your-face police brutality. Welcome additions include the tear-gassing Nader and the drone flying Techie.
The longer a heist drags, the harder the feds come down on you. That said, have a suitable build before you fire, but cooperate and share supplies. Remember: there is no “I” in “robbery.”
When things get too hot, there’s many options still left on the table.
No longer are hostages just Get-Out-of-Jail-Free cards for arrested teammates. You can delay police response time by releasing hostages before shots are fired. During an assault, using hostages as human shields is satisfying leverage because it’s like you’re turning the tables and telling the cops to freeze instead of the other way around. After assaults, hostages can be traded for resources like armor or health.
Lacking hostages? Call in an overkill weapon—a devastating firearm like a grenade launcher—to even the score, or shoot explosives like fire extinguishers or red barrels.
Heisting with up to three other players is superior to single player, where you have three partially competent bots. Playing with friends feels like everybody has a dedicated role.
It’s relieving that PAYDAY 3’s clean graphics match its great gameplay. Compare this to PAYDAY 2, which while entertaining, you would never guess at first glance that it was made in 2013 based on its ugly presentation. The sequel does carry over the techno-rock funk in its soundtrack that adapts to action, and it’s best when bullets are flying.
Unfortunately, PAYDAY 3’s character customization differentiates from PAYDAY 2 in a few unsatisfying ways.
Guns are fine, but only shotguns and assault rifles really spoke to me. Their sparse weapon attachments are now unlocked by leveling up the guns with kills rather than leveling up your character. Thus, to redeem a sub-par gun with mods, you must suffer by using it vanilla first.
Fans will notice the removal of the melee slot. PAYDAY 2’s varied melee system was more comical than useful if you used anything besides the electric brass knuckles or the katana, but PAYDAY 3 undelivered with its replacement: a weak shove attack that shows that realism doesn’t equal fun.
Additionally, the playstyle based perk deck is also omitted.
The biggest hit to customization is found in the skill tree. Rather than simple vertical trees like before, there’s a row-based skill set that is initially confusing due to its structure. Skills are split between basic ones, and others repeatedly mention edge, grit, and rush buffs.
There’s also not as much content compared to PAYDAY 2, mainly because PAYDAY 2 is overflowing with DLC packs including characters, weapons, masks, and missions. PAYDAY 3 obviously has less DLC since it’s only been out for a year.
Even then, there’s only a couple of standout missions to buy. There’s the “Boys in Blue,” and my favorite: “Houston Breakout,” which mirrors PAYDAY 2’s “Hoxton Breakout” with Hoxton’s stand-in being prosecuted for his crimes this time around. Luckily, the developers periodically release heists and content for free.
In retrospect, PAYDAY 3 isn’t perfect, nor is it awful. The developers upped their game regarding level design and feel but dropped fun customization and memorability along the way. Hopefully with fixes, there can be a balance so players never stop stealing from every fictional bank New York has to offer.
RATING: