I am biased, but an Underground 3 (with no MTX) with a well written storyline but with lots additional open world gameplay would be a return to form for NFS.
It’s got a top-down CRPG view (similar to the Fallout 1/2), but Avernum: Escape from the Pit might fit thematically.
You end up in an underground fantasy world where “undesirables” are sent to by a corrupt empire.
Another option would be Underrail. Another top down CRPG, this time based in a post-apocalytic world where everyone lives underground. The world building is top notch and the combat is very well developed with lots of choices (it’s a also IMO a hard game). While the world building is strong, the writing (characters and their motivations) is rather weak.
At first I was thinking, why not use “impacted”, it sounds a little bit awkward, but I’ve definitely seen it being used in relatively formal situations (or at least that’s what I remember).
But no, I looked it up and “impacted” should not be used in the sense of affected. TIL.