|| REVIEW || Taxi Chaos (PS4)
Developed By : Team6 Game Studios
Published By : Lion Castle Entertainment
Category : Racing, Arcade, Indie
Release Date : February 23, 2021
Ever since I was a kid, score attack games were always a favorite of mine, and at the same time least favorite. I loved them because the clock ticking down kept things exciting, but eventually I'd slip up and make one tiny mistake or hit a wall of skill and that clock would be the most stressful thing in the world. But no matter how much they stressed me out I was always drawn back.
Such is the reason why I found myself sliding into the driver's seat of a taxi in the newly release Taxi Chaos. It holds no shame in touting its Crazy inspirations in every area even down to it's name. So I knew very much what I was getting into before I even finished downloading the game.
You'll find yourself on the streets of a very scaled down New York City. As you enter the city you'll have your choice of two drivers, and seven different cars, although at first you'll only have access to one set of wheels. No matter which driver you choose there is no difference between them, however each car has its own stats in terms of top speed, acceleration, weight and turbo.
The last decision you'll need to make before hitting the streets is which mode you'd like to play, and there are three to choose from : Arcade, Pro, and Free Roam. No matter which mode, the city will be filled with pedestrians looking for you to take them to their destinations. You'll have to pick them up within the small circle they're standing in, but before you do you'll have a sense of what you can expect. Each pedestrian has a small destination pin and clock icons floating next to them, and they can range in color from green to red, and this will give you some indication of how far the fare will be and what sort of bonus you might get from it.
How easy it is running these fares will be entirely up to you and which mode you select. Arcade mode starts you off with a ninety-second timer, which will get added to on successful fares. After you pick someone up, you'll have a small photo displayed that will show a number indicating how much distance is between your current position and the destination, as well as an objective arrow that will guide you down the streets.
This all remains the same in Free Roam except you won't have the threat of the timer counting down to a potential game over. Pro Mode, however, is a testament to how well you know the city. In this mode, you won't be given any arrow, any distance counter, not even a picture of where you're supposed to be going.
Other than taxiing people around, you'll have some other stuff to occupy your time. A small number of pedestrians have small "quest lines" that you are able to complete. These begin with you finding the specific character and bringing them to their destination and finding some collectable items for them. Collecting these allows you to utilize the other fun distraction in the city, platforming!
Yes, platforming...in a city...while driving a taxi. Several of the buildings are low enough that you can jump and drive on a rooftop. But, there are also some areas in the city where these low rooftops allow you to get up to other rooftops and find some interesting ways of navigating the city. There's even a trophy for climbing this way to the highest point in the city, but just note that your cars stats (especially the weight) will effect how easy or difficult this is.
A lot of games for me, I go in with as little expectations as possible, which I feel is very common. You start it up hoping for certain things. But also for me, there are some games where it's very clear what they are intended to be and you go in pre-excited but hoping you won't be let down. For me, Taxi Chaos was the latter, and it didn't even take me five minutes to realize I wouldn't be let down by this game.
And it won't take you long either if you were ever a fan of Crazy Taxi or similar games. So don't hesitate on getting this title at all it's a lot of fun and will be something that everyone of all ages can enjoy in your family.
Game Rating : 9 / 10
Also available on Xbox One and Nintendo Swich
A code for this game was graciously provided
to the site for the purpose of a review
