Developer: Team6 Game Studios
Publisher: Lion Castle Entertainment
Release Date: 23rd February 2021
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One & Nintendo Switch
Reviewed on: Xbox Series X via BC
*A code for this game was provided by the publisher.
Over the last few years, there has been a sense that everything old is new again. Pretty much anything that has any historical significance has either been remade, remastered or reimagined. So it was only a matter of time until a team took a look at Dreamcast classic, Crazy Taxi. Or The Simpsons: Road Rage. No? Ok, just Crazy Taxi then. Taxi Chaos is exactly what you expect: a new, shiny reimagining of the 1999 SEGA classic. For better, and for worse, it doesn’t try to reinvent the wheel.
Let’s start with the gameplay. In the opening half an hour of my time with the game, I was severely underwhelmed. Accelerate, brake and jump. That’s it. I meandered around the map picking up and dropping off passengers at an alarmingly slow pace. It didn’t handle badly by any means, but it felt boring. I put it off that first night a little deflated as this was a game I had been looking forward to. Thankfully though, this is a game that you grow into and my subsequent play sessions were much more enjoyable.
As you start to unlock faster taxis – there are seven in total – the moment to moment gameplay becomes more frantic. Likewise when you begin to notice shortcuts, normally accessible by jumping onto lower level roofs, the fun factor is amplified even more. Taxi Chaos is not a deep game, but then neither was its predeccesor. You do the same thing over, and over, and over again. The fun is in getting better. Beating your high score and trying to climb the leaderboard.
The jump feature, while not new in games of this ilk, adds a great risk and reward. It can shave precious time off each fare if used correctly but can be devastating when it goes wrong. Pre-release there was an issue where landing a jump would cause some slowdown, almost nerfing the action altogether. I am happy to report that has now been fixed by the day one patch and so long as you don’t flatten another car or traffic light on your way down the transition from air to land is a smooth one.
Graphically, Taxi Chaos is serviceable without ever really standing out. I appreciated the bright, vibrant colours on display but many passengers and buildings do fall on the bland side. That isn’t the case for the entire map though. New Yellow City is based off New York, retaining the NYC abbreviation. Some iconic landmarks such as the statue of liberty and Central Park can be found, adding some flair to the surroundings.
Audio doesn’t usually feature heavily in my reviews, but I feel this deserves a mention. The music is unfortunately generic, even after more tracks were added in the day one patch. For me though, in a world where Spotify soundtracks can be played through your console or mobile phone that is never more than an arms width away from any human, it isn’t a massive issue. More egregious though, is the passenger’s patter. In a bizarre twist, multiple voice actors appear to have been given the same lines to record, leading to an incredible amount of repetitiveness. That Spotify soundtrack is sounding better by the minute isn’t it?
In terms of longevity, the high scores are what will fuel any longterm players. There are special characters to pick up, who once dropped off will send you on a wild goose chase to collect a few items for them before they spawn again to repeat the process. There are ten of these in total and each has their own dialogue with a small story arc playing out. None of it is overly engrossing, but I appreciated the effort nonetheless.
There are also three different modes, although all three bare striking similarities. There’s arcade mode, which is where you start with 90 seconds and need to pick up and drop off as many people as possible, gaining extra time along the way for a job well done. Then, there is pro mode, which is identical except for the removal of the waypoint arrow. In this mode, you need to have learned the map in order to know where to drop the customers. Lastly, there is free-roam, which doesn’t have any overall timer, allowing you the luxury of exploring the map, searching for special passengers and collectables.
Whether or not to recommend Taxi Chaos is something I have struggled with. If you have a love for Crazy Taxi and temper your expectations going in, then there is definitely fun to be had here, even if the initial launch price of £31.49 on Switch, £25.99 on Xbox and £24.99 on PlayStation is likely to put some potential buyers off. This is an arcade experience on console, for better and for worse.
-Craig 🧐