BUS: Prologue

super laggy and who talks like that woah waoH! a horrific accident happend right in front of my eyes! its stupid he must be a robot or something in the game cuz he is talking so dumb do not play

okay..

BUS: Prologue is a game I went into without really knowing what to expect, but the idea behind it is definitely different. I am trying to survive a zombie outbreak on Fang Island while using an old school bus as my main vehicle, and the game mixes driving, exploration, combat, resource gathering and puzzles together. I like the strange combination because it gives the game its own identity. It is not trying to be a completely serious zombie survival game either, and the more colourful style and humour make the whole thing feel a bit more relaxed. The bus is easily my favourite part of the game. It is not just there to get me around the island, because I can collect resources and use them to improve it. I can change things like the paint and wheels, while also adding equipment that makes the bus more useful when dealing with zombies. The front ram and side saws are especially fun because they make driving into groups of zombies feel much more satisfying than I expected. I also like the feeling of slowly turning an ordinary school bus into something that actually looks prepared for the apocalypse. Exploring Fang Island is enjoyable because there is more to do than simply drive around looking for zombies. I can search different areas for resources, find survivors, solve puzzles and work out how to deal with different situations. The ability to use objects around me against zombies is a nice touch too, and I like that I am not always forced to fight my way through everything. It makes me pay more attention to the environment and gives the exploration a little more variety. The gameplay is not incredibly deep, but there is enough here to keep me interested. I also found the story more entertaining than I expected. G is a radio host and conspiracy theorist who ends up caught in the outbreak, and the situation on the island develops into a conflict between two rival groups. There are choices that can influence what happens, which gives me a reason to pay attention to the characters and what is going on rather than just treating the story as something between missions. I would not say the writing is the strongest part of the game, but it does a good job of giving the adventure some personality and making me curious about what happens next. The biggest problem for me is that BUS: Prologue still feels like a small preview of something bigger. I enjoyed the systems that are here, but I wanted more time with them before reaching the end. The combat is fairly simple and some of the survival and building mechanics could have more depth. There were also some technical issues that needed fixing after release, including problems involving bus modifications, the weapon fabricator and duplicated characters. The developers have continued making fixes, but there are still moments where the game feels like it needs more polish. I think the co op side also suits the game really well. Playing with up to four people gives the whole idea of driving around a zombie island in an upgraded school bus a lot more potential for chaos. The game also adjusts some of the puzzles and enemy difficulty depending on the number of survivors, so it is not simply the exact same experience regardless of how many people are playing. I still think it works fine as a solo experience, but I can see the bus and exploration becoming much more entertaining when there are other people involved. Overall, I think BUS: Prologue is a fun introduction to a game with a genuinely good idea behind it. The bus is what makes it stand out for me, while the exploration, puzzles, resource gathering and zombie combat give me enough different things to do. It is definitely limited by being a prologue and I think several of the mechanics could use more depth, but I enjoyed what was here. I came away feeling like the game has potential rather than feeling like it was just another generic zombie game, and that is probably the biggest compliment I can give it. Rating: 7.3/10