Neo Cab

I started playing Neo Cab for 15 minutes and immediately turned it off. The game actively prevents you from choosing the dialogue options you actually want to pick, and that’s apparently “by design.” The concept: you play as a stressed-out taxi driver in a dystopian future, and your stress level locks certain responses so you can only react in annoyed, passive, or aggressive ways. The developers want you to feel a loss of control to simulate economic pressure. But here’s the problem: feeling powerless isn’t automatically good game design. If I can’t choose the answer I want because the game decided my character is “too stressed,” that doesn’t make me feel immersed – it makes me feel like the game is punishing me for playing it. The first scene alone was enough to convince me this isn’t worth my time. If you enjoy being told you can’t make the choices you want, go ahead. For everyone else: save your money.

The negatives, there are some light spoilers: - The story starts with a genuinely interesting premise, but it quickly falls into every cyberpunk cliché imaginable. Evil corporations, corrupt systems, rebellion against technology... none of it feels particularly fresh and that's very disappointing. - Your dialogue choices barely matter. The game gives the illusion of choice, but most decisions only slightly alter the route you take or tweak the epilogue. No matter what, the story keeps dragging you toward the same destination. While linear has been great before, this linear story isn't strong enough to be a fun linear story, making this issue worse. - The gameplay loop is extremely repetitive. Pick up passengers, talk to them, refuel, sleep, repeat. The map system adds a tiny bit of interactivity, but this is still very much a visual novel first and foremost. So if you come into the game expect the fun cab gameplay, this is not the game. - A bug I encountered that made me retry a section too long: [spoiler]Carlos's first ride for some reason gave me 4 stars for picking him up in the place he wanted to be picked up, but give me 5 stars if I didn't. Despite his review afterward is all positive if I picked him up, while has one complain about the location if I picked him up not at the place he wanted.[/spoiler] [spoiler]- The ending is incredibly underwhelming. After spending the entire game building up the conflict with Savy and the larger conspiracy, the finale wraps everything up way too quickly. It basically jumps from the final conversation straight into the ending.[/spoiler] The meh: - The Feelgrid system is a neat idea on paper. Your emotional state affects dialogue options, which is interesting for immersion. But honestly, it doesn't matter in the long term due to the limited range of freedom in the narrative in the first place. - Visually, the game has a distinct art style that I can appreciate, but I also wish the city itself had more detail. The futuristic setting feels underutilized at times. Now for the positives: - The relationship between Lina and Savy is easily the strongest part of the game. [spoiler]Savy’s constant emotional manipulation creates a dynamic that feels uncomfortable in a very believable way, and it carries a lot of the emotional weight of the story.[/spoiler] - Despite the predictable plot, the writing itself is still competent enough to keep the side stuff interesting. Conversations with passengers can be pretty engaging, especially when the game focuses on smaller personal stories instead of the larger conspiracy plot. The frustrating thing about Neo Cab is that the foundation is actually pretty solid. The setup, the atmosphere, and the character dynamics all had potential, but the game never really evolves beyond its familiar cyberpunk tropes. And due to that, I can't fully engage and like it. If you enjoy visual novels and don’t mind a heavily narrative-focused experience with limited player impact, there’s still something here to enjoy. But if you’re looking for a truly memorable cyberpunk story, this one probably won’t stick with you for very long. It didn't stick with me. If I had to score it, I’d probably give it around a 5 out of 10. It’s not a bad game by any means, but it’s also not one I’d actively recommend unless you can grab it cheaply or through a bundle. I wish I could give the review a Middle Meh rather than a Yes or No on Recommend. But this is what I feel about the game.

[h1]Robocapitalism has won[/h1] [b]Neo Cab[/b] is one of those games where the vibes alone could carry it. Los Ojos is a beautiful, cozy, neon nightmare: a city of automated cars, a corporation slowly replacing everyone with machines, and you playing Lina, one of the last real cab drivers still stuck doing the emotional labour that AI apparently cannot replicate yet.... [h3]And the emotional labour is basically the whole game.[/h3] You drive Pax around, listen to their problems, try not to upset them too much, and hopefully get enough five-star ratings to keep your job. It sounds simple, but it really put me in the boots of an actual cab driver sometimes: swallow your own opinion, agree with somebody you definitely do not agree with, smile through it, get paid. [i]Very cyberpunk.[/i] [h3]The characters are the main reason this works.[/h3] Some of them are genuinely insufferable, but that almost becomes part of the charm. There is a little girl inside a giant mech who expects you to play along with her nonsense or she will leave a bad review, but if you do, her next story becomes surprisingly touching. I also loved the woman with the Meta-like helmet who can see millions of timelines and probabilities at once. Or two German tourists who were convinced Lina was a very advanced robot rather than a human being and from personal experience that sounds like something Germans would actually do lmao. [b]The story is short[/b] Under five hours for one run but It is easy to replay, and seeing all routes and achievements can take around 30 hours. [b]My biggest issue is that some mechanics feel undercooked.[/b] Saving Kash feels important at first, but it mostly unlocks a few optional scenes or achievements. you can finish the game without caring much about it. The Feelgrid is a cool idea, but it rarely opens new paths and mostly just stops you from choosing dialogue that does not fit Lina’s current mood. I also had a few crashes, though autosave made them more annoying than game-breaking. [b]Still[/b] Neo Cab completely immersed me in its world. It is stylish, intimate, strange, occasionally frustrating, and very easy to recommend if you are into this setting. [h2] ★★★★★ / 10 Driver survived several emotionally devastating conversations, Would ride again. [/h2]

[h1] Genre [/h1] Ein Story Driven Adventure mit Cyberpunk Setting [h1] Story [/h1] Wir spielen Lina, eine der letzten Menschlichen Taxifahrerin die es gibt. Die Welt wird von Automatisierung beherrscht wo alles halt Automatisch geht und somit Menschliche Arbeitsplätze verloren gehen. Unsere Beste Freundin, mit der wir eine kurze Zeit zuvor einen Riesen Krach hatten, bittet uns nun zu ihr in eine Große Stadt zu ziehen. Dort angekommen treffen wir sie kurz aber daraufhin verschwindet sie und wir hören nichts mehr von ihr. Was ist ihr widerfahren? Wurde sie entführt oder steckt vielleicht doch mehr dahinter als der Erste Blick zeigt? [h1] Gameplay [/h1] Das Spiel hat mich vom Gameplay her sofort an das Spiel "Night Call" erinnert. Wir fahren hier unsere Schichten und können pro Nacht bis zu 3 Kunden fahren. Die Haupt Story entfaltet sich nach und nach von selbst und man wird im Prinzip in die Richtige Richtung gelenkt. Man kann aber auch einige Hinweise selber herausfinden für extra Plot. Auch die verschiedenen Fahrgäste haben alle ihre eigenen Eigenarten & Stories die wir nach & nach aufdecken können. Wir Unterhalten uns halt überwiegend mit Kunden bis wir das Ziel erreicht haben. Wichtig ist das wir immer eine Gute Bewertung von Kunden bekommen. Wir müssen immer über 4 Sterne bleiben sonst werden wir gekündigt. Zudem müssen wir Geld & Energie managen. Energie ist im Prinzip wie Benzin was wir an Energiestellen aufladen müssen für eine Gebühr. Zudem müssen wir nach unserer Schicht auch irgendwo Übernachten, es gibt verschiedene Möglichkeiten die ebenfalls Unterschiedliche Gebühren mit sich ziehen. Das Spiel hat eine gute Atmosphäre und die Stories der Charaktere sind schon interessant. Ich hatte Anfangs (in den ersten 2 Spielstunden) etwas Schwierigkeiten in das Spiel reinzufinden weil die Charaktere Anfangs alle Unsympathisch rüber kommen und durch das Feelgrid System, welches unsere Emotionen anzeigt wird man oft in der Dialogauswahl gezwungen Antworten zu geben die man eigentlich nicht geben will. Wenn man sich aber daran gewöhnt hat und dem Spiel eine Chance gibt dann wird deutlich besser [h1] Achievements [/h1] Es gibt insgesamt 18 Erfolge. Diese bekommt man für gewisse Entscheidungen die man treffen muss. Zudem muss man alle 3 Endings gesehen haben. Es gibt einen Guten Guide in der Community [h1] Pro/Contra [/h1] + Gute Main Story + Charaktere haben interessante Stories + Gute Atmosphäre + Musik ist Ordentlich + Grafik ist Ordentlich + Achievements - Einige der Charaktere können Anfangs echt nervig sein weil sie Unsympathisch rüber kommen bzw. sind - Der Feelgrid System ist an sich eine Nette Idee aber man wird dadurch in der Dialogauswahl (gerade zu Anfang) zu bestimmten Antworten gezwungen [h1] Fazit [/h1] In den ersten 2 Spielstunden mochte ich das Spiel überhaupt nicht. Die Charaktere waren allesamt unsymphatisch und durch das Dialogsystem in Verbindung mit dem Feelgrid wurde man zu gewissen Dialogoptionen gezwungen was den Spielspaß deutlich gebremst hat. Ich gebe zu ich stand kurz davor das Spiel tatsächlich abzubrechen. Ich hab aber durchgehalten und nach den ersten beiden Spielstunden hat hat es dann doch gezündet. Die Story wurde langsam spannend und die Charaktere deutlich sympathischer. Dieses Spiel ist ein Perfektes Beispiel dafür das man wirklich erst dranbleiben muss um es gut zu finden. Ich sehe aber & kann auch nachvollziehen das einige es nicht mögen werden. Meinerseits kann ich es aber Empfehlen weil ich doch Spaß am Spiel hatte 👑 Powered by HoI 4 Deu Curators group in German / English 👑⠀⠀⠀[list][*][url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/30388691/] Follow Main group [/url][*] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40282064/] Follow Second group [/url][*] [url=https://store.steampowered.com/curator/44688798/] Follow third group [/url][/list]

Hmmmm. Ok, this here's yet another game that would have benefited from a Meh option between Yes and No... This was, ok... I guess? A near future setting that's edging towards cyberpunk-ish dystopia but still far from it seen through the lens of a cab driver. Side Note here - But Lina is definitely NOT "the last human cab driver" as purported by the summary. Neo Cab clearly is an existing organization, she just moved to LO does that mean now this is the only city that NC provide services in? And that it didn't before that? And the NC app just downloaded itself automatically onto the users' phones to let them know of its availability? Ok the last one's not that far fetched I suppose. BUT, Lina clearly mentions multiple times that nc driver[b]s[/b] have a very strict rating policy they must adhere to to keep their jobs. Anyway, digression aside - the story is pretty linear with the choices mostly deciding who among the non-vital story passengers you'll pick up and listen to. Honestly, it was fine, though as there are no multiple endings aside from the choices you make in the absolute final and penultimate scenes, there really isn't any incentive for one to go back and listen to the stories you didn't on your first or second playthroughs. Though the emotional state of the protag blocking off certain choices was an interesting mechanic, despite it not affecting much in the overall scheme of the game. In the end, it was a serviceable VN but nothing that stands out among the crowd I'd say.

some interesting tech and good points on surveillance and corporate overreach but there's not much depth there. and the story is very linear though it tries to hide it behind the variety of dialog choices. also the city is so empty, which some would probably justify by "it's night, what did you expect?" but it just feels liveless. overall a very "meh, whatever" experience

The good points: some very topical themes such as surveillance, consumerism, false friends and corporate overreach. Also, some very lines of dialogue. The bad points: almost no nuance or self-reflection at all. The good guys are the activists, grassroots, diverse. The bad guys are capitalists, corpos, very samey. Compare with Disco Elysium - the devs of that game also wear their politics on their sleeve but they are not afraid to examine their own ideology's failings and context and do the same for other ideologies. To give an example - character here says we take down The Man, then we can have better public transport, stronger community, weaker luxury industry and eventually a left-wing utopia. Character in DE says we did kick out The Man, but afterwards was the hard part. Because afterwards we made our own mistakes and even if we hadn't, another The Man from overseas came and kicked us to the curb for it. And if we try again to take down The Man, we can do it but it's gonna be hard and bloody. Beyond the soapbox, there is nothing to this game. The gameplay is light and there is very little choice and consequence beyond different lines of dialogue. The ending is entirely self contained - nothing you do in the game influences it (and has a ridiculous "boss" battle). Your choices don't matter gameplay-wise either because it's almost impossible to lose. Look up the achievements, the rarest ones are the "game over" ones. Took me 2 playthroughs to manage to lose. I guess this allows more experimentation with the dialogue but this brings us back to you can play around with your rating but it's not going to matter. Not like a client will refuse to go with you or you can unlock another ending if you chose option A instead of B. The character of Oona. I liked her as a character but I narratively, I found her a such a lazy deus ex machina. You need a lead? Pick up 0ona, she gives it to you. Need a password? Pick up Oona. Doesn't matter what you say, she is the goddess of contrivance and can move the story forward.

This game is a good game, but nothing that blows my mind. I really wanted to like it, it seemed right up my alley. But the lack of choices, the main conflict of the game, and the lack of weak ending just made it a solid okay. Even though this game gives the illusion of choice for dialogue choices, it's not really full of choices. You are limited. You pretty have a path and you follow it down the line. I wish there was more to this game. It has such potential, but overall, it wasn't a complete waste of my time, but I definitely wanted something deeper than what I got. So much wasted potential.

Tem personagens interessantes com histórias interessantes. Se fosse um jogo sobre motorista de aplicativo e seus passageiros, seria muito bom. Mas o jogo tem uma história de fundo, acontecimentos e escolhas. Escolhas que não fazem sentido, história que é mal desenvolvida e a linha do tempo zoada por você não fazer na ordem "certa" que os desenvolvedores queriam que você fizesse. A Lina fica surpresa por descobrir coisas que já descobriu dias antes por causa das suas opções de passageiros/destinos. E muitas vezes parece que te limitam por falta de roteiro.