Neo Cab

Kanoa Ranks: 8.5/10 Achievements 100%: 7 Hours more than i expected! great visual novel with surprisingly great graphics & choice system. it reminds me of nosedive from black mirror. keep your uber rating up & try to solve a mystery. multiple endings & fun achievements. a hidden gem if you're a fan of this genre or the studio. definitely a meaningful critique on AI, tech & the future of cybersecurity. definitely worth it on sale!

The main gameplay elements of this visual novel involve a simple map system where you have to make enough money to keep your cab running, a "review" system where you must stay above a rating threshold or be fired, and the most interesting part of the game - the Feelgrid. I was unsure about this visual novel from the preview, but it is definitely worth your time. the main story is an average corporate neo-dystopia, but the side stories and supporting characters are were this game really shines. I was disappointed by lack of voice acting, but the script and branching decisions won me over. the dialog choices are made slightly more complicated because of an emotional gameplay feature, where the character can choose certain options or are locked out of others based on their emotional state (which is displayed on the Feelgrid). This visual novel is definitely worth checking out! there is almost no gameplay, but a good story to read!

I do appreciate what the devs were going for with the visuals. On a technical level, it's much cooler than a more static visual novel - the way each character never sits fully still, how their emotions show on their face, the 3D look of the city that makes Los Ojos feel more real. However, it does take some getting used to, as the visuals often produce an uncanny-valley effect rather than the appealing and lively game aesthetic I imagine the designers were going for. It's jarring to say the least. Likewise, I found the narrative structure frustrating at first, particularly the inability to pick the dialogue options I actually wanted. But as the story goes on, the mechanic does justify itself thematically. Lina is not a blank canvas for the player to roleplay with; rather, she is an established character with her own personality, temperament and history. The whole story is about Lina learning to embrace herself for who she is, rather than simply who other people say she is. That theming works for me in the end, and I found myself becoming less frustrated with the system as I started picking dialogue options that felt natural to Lina, rather than simply what I personally wanted to say. That's not to say there isn't some freedom in the type of Lina you want to play as. Rather, you shouldn't expect limitless freedom. The game gives you room to shape her, but she remains a character in her own right. The added mechanics of managing Lina's finances and Neo Cab rating, while still trying to find time to solve the mystery of her missing friend, also work brilliantly, especially once you start recognising familiar faces you've picked up before. The emotion mechanic still doesn't make the most sense to me, though. It often feels arbitrary, and I think the game could have done a better job explaining how it works, or at least providing more information about what certain dialogue options actually mean when they're associated with a particular emotion. Overall, though, I ended up enjoying my time with the game despite the very rough start. The story is thoughtful yet humorous, and the gameplay is surprisingly engaging for a visual novel, all packaged into a tight five-hour playthrough. What I liked most, however, were the themes, perspectives and ideologies the game plays with. Even when I disagreed with or disliked a character, learning about their situation and history, engaging with their unique perspectives and worldviews, and understanding how they justify their actions and why they think the way they do all felt very real and raw to me. Each character truly feels like their own world that you only get a glimpse into.

Woke slop. Unlikable and unrelatable characters. A really boring story. Typical of Sweet Baby Inc.

abused lesbian uber simulator. truly unhinged ending.

[b]Recommended on sale, not at full price.[/b] I enjoyed [i]Neo Cab[/i], mostly for its atmosphere, passenger conversations, and its clever use of Lina’s emotional state as a dialogue mechanic. The game is at its best when it is about the small humiliations and compromises of gig work: managing ratings, money, lodging, and your own mood while pretending to be fine for strangers. The larger story worked less well for me. [spoiler]Lina comes to Los Ojos depending on Savy for a place to stay, and Savy immediately disappears, leaving her supposedly best friend stranded with no home, no friends, and no support. That is such awful behavior that [/spoiler] I had trouble investing in the relationship the game clearly wanted me to care about. [spoiler]Unless Savy had been seriously injured or literally unable to make contact, I just could not buy the emotional premise.[/spoiler] So, mixed feelings. I liked the ride, but not enough that I’d want to have paid full fare.

Great conversations, shaky story. The passenger arcs are the best part of Neo Cab, but the main plot fizzles out and the money system feels like a clumsy tax on an otherwise good visual novel.

It's a nice and somewhat relaxing experience, it makes me feel like I know how to hold a conversation. The butch was hot. If only cars were real... I am the woker.