Neo Cab is a 2019 video game developed by Chance Agency and published by Fellow Traveller. In it, players role play as Lina, a driver for Neo Cab, a vehicle for hire service. After her friend Savy mysteriously disappears, Lina investigates the disappearance while picking up passengers.

Synopsis

The game opens with Lina moving from her hometown, Cactus Flats, to the technological metropolis Los Ojos. She has plans to live with Savy, an old friend she hasn't spoken to in years after they had a large argument. Lina briefly meets up with Savy, who says that she's having trouble at work and will meet up with her later. She also gives her a FeelGrid, a smartwatch-like device that displays a color corresponding to the emotions that the wearer is feeling. After Lina picks up passengers for a few hours, Savy texts her that she needs to be picked up right away, then disappears. Simmering in the background is a movement to have all drivers replaced by

driverless cars A self-driving car, also known as an autonomous car, driver-less car, or robotic car (robo-car), is a car that is capable of traveling without human input.Xie, S.; Hu, J.; Bhowmick, P.; Ding, Z.; Arvin, F.,Distributed Motion Planning for Sa ...

owned by a corporation called Capra. Lina had previously been fired by Capra after they replaced their rideshare with driverless cars. Many of the conversations she has with passengers are about a proposed law to outlaw driving after a famous ballet dancer was killed after being hit by a car.

Gameplay

GameInformer calls Neo Cab a " visual novel mixed with survival aspects". The game is driven by the choices that the player makes when talking to passengers. Those choices and the flow of the conversation then change Lina's mood, which is displayed on the Feelgrid. The way Lina is feeling changes which dialogue options are available, and whether she is willing to pick up another passenger. Players also have to manage the car's fuel level and how much money Lina has.

Critical reception

'' Destructoid'' and '' PC Gamer'' both pointed out that the game discussed quite a few topics during its short playthrough. ''

Rock, Paper, Shotgun ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' (also rendered ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun''; short ''RPS'') is a UK-based website for reporting on video games, primarily for PC. Originally launched on 13 July 2007 as an independent site, ''Rock Paper Shotgun'' was acquir ...

'' and '' Game Informer'' both found the ending underwhelming. However, most of the above critics seemed to enjoy the game overall, especially the passengers and conversations with them. ''Rock, Paper, Shotgun'' in particular wished that there was a "free play mode" where one could continue picking up passengers without worrying about the main story.

References

{{Reflist 2019 video games Cyberpunk video games Visual novels MacOS games Nintendo Switch games Single-player video games Video games developed in the United States Video games featuring female protagonists Windows games Video games about taxis