Review: Taxi Chaos By Team6 Game Studios

Written by Edwin Francisco

Taxi Chaos by Team6 Game Studios is a spiritual successor to the classic Crazy Taxi. Will it succeed in capturing the feeling of the original?

Do you miss Crazy Taxi? I actually do. I’ve had that game on the Dreamcast. It was one of the launch titles I had, and I’m happy to have been able to play it. Now, Taxi Chaos is here; Team6 created it.

Taxi Chaos is heavily inspired from 1999’s Crazy Taxi. You can consider this as a spiritual successor to it. In the game, you are a taxi driver with a time limit. The main idea is you pick up a customer and drive them to the location provided as fast as you can.

The taxi can also jump to steer clear of obstacles, but it also allows you to drive on top of the buildings if you are able to find a way to reach them. Try not to crash into a police car or it will remove some points from you.

This game uses a high-score point system, which is always on display on the main screen since it’s based on the Crazy Taxi arcade game.

I’ve played the Switch version, and the gameplay is a bit stuttery for a game that requires a very fast reaction time. It’s playable but it’s really hard to recommend it.

I don’t know what the experience is on the PS4.

I know this is also available on XboxOne but it’s not mentioned in the marketing materials I received. Nevertheless, I hope that version has a smoother frame rate.

The graphics are just okay to look at, nothing outstanding, but it does remind you how saturated the colors were in the original Crazy Taxi.

You can only use two characters. No distinctive difference between characters. You are only choosing a gender. No specific skills. I found this pointless though since you are not looking much about the character.

The only significant thing about the gender is just listening to the in-game conversation while you are driving.

I really wish they did something more, like they have a special skill that no other character can do, but no. No difference whatsoever.

The in-game characters talk all the time; consequently, it can get tiring really quickly. They really don’t have a lot to say after playing it on for a couple of hours.

Imagine playing this for several just trying to unlock the trophies. I suggest turning down the volume for that, or it can drive you crazy.
You can only access one car at the start of the game. Six unlockable cars. Unlocking some of the cars should be easy, but grindy. It does seem that there is that one perfect car if you are able to unlock it.

Map didn’t have variety in design.

I know Crazy Taxi wasn’t a big map either, but at least there was a variety of scenery in it. It obviously looks like a miniature Manhattan with its own Central Park; you can see a large liberty like statue from a distance.

Like in Crazy Taxi, there is an arrow to where you need to go. It will give you a direction as if you have GPS. it will tell you when to go left or right, but it doesn’t tell you where you are actually going.

If you know where you are going, you really don’t need to follow the arrow and just make your own route. If you know where to go, the easier the game gets.

You start on the map in a preset random location. You generally hope there are passengers close by because sometimes there are none, or a lot of them depending on where you are. All of the passengers will spawn in similar locations; if you play a while, you’ll know where to pick them up.

Passengers will be indicated with this bluish circle around them. On top of them indicates the distance and the time limit you have for them to get to their desired location. Sometimes they are pretty close from where you had to pick them up, but they want a faster service.

Most of the time, this will result in higher scores, but they can be difficult if you don’t know where to go.

Game Mode is only Arcade and Freeroam is the only available game mode when you start the game.

Taxi Chaos’ main game is the arcade, in which you are only given a small amount of time to pick up passengers, and drop them off. It adds a bit of time before your game ends. This game ends really quickly if you don’t know where you are going.

Yes, the game can end in just a matter of a few minutes.

Review: Taxi Chaos by Team6 Game Studios

The Freeroam mode is a nice touch. I think this is the best part of the game. This is more of a practice mode than anything else, but it helps you get familiar with the map.

You really have to get familiar with the buildings to get the sense where you are. A lot of the buildings in the game have distinctive features, but it does take a while to remember where you are.

You have also the choice to play the Pro Mode. This can only be unlocked when you reach a certain requirement in the game. If you play this, it removes the arrow. It makes the game extremely hard.

The only indication of where you need to be is the name and a picture of the building shown at the lower left of the screen. You really have to know where to go before playing this game. So, I don’t suggest going through this unless you know the layout map back-to-back.

I do wish they added a map like in Grant Theft Auto or like any other open world game. An overhead map would have greatly benefited into familiarizing yourself with the map layout.

Taxi Chaos doesn’t have that same appeal as Crazy Taxi because of the music soundtrack. One thing that stood out from Crazy Taxi was the licensed music which gets you pumped up when playing the game.

In this game, it tries I think, but it’s not as memorable as the original Crazy Taxi.

I think the main draw to this game is nostalgia. The game is pretty good in terms of gameplay, it’s fun. Taxi Chaos does seem like a spiritual successor Crazy Taxi without a doubt.

But the thing is, Crazy Taxi is still available today, although not on the Switch or the PS4, but it is available. The nostalgia wears off pretty quickly, even if you are having fun, everything feels like it’s repeating itself. The map, the music, the in-game chat, the locations to where you are going, and so much more.

The only thing really keeping you in playing Taxi Chaos is if you are a completist where you have to find every single item, get every car and every trophy.

Taxi Chaos on the PS4 is priced at US$29.99 or SGD54.90 which is around PhP1,979.85. While the Nintendo Switch version is priced at US$34.95 or HKD 308.00 which is around PhP1,984.77.

Note that for comparison purposes Crazy Taxi is still available today via Steam priced at PhP259.95. Android and iOS also have a free version (with ads).

Considering Taxi Chaos is a lot more expensive than Crazy Taxi, I really have to think twice if it’s really worth your hard-earned cash.
If you are able to play Crazy Taxi at a cheaper amount, why would you buy this one considering it offers less variety.

What games can I get for the same or less than that cost? Blashphemous, My Time Portia, Overcooked, Child of Light, Crysis Remastered, Little Nightmares, Minecraft, Minecraft Dungeons, Stardew Valley, just to name a few.

I mean, if you just want that Crazy Taxi feel, then you might have fun with this. I don’t know if there anything like it on the Switch. Based on my search, there is none.

But if you do have a PC or a mobile device, I suggest getting Crazy Taxi instead of this. Even if the basic game mechanics work, the lack of variety in so many aspects and the price point hinder this game from reaching its potential.

Full Disclosure: Nintendo Switch version of the game is provided by GoGame/Sega

Rating of 2.5 out of 5

Game released on February 23, 2021

Developed by Team6 Game Studios

Published by Lions Castle Entertainment, GS2 Games, Orange One

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