Keep the meter running in The Last Taxi

Today, developer ZenFri Inc. is proud to announce the launch date of The Last Taxi for May 31st. The Last Taxi is a VR adventure about the last human taxi driver in a fully-automated world. Among the dark backdrop of a city on a knife’s edge, The Last Taxi introduces a wide cast of characters, each with their own stories and worries.  Players must carefully navigate both the route and the conversation, as they shuttle passengers in their dysfunctional cab to try and earn a living and hopefully, a tip.

The Last Taxi buckles players into the driver’s seat in the futuristic Progress Point, a megacity fractured by politics, morals and wealth. Automation has all but removed the need for human labor, and created a permanent dividing line: on one side, the exceedingly rich, on the other, the devastatingly poor.

As the last human taxi driver in Progress Point, the player must take on new fares, transporting them safely from A to B and keeping them engaged in conversation while the meter gradually rises. While they explore the dichotomy between a seemingly affluent futuristic city and its seedy underbelly, players will need to turn on the charm to keep passengers of many different backgrounds comfortable. Focus will be key here, as an accomplished driver will need to hold a conversation while avoiding environmental hazards and managing their trusty but erratic cab.

As citizens of a vast and uncaring locale, naturally some passengers will reveal their own personal dilemmas, drawing players into challenging choice-and-consequence decisions. In a world where black and white have converged into gray, there is no right or wrong way to solve a passenger’s problem – but some decisions may have very far-reaching outcomes.

Per Progress Point governmental regulations, taxis are fitted with mandatory listening devices, and not everyone who steps into the cab will be of upstanding character. With harsh penalties for breaking the status quo in the city, it’s safer (and more lucrative) to simply report suspicious passengers to the authorities – but is it really that easy to judge a person’s intentions based on a conversation?

Features

  • Earn tips by navigating through 80 treacherous, quirky, and haunting choice-driven passenger conversations.
  • Aid and abet criminal passengers, help them reconsider their actions, or report them to the authorities.
  • Upgrade your taxi with new tools allowing for hijacking cargo, hacking toll booths, and more, all in the name of enhancing customer experience!
  • Maximize fares by managing malfunctioning equipment, avoiding environmental hazards, and keeping your passengers comfortable.
  • Experience a rich and detailed world of technological headquarters, mountaintop temples, sunken metropolises and pirate-infested underworlds.
  • 10 hours of gameplay with 20+ unique choice-driven endings.

The Last Taxi features a cast of over 80 characters, each with unique personalities and problems. Progress Point and its diverse cast create a sense of place, and the feeling that The Last Taxi offers one of the most vibrant and alive-feeling worlds to grace a VR platform.

A nuanced story where each decision truly matters, The Last Taxi offers the chance to experience over 20 unique endings, ensuring each player will step out of their cab feeling like they have had a very personal experience in Progress Point.

Dee King, Co-Founder of ZenFri Inc. said: “We wanted to explore stories within an expansive post-collapse and environmentally ravaged world. The Last Taxi mirrors today’s climate of division and existential threats. With the art of conversation at its core, we leave all choices firmly in the player’s hands. When a wounded cult member abandons a mysterious baby, a rarity even in the wealthiest parts, you’re thrown into an adventure that cuts across all levels of society and brings about choices that can change the future of humanity’s last city on Earth.”

The Last Taxi is planned for launch on May 31st on the Oculus Rift and Vive via Steam VR, priced $29.99 / €26.99 / £22.99. Players can wishlist the game on Steam now to be notified when the game is available.

Author: Mark Smith
I've been an avid gamer since I stumbled upon ZORK running in my local Radio Shack in 1980. Ten years later I was working for Sierra Online. Since then I've owned nearly every game system and most of the games to go with them. Not sure if 40+ years of gaming qualifies me to write reviews, but I do it anyway.

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