Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is a 2024 platformer game developed by the Italian indie studio Panik Arcade and published by Those Awesome Guys. In the game, the player controls a taxi, which they must guide through an island to unravel its mystery. The game was released for Windows on April 9, 2024, and has been met with praise for its gameplay, soundtrack, and graphics but criticism for its humor.
| Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Panik Arcade |
| Publisher(s) | Those Awesome Guys |
| Platform(s) | Windows |
| Release | April 9, 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Gameplay
editIn the game, the player controls a wind-up taxi that can be braked,[1] flipped, accelerated, or driven on ramps;[2] however, they cannot press a button to make the taxi jump.[2][3][4] They may use the dash ability (termed the Flip-o-Will)[1] to break through blocks and can drive towards obstacles such as bounce pads to navigate the area.[5][6][7] The dash can be cancelled.[1] In some levels of the game, the player has to pick up passengers and drive them to their destination in a set amount of time.[8] The player's main mission is to investigate the "grand conspiracy" on Grandma's Island while collecting green gears scattered across each level.[1][3] Gears unlock more levels,[1] and the player can collect coins and springs along the way.[2][6][9]
In June 2024, a new mode named Psycho Taxi was released. Instead of collecting objects, the player must carry around passengers.[8]
Plot
editThe Tosla Corporation and its CEO Alien Mosk has littered the world with green gears and has poisoned the world's oil supply; a character is transformed into a taxi to collect them.[10][1]
Development and release
editYellow Taxi Goes Vroom was developed by the Italian indie studio Panik Arcade, a two-person team.[11] The game was announced in February 2023, with the release of a game demo.[12] In October 2023, it was featured at the Steam Next Fest and EGX 2023.[5][13][14] Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom was released for Windows on April 9, 2024.[6][7][15][16]
Reception
edit| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 78/100[17] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Destructoid | 8/10[1] |
| TouchArcade | 4.5/5[18] |
On Metacritic, the game has a "generally favorable" score of 78 based on five critics.[17]
Destructoid's Zoey Handley noted the game's variety in worlds but criticized that the game's humor has jokes that are "all over the place". However, Mikhail Madnani of TouchArcade described the gameplay as "hard to put down".[18] While commending the sound design, she also felt that a portion of the gears were difficult to find and obtain.[1] Shaun Cichaki of The Escapist thought the game was a "knock-off" of Crazy Taxi.[19]
Critics noticed the game's similarities to Nintendo 64 games and praised its graphics.[19][20] Handley praised how well the game replicated the early 3D platformer genre and compared the game's "appealing", "obnoxiously bright" colors to Katamari Damacy, which Madnani also praised.[1][18] Commenting on the soundtrack, she stated that the music sounded like those from Super Mario Galaxy combined with "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes".[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Handley, Zoey (April 9, 2024). "Review: Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom". Destructoid. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ a b c Smith, Graham (March 12, 2024). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is an N64-style platform collectathon with no jump button". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ a b Handley, Zoey (March 12, 2024). "N64-inspired collectathon Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom releases next month". Destructoid. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ "ニンテンドウ64風アクション『Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom』4/10に配信開始。チョ◯Qのような黄色いタクシーが街中をハチャメチャ大暴れ" [Nintendo 64-style action game Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom will be available from April 10th. A yellow taxi like Cho◯Q goes wild in the city.]. Famitsu (in Japanese). April 9, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Peeples, Jeremy (October 9, 2023). "Yellow Taxi Goes Boom Demo Hits Steam Next Fest". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ a b c Yarwood, Jack (March 14, 2024). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Is An N64-Inspired Collectathon With A Twist". Time Extension. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ a b Denzer, TJ (April 15, 2024). "ShackStream: Indie-licious Episode 159 keeps the meter running in Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom". Shacknews. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Handley, Zoey (June 28, 2024). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom update adds Crazy Taxi inspired mode". Destructoid. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ "黄色いタクシーで駆け回る「ジャンプボタン」のないアクションゲーム『Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom』がSteamで4月10日に配信開始。NINTENDO64愛にあふれ当時の作品を彷彿とさせる期待作" [Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom, an action game without a jump button where you drive around in a yellow taxi, will be available on Steam from April 10th. It's a highly anticipated game that's full of love for the Nintendo 64 and is reminiscent of the original games.]. Denfaminico (in Japanese). April 9, 2024. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ Takenaka, Kosuke (April 21, 2024). "『ユニコーンオーバーロード』の難易度を変えたら体験激変。『Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom』で楽しむ箱庭。『ASTRAL GATE』は難易度高め。今週のゲーミング" [Changing the difficulty level of Unicorn Overlord dramatically changes the experience. Enjoy the sandbox game Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom. ASTRAL GATE is a high-difficulty game. This week's gaming]. Automaton (in Japanese). Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ Those Awesome Guys & Panik Arcade: Collaboration Between Publishers and Developers / Fireside chat (Video). DevGAMM. December 7, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (February 6, 2023). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Announced With Free Demo". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (October 9, 2023). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Drops Steam Next Fest Demo". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ Castle, Katharine (October 12, 2023). "Here are all the games you can play in the Rezzed Zone at EGX 2023". Rock Paper Shotgun. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ Romano, Sal (March 1, 2024). "Collectathon platformer Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom for PC launches in April". Gematsu. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ Sheehan, Gavin (March 31, 2024). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Arrives On Steam Next Week". Bleeding Cool. Retrieved September 27, 2024.
- ^ a b "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom". Metacritic. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
- ^ a b c Madnani, Mikhail (April 12, 2024). "Steam Deck Weekly: Reviews Including Children of the Sun, New Verified Games, Steam FPS Fest 2024, and More". TouchArcade. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ a b Cichacki, Shaun (April 12, 2024). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Is the Perfect Pallet Cleanser in a Stacked Year". The Escapist. Retrieved September 28, 2024.
- ^ Tarason, Dominic (April 10, 2024). "Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom". PCGamer. Retrieved September 28, 2024.