Image credit: Em Stonham for Kyusai/stillalive studios/Saber Interactive
Simulation games exist for almost every niche imaginable; whether you want to bake tasty treats in a cake shop, care for cute animals as a vet, or drive tractors around a bustling farm, there’ll be a title for you.
The latest sim to chug its way into my inbox is Bus Bound, an intricate and charming bus simulation game from stillalive studios and Saber Interactive. Despite not usually being a simulation game player, I had a good time zooming around in my fleet of buses. Here’s a first look at the game, reviewed on PlayStation 5.
Keeping customers happy
I’ve not spent much time with the driving simulation genre before – I enjoyed Assetto Corsa Rally and iRacing Arcade, but other than these titles, it’s a fairly new area of gaming for me. Bus Bound was a lot of fun despite this.
In Bus Bound, you, unsurprisingly, play as a bus driver. The game kicks off with a cutscene that sets the stage for your mission: you’re aiming to bring quality public transport to the city of Emberville, creating new routes and making your passengers’ lives easier.
The buses in Emberville don’t cost any money to use – as someone who uses public transport regularly, this feels like a utopian dream – and instead are fuelled by customer satisfaction. If customers are happy with their journey and the overall service, the bus company will continue to receive funding.
You can keep customers happy by getting to the next stop on time, going slowly over speed bumps, stopping at red lights, and avoiding brake checks. If the ride is smooth and doesn’t result in any car crashes along the way, the passengers will be pleased.
In contrast, if you make mistakes during your playthrough, customers will comment on your poor driving, and you’ll receive low satisfaction ratings. Even missing the bus stop slightly or clipping a curb while pulling in to drop people off can result in unhappy commuters giving you a piece of their mind.
The interactions with passengers were amusing and added a strong sense of realism to the game.
I started off my time with Bus Bound hoping to see just how fast the bus could go and if I could drift it – yes, kind of – but ended up getting drawn into the gameplay and caring about keeping the passengers happy.
Gotta go fast (carefully)
Mechanically, Bus Bound felt smooth and intuitive. I was pleased to see a comprehensive tutorial in place for someone new to the genre, and found the controls simple to get the hang of.
You won’t only be accelerating and braking while driving, you’ll have access to everything from the sun shield and indicators to the horn and windscreen wipers, all of which will need to be used to maximize your chances of success.
There’s a navigation system in place that guides you from A to B as you drive through your chosen route, telling you where to go, when to switch lanes, and when you’ll need to stop at a red light.
The game will also prompt you if there’s a speed limit in the area and nudge you if you’re getting too close to the maximum limit.
Something I was incredibly happy to see in Bus Bound was a rich and vibrant customization system. You can tweak the visual style of your bus and change its coloring, patterns, and finish, with new cosmetics being unlockable as you make progress in the game.
Visually, Bus Bound looked solid on the PlayStation 5. I did find the character models a little uncanny valley at times, but otherwise I enjoyed exploring Emberville and seeing the aesthetic of each district.
Performance-wise, I didn’t encounter any major issues or quirks, and the user experience was largely smooth and enjoyable.
I never thought I’d be writing this enthusiastically about a driving simulation game – it’s not my usual zombie shooter, and I don’t even know how to drive – but based on my first few hours with Bus Bound, it’s a lot of fun to get stuck into. I can see it doing well with fans of the simulation genre looking for something new to play.
FAQs
Bus Bound is a detailed bus simulation game that lets players act out their bus driver fantasies while exploring the city of Emberville.
Bus Bound was developed by stillalive studios and published by Saber Interactive Inc.
Based on my time with the game, yes, Bus Bound is an intricate and realistic game that requires accuracy and attention to detail to achieve successful driving results.
No, Bus Bound is not single-player only – up to four players can tear up the tarmac (safely at 40 MPH) in online co-op.
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