Neo Cab plays out exactly like a taxi simulator mixed together with a visual novel in a way that makes it both embrace the format and not fully commit to either one. The game is fully about your experiences with various customers and how each one can reflect on you. It's both an interesting game on social experiences and the choices we make.
That being said I don't think many will get the same experiences that I got from Neo Cab. There is just enough variety in the middle that makes for a tailor experienced for any given player. While both the beginning and ending are fairly similar for everyone; I just don't see that being the main impact on your experience. In some ways, Neo Cab reminds me of Spiritfarer with the way it gave you a choice between the people you transported and got to experience. While I wouldn't say it left as much an emotional response as Spiritfarer did, it did end up resonating with me.
For all it's bells, and whistles though, Neo Cab's main story really isn't something I'm too keen on. It at least sets the stage for it's players and scenario, but it just wasn't a big highlight for me. It does have an interesting message about corporations taking over people's lives and the importance of addressing toxic friendships, but I don't think this was the best story device for that. It's mainly that half way through you just don't need to engage with the main story. This led a lot of the cab rides to be a bit more interesting and engaging to me compared to whenever I had to get back into the story because I just got invested in other characters. Thankfully though, Neo Cab does have a wonderful showdown at the end of it that justifies at least having the main story to began with.
Really tho, I do like the structure of Neo Cab's middle part far more than the beginning and ending. If they are to keep making games like this, I think making it far more free roaming, and about various characters you pick up is a better format than trying to make it have an overall story to it. Neo Cab is a super interesting ride that can led to a lot of different experiences from different players, and frankly I think that is far more neat to think about. As for me, I will forever appreciate the pain worm, and the suffering it brings on to me.
That being said I don't think many will get the same experiences that I got from Neo Cab. There is just enough variety in the middle that makes for a tailor experienced for any given player. While both the beginning and ending are fairly similar for everyone; I just don't see that being the main impact on your experience. In some ways, Neo Cab reminds me of Spiritfarer with the way it gave you a choice between the people you transported and got to experience. While I wouldn't say it left as much an emotional response as Spiritfarer did, it did end up resonating with me.
For all it's bells, and whistles though, Neo Cab's main story really isn't something I'm too keen on. It at least sets the stage for it's players and scenario, but it just wasn't a big highlight for me. It does have an interesting message about corporations taking over people's lives and the importance of addressing toxic friendships, but I don't think this was the best story device for that. It's mainly that half way through you just don't need to engage with the main story. This led a lot of the cab rides to be a bit more interesting and engaging to me compared to whenever I had to get back into the story because I just got invested in other characters. Thankfully though, Neo Cab does have a wonderful showdown at the end of it that justifies at least having the main story to began with.
Really tho, I do like the structure of Neo Cab's middle part far more than the beginning and ending. If they are to keep making games like this, I think making it far more free roaming, and about various characters you pick up is a better format than trying to make it have an overall story to it. Neo Cab is a super interesting ride that can led to a lot of different experiences from different players, and frankly I think that is far more neat to think about. As for me, I will forever appreciate the pain worm, and the suffering it brings on to me.