What Crazy Taxi did for The Offspring, Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom does for N64 sales and eBay retro scalpers. How on Earth did Panik Arcade get the rights to remaster this classic N64 game without it being one and only ‘inspired-by’?
Without being brainwashed by marketing, this game published by Those Awesome Guys is straight out of the 90s with regards to the looks department and general feel, yet look under the hood (ha!); this is far from a cash-grab retro experience. Except for games like Mario 64 and GoldenEye 007, Nintendo’s older console hasn’t aged well.
Seriously, dust off your N64 or ask your <ahem> “mate” who has an emulator with a few ROMs and revisit them. They aren’t as good as you might remember them, and if you’re new to the platform, it’s unlikely to gain a new audience. The difference between Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom and the games from yesteryear is the indulging gameplay.
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Review
This game isn’t a technical feat – it’s supposed to look like a retro game, and it plays like one, too, feeling modern yet with the traits one would expect from the era. But let us touch upon one of the key elements – Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom’s USP: a platformer without a dedicated button.
For a game that touts itself as a platformer without a jump button, Panick Arcade manages to get so much right
That’s not entirely true. Your ickle taxi does have a little trick up its sleeve: a spring, which ties into the plot. Car manufacturer Tosla’s fearless leader (Alien Musk, I think…) has been taking control of all the vehicles, leaving the citizens without their cars. While Tosla is the monopoly, the spring tech in your taxi is out of their reach, meaning you’re free to hoon as you, please.
As a gameplay mechanic, the spring can be triggered at will to launch the taxi forward. Time it right, and you’ll be able to clear ridiculous distances, reach greater heights, and perhaps write that novel you’ve always been toying with. Well, maybe not the latter, but the spring gives you creative freedom to experiment with paths, techniques and gather the numerous collectables.
A Spring In Your Tracks
A dubious character named Morio welcomes you to the wacky world of Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom, serving as a guide along with some conveniently placed robots that help you master your skills. Initially, driving about is easy. You’ll collect coins to unlock customisables, destroy objects for bonus points and extra coins, and, most importantly, locate all the missing cogs on each level to progress.
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is a bona fide arcade experience that’s easy to get into
For a game that touts itself as a platformer without a jump button, Panick Arcade manages to get so much right. There’s the freedom of dashing up ramps, experimenting with the right moment to trigger the spring, and then adding some acceleration/deceleration aftertouch to fine-tune a landing. You’ll need to master this, as timing is absolutely crucial, so expect to replay the same sections again and again until perfection.
Despite repeatedly getting the timing wrong, Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom never made me feel like I wanted to see the insides of my laptop, a.k.a. triggering my own spring and throwing it at a wall. The presentation is wholesome and feels good, with so many nods to that little kitten called nostalgia that you could never be mad at it. Look at the camera angles, the font, the music. Forget spunking all that money on a Banjo-Kazooie cart—get this instead.
Fare Enough
We’ve established that this is a 3D platformer with the freedom to explore, coins to collect, customisations to unlock, and quirky characters to boot. Regarding longevity, Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is a bona fide arcade experience that’s easy to get into with a high replay value based on the numerous challenges, collectables and, of course, time trials.
However, in the words of DJ Kool, let me clear my throat: this does not currently work on the Steam Deck. That’s scandalous, as it would be perfect to play this on the go, on the loo, or in the back of a cab —it genuinely is an ace pick-up-and-play arcade game on par with the aforementioned Sega taxi game, only with much more durability.
Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom Review Summary
Rather than start another paragraph that will only repeat superlatives, Yellow Taxi Goes Vroom is a must for N64 fans. That’s not the only group it targets as the net casts wide to driving, platform and retro fans – in fact, anyone who’s looking for a fun, entertaining arcade experience. Forget wasting money on an Uber; put your hands in your pocket and pay the fare for this gem – it’s worth every penny.
