Sega's long-awaited Crazy Taxi revival, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, appears poised to recapture the exhilarating arcade thrills and distinctive 90s aesthetic of its predecessors. Early hands-on impressions suggest a game that thoughtfully expands upon the original's core mechanics while retaining its chaotically carefree spirit.
Players will once again step into the driver's seat as Axel, whose signature green hair and Hawaiian shirt are present, though his attitude is reportedly less abrasive. The soundtrack features music from The Offspring and Bad Religion, contributing to a nostalgic atmosphere that evokes the Dreamcast era. The core gameplay loop centers on picking up passengers and delivering them to their destinations against the clock, with trick combos serving as a multiplier for fares. The game's signature driving mechanics, including the Crazy Dash for speed boosts, Crazy Stop for braking, and the crucial Crazy Drift for navigating corners, are all present.
The Gamescom demo focused on the Crazy Rush mode, which mirrors the original game's solo taxiing experience. Although multiplayer and a closed beta are planned, the preview highlighted the core pick-up and drop-off gameplay. The newly revealed Germany map serves as a testament to the game's expanded scope. Early moments involve intense driving sequences, such as navigating an airport underpass, swerving between a jumbo jet on a runway, and weaving through terminals, control towers, baggage carts, and stacked luggage.
Beyond the airport, the game transitions to a cartoonish German tourist town featuring clock towers, pastel houses, and picturesque storefronts. The driving environment evolves from tight tarmac roads to cobbled streets and busy plazas with market stalls and restaurant tables. The map also includes a pumpkin festival and winding mountain roads leading to a secluded lodge and a hilltop castle, offering significant environmental variety.
World Tour enhances the original's formula by integrating mini-games directly into the map. These include checkpoint time attacks initiated by passing through gates, providing new challenges without disrupting the arcade-style gameplay. More notable are the "Odd Jobs," challenge-based passenger missions that introduce surprising twists to the core driving action. One example involves a passenger in a squirrel suit who requires the player to use Crazy Stop to fling them as far as possible. Another mission tasks the player with helping a city worker clean up rubbish by driving through bins and boxes to collect trash.
One particularly memorable Odd Job involved transporting a young man named Pierre to the airport. What began as a standard taxi fare escalated into a high-speed chase through the countryside, with the player needing to evade pursuers and catch a plane before it took off. This mission culminated back on the runway, mirroring the end of the preview session.
Despite the promising gameplay experience, the article notes that the generative AI controversy surrounding the game's development casts a shadow over its potential comeback. Nevertheless, the preview concludes that the time spent with Crazy Taxi: World Tour was enjoyable, and the game seems to be a solid return for the cherished classic series.