A Streamlined Trip
“You wait ages for a bus, then three come along at once.”
This famous quote perfectly describes waiting ages for something, only for a deluge of opportunities to arrive simultaneously. Naturally, it also serves as an accurate description of the buses themselves.
But I want to take that analogy a step further, as Bus Bound is the third bus simulator I have played in the last year alone. The question I hear you asking is: what makes this one different from the likes of The Bus and Bus World? On first impression, it doesn’t actually feel all that different, but its streamlined ease of play and the vibrant city itself help it stand out from the crowd.
The game begins with you, rather weirdly, sitting inside your bus in the middle of nowhere. You receive a call from the higher-ups in the fictional city of Emberville, informing you that your services – and your bus – are urgently required to make the city great again. Off you go to the big city, completing a tutorial along the way that teaches you how to drive and adhere to the Highway Code. Upon arrival, you are placed in an office with a clear objective: build a bus infrastructure that keeps the citizens happy.
There are no cutscenes or narrative arcs to speak of, and you never actually see your character outside (or even inside) the bus. I am afraid the question of exactly why you love driving buses so much is never answered. However, none of that really matters, because the core focus of the game is focused entirely on passenger satisfaction.
Driving for Likes
In other bus simulators, there is a plethora of minute details to remember. Many require you to follow complex instructions to start the engine, log into computer systems, operate ticket machines, and select the correct fog lights before you even hit the tarmac. In Bus Bound, the system is vastly simplified. You simply release the handbrake, press the accelerator, stop at designated bus stops, pick up passengers, and drop them off.
You don’t have to deal with ticket sales or money; instead, your focus is entirely on earning ‘likes’ from your passengers. How do you achieve this? First and foremost, by driving safely. You must stick to the city’s speed limits, avoid jumping red lights or hitting cars, and always stop at junctions. You also earn additional likes by sticking strictly to the timetable and pulling up to the bus stops as accurately as possible. It is a wonderfully simple system that works incredibly well.
The more likes you accumulate on your routes, the more districts you can upgrade. This allows you to open up new routes and bus stops around the city. Soon enough, you are designing your own custom routes and gaining access to a wider variety of buses. There are a whole host of different vehicles to unlock and paint. I don’t know a massive amount about buses, but if you are an enthusiast, I suspect you will be very happy here.
The Commuter Grind
The biggest issue I encountered is the repetitive nature of the core gameplay loop. To unlock more routes and progress through the game, you are forced to drive the exact same areas and operate the exact same routes over and over again. Granted, that is the nature of a driving simulator – it mimics real life – and you can edit routes or drive them in reverse to mix things up. Ultimately, though, how long you keep playing simply depends on your personal commitment to the bus-driving lifestyle.
The city of Emberville is well-designed, featuring distinct districts, and it frequently feels like a living, breathing metropolis. The traffic behaves realistically, making it a genuinely nice place to drive around. There are some excellent weather systems and nighttime driving mechanics. The buses themselves look great, and you can easily switch to your preferred camera angle. I opted for the first-person cockpit view, which perfectly suited my driving style.
The audio features an in-game radio station playing a range of folk-rock tracks, complete with a host who chats about the weather and local city news. It has some good original music, but after a while, I found myself muting it to put on a podcast while completing my route for the hundredth time. There are also ambient audio comments from the passengers, some of which are unintentionally quite funny.
An Accessible Bus Experience
Before summing up, it is worth mentioning that there is a multiplayer element to Bus Bound, though the servers are extremely quiet. However, you can design a route and play alongside friends or strangers if they own the game.
Ultimately though, Bus Bound is a cosy bus experience that strips away the complex bells and whistles found in more detailed simulators. It offers a fun city to drive around, but the repetitive core loop may well make you realise you are not quite the dedicated bus driver this game wants you to be.
Important Links
Bus Bound – A Fresh Take On Driving Simulation? – https://www.thexboxhub.com/bus-bound-a-fresh-take-on-driving-simulation/
Bus Bound is a New Driving Game from the Bus Simulator Creators, Coming to Xbox, PS5, PC – https://www.thexboxhub.com/bus-bound-is-a-new-driving-game-from-the-bus-simulator-creators-coming-to-xbox-ps5-pc/
Buy from the Xbox Store – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/bus-bound/9pgtsphxq1dq
Grab the Deluxe Edition – https://www.xbox.com/en-GB/games/store/bus-bound-deluxe-edition/9PGTQF7J1B1D/0010
