Taxi Chaos 2 Review

As someone who never played the original Taxi Chaos when it was first released, I can’t make any direct comparisons. From what I can gather, though, the development team have taken feedback on board. It’s clear from the get-go that Taxi Chaos 2 has the ambition to convert a nostalgic niche into a modern-day arcade classic. If you’re lucky enough to have played the Crazy Taxi games back in the day, then you’ll see some clear inspiration and similarities. Developed by Focuspoint Studios and published by Current Games, the game is now available on the Xbox Series X|S.

Gameplay

After reviewing gameplay footage of the first instalment in the series, the development team has doubled down on the same arcade racer aura of the original. Gameplay, however, looks more satisfying and refined. Driving physics are much improved, which is probably the most important area of the game, I’d say. Drifts and jumps are satisfying and forgiving to execute if you time them correctly. City design is fantastic, and some of the hazards are deliberately placed. Obstacles such as rooftop ramps, alleyways, rail grinds and destructible barriers all come into play.

After several hours of gameplay, I began to familiarise myself with the layout of the road network within the districts. My driving was smoother, and I was learning the best way to take shortcuts, whether that was driving another direction or just jumping from a height and hoping you don’t crash into water. The premise is very simple: pick up waiting passengers, deliver them to their destination as quickly as possible and rack up score multipliers. Every fare is different and is a timed challenge; driving fast and avoiding obstacles is paramount to better scoring. Shortcuts, near misses and jumps will fire up those scores. Before you know it, you’ll be shaving off seconds on each run.

Mode By Mode Mayhem

Taxi Chaos 2 has a couple of modes to get stuck into, depending on your preference. Campaign and mission mode give you missions and objectives to complete with a variance in passenger types. Over time, you’ll also unlock vehicles and different areas with some interesting mission types.

Arcade and Score Attack are designed for players who want to dive in just for short, high-intensity runs, for those who like to chase high scores and strive for those perfect runs. It’s all about nailing the combos, discovering shortcuts and refining your driving style.

Visuals & Audio

Taxi Chaos 2 doesn’t stray too far from the previous game in terms of visuals. But there are more details, character models, improved lighting and reflections. Draw distance is spot on as well, with no issues performance-wise throughout my entire playthrough on Xbox Series X. One frustration I had was getting stuck when crashing, and with no way of resetting the vehicle, it becomes a bit of an annoyance when you want to get going again. On the plus side, there are destructible elements such as construction barriers, and the jump feature can get you out of trouble on most occasions.

It’s nice to see a bit of voice acting here, which can feel like it is repeated in longer sessions. The soundtrack leans heavily into a punk-rock genre, which seems to match the same vibe the original Crazy Taxi titles were going for. The music suits the atmosphere when weaving in and out of heavy traffic at full speed. Overall, a great job for the development teams for a polished game without many niggles at all.

Final Thoughts

Taxi Chaos 2 isn’t perfect by any means; there are still many areas in which the game could improve. The game, however, is fast, frantic and fun with a vibrant and fun city to drive around and explore. Those who are into quick, short bursts of adrenaline-fuelled gameplay will enjoy the score-chasing element of the game. Whilst I’d love to have seen some multiplayer integration, I had fun passing the controller back and forth with my eight-year-old son, taking the game in turns. If you’re looking for a game that doesn’t take itself too seriously but provides short bursts of adrenaline-filled fun, then I would recommend giving this one your time. You can purchase a copy of the game for Xbox Series X|S HERE.