One of the most popular simulation franchises around has pulled into the station for another trip with Bus Simulator 27. This new iteration has some welcome changes and additions that fans of the franchise should enjoy as they travel around Felicia Bay.
Bus Simulator offers more than 45 officially licensed buses from 13 world famous manufacturers, such as Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, Solaris, and more. Within Felicia Bay are Alcaztelar and Mequina, two vibrant cities that are badly in need of a public transportation system, in addition to some locations in the countryside. That is where you come in. The previous regime was rocked with scandals and now it is your turn to not only build a successful transportation company, but have it thrive to make the lives of everyone that lives there a bit easier.
When I first started up Bus Simulator 27 I noticed a good number of options to get my journey started. For starters, there are three different games modes to pick from with Career, Story, and Sandbox. If you want to experience the story in Bus Simulator 27 and what it is like to start up and build your company, pick the Story mode. If you are someone that doesn’t necessarily care about the story, Career mode is for you. This is where the game allows you to build and manage your own bus company with an open system, without the restrictions of the character lead missions in the Story mode. Then the third option, Sandbox, is for those who want no rules. For those who just want to have fun and not worry about anything, the Sandbox mode offers unlimited money ,unlocked districts, and complete freedom to play however you want, without the potential restrictions of Story or Career mode. Keep in mind that Sandbox mode will disable a lot of achievements so if you think you can use this unlimited mode to farm achievements, that isn’t going to be the case.
There are also a number of customization options to choose from to fine tailor the experience how you want. Some examples include being able set engine to either automatic or manual, changing the art style, being able to set the frequency of passenger events, and much more. There is also an option to decide how the game treats you, whether you want a relaxed experience running your company or if you want the game to be more realistic and strict on how you do things, enforcing penalties, and more. A couple options exist in between those two as well making sure there is something for everyone in Bus Simulator 27.
The mode I picked first was Story to try and experience the curated experience the game has to offer. After creating my character I was able to get into a bus and go through the tutorial and the different functions of the bus and how to use everything. For me personally this part was a tad boring but only because I have played Bus Simulator games in the past. For those who are going to be brand new to this franchise, this tutorial is crucial to learn about all of the different buttons and how to properly run your burgeoning franchise. It is also important to note that you can drive in both first-person and third-person so no matter which one you like, you are good to go.
Once you get past all of that it is time to set everything up. You will get an option to sign a brand deal, buy buses to start your fleet, and hire employees to drive those buses. Then it will be up to you to create the routes these buses drive on. Once all of that administrative stuff is out of the way it is time to get out on the open road and go pick up your passengers.
Driving the routes you have created can be a lot of fun. It can also help you see where improvements can be made. As I progressed in the game and completed missions, I was responsible for different objectives. I enjoyed editing existing routes (as well as creating new ones) to try and make my routes more efficient for my customers, which means a better overall reputation for my company (and advancing in the game). You can start a mission by bringing up the management menu and then going over to the missions tab. Once there simply do what it requests, such as accepting a call from the mayor who will lay out what is expected of you in the next mission. You will also notice something the development team calls “Background Goals” which is something you work towards while driving the different routes in your area. For example, picking up a specific number of passengers while on a route, as well as dropping off a specific number of passengers on a route. Completing these goals will earn you XP which will help you in other areas of the game.
While I was driving around the world, I thought the buses handled reasonably well. You need to exercise some restraint while driving because if you just hit the gas without a care in the world, some bad things can potentially happen. You will also earn a score that continues to add (or subtract) points based on how you are driving. If you use the left turn signal before leaving the bus stop, you will receive a point. If you run through a red light though, you might lose three points. The idea of this system works well but the execution isn’t always there. I had one recent example where I went to a bus stop on my route, stopped, opened the doors, and waited for passengers to both enter and exit the vehicle. After waiting a little while I saw that no one was getting on the bus, so I closed the doors, used my signal, and pulled out into traffic. Then a couple moments later I got a message saying I had missed a bus stop and the game took some points away. As I just mentioned, I did not miss that bus stop. It is a tad frustrating when the game penalizes you for an error you didn’t make.
Obviously the more that you play, the more will be available for you to do. It won’t take long before you begin opening up new districts, which will bring in new bus stops. It will be up to whether you want to edit existing routes or create entirely new ones. Keep in mind that routes require buses and drivers, so if you decide to create a new route, you might have to buy a new bus and potentially hire a new employee. Each time that you serve a bus stop in a district, that district earns XP. Once you get enough points, the district will level up. Leveled up districts will include improved bus stops that will result in the overall comfort level of your passengers going up.
One issue that I have with Bus Simulator 27 is the same issue I have had with previous entries in this series. The UI is not very intuitive in the menu system, especially for those who might be new to the franchise. There were times when I was creating a route and adding bus stops but then when I pushed the button to back out or to go to the summary, the game didn’t always want to do that. I was hoping in this iteration perhaps they solved that issue but it doesn’t seem to be the case. To be clear, I have the Xbox Series X version. Perhaps the PC version doesn’t have this issue, I don’t know. For consoles though, the intuitiveness of the UI needs to be addressed.
Bus Simulator 27 has 20 districts that you will eventually unlock in Story Mode. There is quite a bit of content here that should keep fans busy for a while. In addition to creating routes, driving the routes, and running your overall company, Bus Simulator 27 has other things for you to do as well. You can befriend passengers if you so choose, and there are achievements tied to it. There are a number of different bus models and brands to try out. Some people will try to get away with a free bus ride, so you can toss people you catch doing that. Bus Simulator 27 also has a bunch of photos for fans to collect as well.
For those who want to dive deep into the simulation part of running your company, reports will also be generated so that you can see what is going on. For example, a report from a recent payday will tell you the profitability of each line, which lines are the best (and worst), who your top performing employee is, how your overall finances are looking, and more. This is also where you can work on potential advertisements with other businesses, you can check out reviews, your overall reputation, and more. Additionally there are perks that you can earn and use in the game such as reducing fines if you commit an infraction.
Aesthetically, Bus Simulator 27 looks beautiful. The diferent districts have a charm about them and it is nice when I can take a coastal route and just enjoy the view. For those who just want to kick back and enjoy the scenery, you can absolutely join a route that one of your drivers is on and just sit in one of the seats and watch the world go by. It is a really nice feature if you have to leave for a moment to go do something or if you simply want to see more of the world without having to worry about driving. The audio is really good as I enjoy the banter between the bus passengers and the overall vibe of the world. The inside jokes for series veterans continue on, such as passengers discussing the fictional popular television show, Winter of Passion.
Bus Simulator 27 is a fun game for simulation fans. If you are a fan of this genre I recommend giving it a try. If you are a fan of this specific series, you will definitely want to check this out. This is one of those games where it can be really deep and you can really get into the nitty gritty of everything, or you can just drive around the city transporting passengers and not care about anything else. The experience is what you want it to be and it is always a great thing when games can deliver that.
Score: 8/10
Originally posted on Shadow’s Gaming
Please Note: Astragon provided us with a code for Bus Simulator 27 for review.
