Taxi Life: A City Driving Simulator

Urban Venture is a sim game that allows us to experience the life of a professional driver in a crowded metropolis. It was developed by Polish studio Simteract.

Plot

Urban Venture takes us on a journey to modern Barcelona, the second largest Spanish city. We take on the role of a driver, who comes here, dreaming of making a great career (and of course - earning a fortune).

Game mechanics

In Urban Venture we can observe the action from first (FPP) or third (TPP) person perspective. Game gives us the whole Barcelona, reflected in one-to-one scale, with its numerous monuments, famous buildings, sculptures and parks. We drive through the metropolis as taxi drivers or delivery drivers. We are often pressed for time during our assignments, so the key to success is to know Barcelona and its nooks and crannies, which will allow us to avoid traffic jams or other obstacles (such as accidents or road works).

The game features advanced AI, which takes care of the behaviour of other road users and pedestrians, depending on the time of day or the weather, among other things. We also have to pay attention to the weather; slippery road surfaces increase braking distances, while on hot days we should use air conditioning to make our passengers as comfortable as possible. We must also obey the rules when driving and keep our eyes open. This is important because driving on a red light here will result in a fine, and not giving right of way to another driver may result in a collision.

The game lets us use several types of cars, which we can adjust to individual preferences. In addition, cars must be taken care of by performing regular inspections and repairs. Of course, we should not forget about refuelling. If we do everything right, over time the number of zeros on our account starts to grow. Then we have no choice but to hire more drivers and expand our fleet of cars. In this way, as we progress, our company spreads its wings and becomes a real car empire.

Technical aspects

Urban Venture features high quality graphics. The city has been designed with attention to detail, just like the cars driving on its streets (although these are not licensed).