It isn’t often that a video game sells itself short, with publishers and occasionally developers making promises they’re unable to keep. True to its name, Bus World does indeed involve driving buses in a handful of different countries. Cast aside any preconceived notions of taking old dears to the nearest hypermarket, however, as Bus World largely focuses on evacuating citizens during catastrophic disasters. You’d think the ‘emergency’ or ‘evac’ part of the premise would be mentioned in the title.
With that in mind, Bus World is a tad more exciting than you may expect…which was likely not very exciting at all. Wasting no time setting the tone, the tutorial takes place during the famous nuclear reactor failure in Chernobyl. The controls are easy to learn, with just a few button presses required to turn the ignition and pull away, and things such as using the handbrake when picking up passengers are optional. Unsafe, but optional. This opening mission involves letting citizens board before closely following a convoy into the countryside. Nothing too taxing, although it is possible to fail despite this being a mere introduction to the controls.
From here on it’s possible to play the free mode or choose from a handful of scenarios from a map screen, with more unlocking upon levelling up. Scenarios can also be replayed if you’re yet to acquire a gold medal.
Free mode presents its own array of options, such as a choice of buses, the ability to pick a 10-15-minute route from a choice of four or five, plan a custom route, or simply roam around a map freely. Try as I might, I couldn’t experience free mode in Chernobyl, with the game booting back to the dashboard upon hitting the start button. Hopefully, a patch is planned.
The other two locations available are a volcanic region in Iceland and a dense coastal region in China with winding paths. The Iceland map is set during a geyser eruption, forcing you to ferry citizens while avoiding steaming jets and flooded roads. The bus can handle shallow waters for a few seconds, but if the water damage gauge fills entirely then the mission is over. I found missions in this region vastly challenging as it’s very difficult to know what you’re able to get away with, failing some missions instantly even though sticking to the road.
The China map meanwhile is set during a tsunami, essentially requiring you to floor it to a higher region before the water level rises. Waste too much time, and you’re a goner, prompting a restart – there are no checkpoints here.
Other missions involve reaching a destination on a hot day before the engine overheats and completing a route with next to no fuel by relying on momentum and minimal brake use. In most instances once enough money has been made the mission is marked as a success and you’ll level up, earning a few new parts or perhaps a new bus in the process.
From the way the bus controls to navigating the menus, most things in Bus World are relatively straightforward. You aren’t going to be left scratching your head why the bus won’t start, or what your current objective is. An attractive game it isn’t, suffering from pop-up and blurry textures, but neither is it without merit, with the occasional flourish present. The China map is the best looking, sporting a waterfall and dense foliage.
I would even say that it’s a slightly surreal experience at times. One free play mission entailed ferrying a load of passengers to the top of an active volcano, randomly stopping during the mountain climb to pick up citizens. Then, once reaching the summit, all 20 (approx.) passengers exited and walked in a straight line past the flaming volcano and into the distance. It was enough to make me wonder if I’d somehow become involved in a suicide pact. Similar irregularities are common, such as a lack of wind or rain during some of the tsunami missions.
Bus World ended up being quite a weird experience, defying most expectations. I was pleasantly surprised by how intuitive the controls and menus are, and appreciated the choice of tackling missions, planning custom routes, or simply exploring. To reiterate, it’s a game where danger meets daily commuting. One mission you’ll be fleeing a tsunami with a bunch of passengers on board, the next merely taking people to work. The danger aspect is underbaked, with too many missions requiring numerous retries, whereas the more relaxed missions are precisely that. To quote Mungo Jerry: “Have a drink, have a drive, go out and see what you can find.”
Ultimate Games’ Bus World is out now on Xbox Series and PS5. It first launched on PC in 2023. Developed by KishMish.