Taxi Chaos, released on multiple platforms back in 2021, for better or worse, was considered a spiritual successor to Sega’s popular Crazy Taxi series. Now, developer Focuspoint Studios and publisher Current Games are back with a sequel, Taxi Chaos 2. This new game adds much-needed combat and platforming elements to the well-worn Crazy Taxi formula, but that may not be quite enough to push it over the top for some players.

Platforms and price

Taxi Chaos 2 is available as a digital download for Microsoft Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch (or Switch 2), Windows 10 PC or greater (Steam, Epic Games; Loaded for possible discounts), and Sony PlayStation 5. All versions have a regular price of $24.99, except for Nintendo Switch, which is $34.99. Retail versions from Curveball Games are expected later this year.

I’m specifically reviewing the Nintendo Switch version, primarily on a Nintendo Switch 2.

The story: Taxicore

The game takes place in San Valeda, a sprawling, vertical metropolis that has been completely taken over by TaxiBot Corp, a mega-corporation that replaced all human drivers with an army of AI-controlled drones called “TaxiBots.” You play primarily as Vinny, the seasoned cabbie from the first game who had retired to a tropical paradise. His retirement is cut short when he is dragged back to the streets of San Valeda. Vinny teams up with Cleo, a tech-savvy influencer and second playable character, who needs his old-school driving skills to help launch a “human resistance” taxi company.

The villain is H.A.N.K., the rogue central mainframe controlling the TaxiBot fleet. H.A.N.K. views human drivers as obsolete and inefficient. As your reputation grows, he actively sends his fleet to hunt you down.

The story is structured around proving that “human intuition beats algorithms.” You aren’t just driving for fares, but are fighting for the right to stay on the road in a living city. As you complete a series of 12-minute “shifts,” which are the game’s campaign chapters, you earn cash to upgrade your taxi and company, slowly dismantling TaxiBot Corp’s stranglehold on the city. Of course, as the day progresses, H.A.N.K. gets more aggressive, deploying tougher enemies like “TaxiTanks” and blocking off routes.

Overall, the implementation is a bit tongue-in-cheek, so it doesn’t take itself too seriously, which is good, although I wish the voice acting was just a touch more enthusiastic. As it is, it’s not quite as fun as it could be due to both that and some of the pacing. With that said, despite a bit too much repetition, I did appreciate the attempts at humor, even if they were nothing inventive or laugh out loud funny.

Visuals and audio: Nostalgic and simple

Visually, it reminds me a lot of the Sega Dreamcast version of Crazy Taxi, although with simpler texture work, which is hardly a compliment. There’s also a bit of polygonal pop-in here and there, along with frame rate stutters, which I found odd. In short, if you’re looking for a graphically rich title, Taxi Chaos 2 is not it. Its visuals are more nostalgic than modern. I usually don’t mind that, but in this case, I think more ambition in this area would have helped elevate the overall experience.

The audio is similarly toned down. There’s no licensed music, so you just get generic instrumentals. It’s a far cry from the high energy bangers from Crazy Taxi. Sound effects are similarly serviceable. Voices are generally clear, although again, some of the voice acting is a bit flat. And yes, they do pull some lines from Crazy Taxi.

Gameplay: Yeah, it’s Crazy Taxi with a story, combat, and jumping

The Story Mode features chapter-based progression and a light narrative with a defined ending. Arcade Mode features endless score chasing across time-limited shifts with global cross-platform leaderboards.

While Arcade Mode can be fun for quick gameplay sessions, Story Mode is where Taxi Chaos 2 is arguably strongest. Each chapter is reasonably short, with clear objectives, which keeps the overall pace moving along. Unfortunately, the gameplay itself is not as smooth as it could be.

Taxi Chaos 2’s greatest contribution to the genre is introducing light combat by crashing into enemies and lots of obstacles that need to be jumped over. These add refreshing play elements, but the obstacles sometimes make the city feel smaller than it should. Similarly, when you’re swarmed and surrounded by TaxiBots, you can sometimes be blocked in, which I found frustrating, although that’s arguably the point.

At its heart, the gameplay in Taxi Chaos 2 is still Crazy Taxi’s, so the comparison to those fare-based games is inevitable. They just play better and have more polish, even if they can sometimes feel even more repetitive than Taxi Chaos 2.

Ultimately, if you want more Crazy Taxi, then Taxi Chaos 2 offers exactly that, but doesn’t do much beyond that even with the welcome Story Mode and attempts at unique mechanics with the combat and platformer-like jumping.

Should you buy Taxi Chaos 2?

Despite obvious effort to elevate Taxi Chaos 2 beyond the core Crazy Taxi formula with a Story Mode and combat and jump mechanics, it still remains inextricably tied to that venerable franchise’s gameplay. Unfortunately, it not only can’t meet the lofty standard of the Crazy Taxi series, it also barely offers a reasonably compelling alternative for Crazy Taxi fans thanks to its lack of overall polish. While Taxi Chaos 2 might be worth adding to your library at a deep discount, particularly since there’s no easy way to get a Crazy Taxi title on modern systems – at least until Sega’s promised reboot comes out – it’s hard to recommend at its present price point for what’s on offer. Still, if you’re a Crazy Taxi fan, you at least have an option for a somewhat fun fix until something better comes along.

Score: 6 (out of 10)

[Armchair Arcade and fullSTEAMahead365 review scale]